Pedestal
by Digital Skitty
Summary: For some people, training isn't easy. For some people, training is beyond easy. Unfortunately, for me, training is beyond hard. Double weaknesses, attacked by wild Pokemon, mistrust of trainers, and much more. I just CAN'T catch a break, can I?
1. Such A High, High Mental Pedestal

First & Long Author's Note That Should Tide Y'all Over For The Rest Of The Story:

For all those just joining me on this lovely journey we're about to start, this is the result of nostalgia, conversations with a fellow Pokemon fanatic, and us being second-semester-seniors (though by now we're both off to college). A good friend of mine and also an author-slash-artist, Nyaa-Neko-chan (just 'Nyaa-Neko' on here; check out her half, too, in "Poltergeist's"!), and I made a pact. What is this pact? To have a story completed by the time we graduate. This story shall have at least 15,000 words, as well as meet a few other criteria. This is the beginning of that story.

BUT FIRST A WARNING. _Nothing_ will be safe from me in this story. Since this is a last hurrah, so to speak, I am hauling out the big guns. It will be _random_, it will be _angsty, _it will be _special_. I am using any original character that I own that I want--not all of them from the Pokemon universe, either. So if you read about a character in the following who seems to be a bit better characterized than most, it's likely he or she is from another story.

…That is all.

-.-.-

When I was little, I decided I wanted to be a Pokemon trainer. When I was a bit more grown up, and when I had started Pokemon school, I decided that I didn't want to be just any old trainer. I wanted to be _special_.

But… Since I really _wasn't_ special, this meant that my Pokemon team had to be. That initially got the ball rolling. I could go out and hunt down the rarest, most valuable Pokemon I could think of--but I knew that it would be a poor thing to waste my time on. So I was smart, for once in my life, and opted for a saner choice: I would pick a regular Pokemon to be my starter, and just train like heck until it became special and strong and amazing.

Most of my thoughts, in my youth, were centered on that imaginary starter Pokemon. I built it up in my mind until the pedestal was so high I could only tilt my head back and stare. I didn't know what species it would be, but it would be godly, to say the least. I didn't want any old starter Pokemon, to be sure, but I needed something that would be easy to train. (I had no illusions about my skill; I would not be a good trainer immediately.) Eventually, as I aged, I stopped building up my Pokemon and instead concentrated on deciding which species it ought to be.

I absorbed every species I learned about like a sponge, and then proceeded to research those I deemed 'interesting' on my own. Occasionally I would ask either of my parents about them, too, of course. For research purposes.

"Mom, I want a Rhyhorn." She nearly choked on the coffee she'd been drinking as she spat it out in the most perfect spit-take I had ever seen.

I gave up wanting a Rhyhorn after that.

I made a list, so to speak, and whittled it down as I approached my tenth birthday. After several questions, such as the one above, my parents helped with this. They occasionally suggested (usually after shooting down one of mine) a Pokemon. "How about a nice Cleffa? They're cute, and safe." I generally wasn't pleased with their selection.

"Can I have a Gyarados?"

"That would be a Magikarp first. Why don't you want something like a Wooper?"

I didn't want a Wooper because they were bland, slimy little things, and they reminded me too much of my crazy teacher. She had a Wooper named Woop that spent most of class staring at the students with a wide, creepy smile on its face.

"I want an Onix."

"Those are too dangerous for trainers to start with. It could hurt you."

"Kids at Rock Tunnel start out with them."

"Not often."

My list was slowly growing smaller as the day of my birthday grew nearer. In a way, I was able to appreciate this fortune, since it meant I had less to choose from. But it also meant just that--I had less to choose from!

"How about an Electabuzz? Those are pretty cool."

"Why not a nice Mareep?"

My parents (mom especially) seemed bent on giving me a very lame Pokemon as my starter.

"A Ditto? This way, it can turn into any safe Pokemon you want."

"Yeah, and you wouldn't choose any of those."

My dad was equally discouraging, but at least he didn't try to push Mareep and Wooper on me.

Then, all at once, it was my tenth birthday. Unlike many of my friends, I didn't get a starter as a gift--mostly because I hadn't decided on one. I was fine with this. If anything, it made me more excited. I announced my desire to start on my journey, and my parents gently rebuffed me. They said I needed more preparation--and, of course, to pick out a starter. I could see the logic in this at first, so I was content to wait and think.

"A _dragon_ Pokemon--that would be awesome!"

"They're expensive, honey. Why not something that's less exotic?"

"An Ekans?"

"It could bite you!"

As the months slowly passed, I was beginning to sense that my parents weren't exactly keen on letting me go.

"Can you two just draw up a _list_ of the Pokemon I _can_ have? I'll pick from that!"

"That would be very difficult to do. Can't you decide on your own?"

Every time I suggested a Pokemon, however, either my mom or my dad would have some reason I couldn't have it. By then, I was more than frustrated. Especially because I was now over ten and a half; soon I would be eleven when I started training! Almost all of my friends were already off training, even a couple of the younger ones, and my parents were bent on keeping me at home for the rest of my life.

Then, it was two days before my eleventh birthday. I was packing my things to run away--at least my parents had been helpful in preparing material things for my journey. I was fully intent on it, too. I wasn't sure how I would get my Pokemon, but I would, and we would make an amazing team.

That was part of my plan, in fact. I would have one Pokemon, and one Pokemon only. _That's_ how high that pedestal in my mind was. I would be the best trainer ever with only one Pokemon. In theory, it sounded fine. If I only had one, I could spend all of my time training with that one, right? I could concentrate solely on it, and build up its strength until it could overpower any weaknesses it might have had.

…First I just had to get that Pokemon, of course.

…Once I decided what it _was_.


	2. Knocked Down To Prevent From It Falling

The door behind me opened. I was mid-water-bottle-packing. Slowly, I turned around, trying very hard to seem innocent. "What are you doing?" My innocent face must not have looked very… innocent. What to tell your mother when she just walked in on you packing to run away?

"…I don't know." I was not very creative, especially under pressure.

"Looks to me like you're packing for some sort of trip," she said critically.

I winced. "…Well, I _am_ almost eleven, you know. I should be gone, anyway."

"You don't have a Pokemon." Curse you, logic!

"I'll go get one."

"Where?"

"I'll buy one at the market."

There was a long-suffering sigh. I could only scowl and return to packing; there was no successful verbal response to the mom sigh. After not winning with that, she walked over and sat on my bed, halting the packing process. "…With what money?" she asked quietly.

"Birthday money. Allowance." I _did_ have a little money saved up… "…Can I have my birthday money early?" It would only be two days.

"How about your gift instead?" With that, my mother set a pokeball on the covers and made it all the way to the door before I pounced on it. She probably meant to get a clean getaway, but I wouldn't let her. Not only was I thankful--boy, was I thankful, because it meant I didn't have to spend my last dribbles of cash on a Pokemon!--but I was also suspicious. I _knew_ what kind of Pokemon my mother had wanted for me. If she was so eager to get away, it only made me suspect her more.

Not wanting to get saddled with a Skitty or Igglybuff, and holding her still at the door in a one-armed hug, I tossed the pokeball to the floor.

The pedestal in my mind came crashing to the ground as I recognized the creature. Dull yellow, with a few curls of fur on the top of its head, nestled between round, twitching ears… A bland, disinterested gaze, black-rimmed. Four blunt, stubby legs, holding up a dense mass of yellow and faded green. The Pokemon turned its head to one side and regarded me with a lidded expression.

"…_Really_?"

"Yes, really. Your father and I think a Numel would be a wonderful starter Pokemon. Its fire-type, so you get your element of danger--which you seem to need--but you won't get burnt to a crisp by it."

"…But… _really_?" I repeated, with more than a bit of desperation.

"Yes, really," she replied firmly.

And that was how I got Pedestal, my Numel.

-.-.-

I set out soon after that. I was not exactly enthused with a _Numel_ of all Pokemon, but I continually cheered myself up. After all, that had been my grand master plan, right? I was going to take an ordinary Pokemon and make it extraordinary! I could still do this! I would still do this!

Every time I got enthusiastic or excited, however, Des (for it was much easier to encourage in battle by the name of 'Des', than 'Pedestal'; plus I could avoid many more weird looks this way) would once again remind me that I had been foolish to place it in the spotlight. It never was excited, and usually gave me a few bruises as it would knock my feet out from under me with its head. It took a few weeks for me to figure out that this was virtually the blank Pokemon's only sign of affection. Otherwise, the Numel was a blank slate. It would eat, sleep, breathe, and poop, but aside from that, and occasionally setting things on fire and maybe the rare happy little "Nu!", Pedestal didn't do much of anything.

I had been expecting an awesome Pokemon that obeyed me perfectly, rejoiced at every battle won, resolved to get stronger with every one lost (there wouldn't be many of those, though), and was my best friend. I couldn't see myself becoming best friends with Pedestal, simply put. Numel were pretty boring Pokemon to begin with, and mine seemed doubly so.

In that first month, I learned a lot.

The first thing I learned was which foods spoiled quickly and which would keep for awhile. (I found myself eating a lot of ramen.) Pedestal picked out its favorite foods as well, usually by snatching bites of mine. One _good_ thing about having my Numel: I never had to waste any matches or my time rubbing sticks together. Instant cooking fires!

Another very important thing I learned was that shoes were not there to look good or to match with anything. They were there to keep your feet from murdering you in your sleep. A week in, Pedestal accidentally burned my tennis shoes to nothing more than charred rubber, which gave me the excuse to go buy some proper hiking boots. With arch support. I think it was the nicest thing it had ever done for me, even if it was an accident. Even after a short week, I'm pretty sure I would have had to cut off my feet if I had to walk any further in those things.

It was the same with clothes. They didn't have to look good. I was more intent on keeping warm and dry after just a few days than impressing anyone.

The third thing I learned was that my Pokemon, especially as I had only one, didn't spend much time in its pokeball. Pedestal liked to walk beside me as we traveled--even if it was slower than a sleeping Snorlax. Pedestal also made for a very warm pillow, or a convenient heater in the few times we'd gotten rained into a cave.

That brings me to my next point--and possibly the most important. Pedestal did _not_ like water. It wouldn't swim, it wouldn't bathe past licking itself and rolling in mud (which seemed to defeat the purpose, I know, but it kept my Pokemon happy), and whenever it rained, we would have to seek refuge under trees or in a cave. Actually, okay, this happened only twice, the fact that we found a handy cave. Most times, I just had to return Des into its pokeball.

This, more than anything else, made me realize for the first time that my Numel was a fire Pokemon. Fire Pokemon didn't like water, or water Pokemon. Also, according to my PokeDex, Numel were also part ground type. That meant that it was _doubly_ weak against water Pokemon.

I kept this in a far-off place in my mind, since, while it rained often (or maybe the weather was spiting me), there weren't a lot of water Pokemon in the area. The nearest river was miles away, and I never had to get any water from it or any ponds, thanks to the rain. We were set, it seemed. Pedestal would contentedly train while burning grass Pokemon and small rodents and birds, and I would rejoice over each and every victory. Especially the trainer ones. We got lucky with those, too, since the trainers in the area seemed to be mostly grass- and bug-trainers.

Then, I made a mistake.

The mistake cost me half of my money, a large chunk of my pride, and Pedestal's trust for a few days. But more importantly, it cost me my peace of mind.

What was this mistake, you might ask?

I found a trainer with a water Pokemon.


	3. Drowning In Those Lost Dreams

"Umm, hello."

I hadn't been expecting a voice. Pedestal and I had been eating our lunch, munching on whatever we found that day. (It wasn't exactly appetizing, but at least it was cooked properly. I was getting the hang of using Des' back for such things.) I dropped my sandwich, whereas my Numel just looked up with its same lidded expression.

There was a trainer standing behind me. At first, I honestly thought he was a girl, because of the blush and shy expression. Plus, his outfit did little to change that; he wore an oversized purple sweater and just-as-baggy jeans.

"Do you know where we are?" the trainer asked, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

"Why are you wearing that hat?" I asked instead. The grey didn't match with anything, really, unless his whole theme was grey. Come to think of it, he wasn't exactly wearing any _bright_ colors. The brightest he got was a green stripe on the sweater. "You're very dull looking."

The trainer was no longer shy and blushing at that point. "What?!"

"Your clothes. They're so… dreary. Where are you from, anyway? Some ghost town?" I was actually curious; I hadn't met any foreign trainers yet.

"I'm from Kanto, if you must know. Lavender Town. I don't see how you're in a position to point out my fashion errors, anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean…?"

"You look like you just rolled out of bed." Actually, I pretty much had. "You're a new trainer, aren't you?" he asked suddenly.

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes. Was it that obvious?" "…A little. I wouldn't say _new_, really, but--"

"I knew it." He tilted his head back and laughed, placing his hands on his hips. "You must be a newbie. That Numel is probably your only Pokemon, isn't it?"

"So what? Des can whip any of your Pokemon!"

Pedestal looked up at the sound of its name, chewing slowly on another berry. "…Nu?"

"Is that a fact?" Now, the other trainer seemed smug. That only ticked me off more. "I have a team of six Pokemon. You only have one."

"One on one, then!" Looking back, okay, maybe I _was_ feeling a little cocky. Or maybe I just wanted to beat something. Pedestal was already level 12, or so said the PokeDex, and we could easily beat most of the wild Pokemon in the area with one blow at that point. (Yes, we needed to move on. We were going to. Eventually.)

"Fine then! Go, Ra!" Quicker than I could react to, the other trainer had reached down to his belt and pulled one off.

"Ra--?"

Ra turned out to be a Ponyta. I had seen them before, but usually they were happy, skittish, and loved to race things. This one… seemed to be a match for Pedestal when it came to interest given to the situation. The pony Pokemon surveyed the scene regally, deeming it all below it, apparently. It was spoiled, too, I could tell, because of the gold rings around its neck. (It only occurred to me later that the rings might've been why it had been named Ra.)

"I won't use my strongest on you. Since I'm such an awesome, gracious trainer and all," the boy said airily, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh yeah?! Go, Des!"

Des did no such thing. It continued to finish up its meal instead. I heard a howl of laughter and turned to see that the other trainer was literally rolling on the ground, laughing. "Your N-Numel doesn't even _listen_ to you! How long have you been training, kid? A week?"

By that time, Pedestal had finished eating, and lumbered over to the impromptu playing field. It twitched its round ears, staring at the Ponyta. Ra stared back, albeit with much more dignity.

"Yeah, well--Des, use Magnitude!" I shouted. The Numel did something that might have been a nod, and brought its forelegs down into the ground. It started shaking, and with a vindictive grin I saw the other trainer get tossed into the air like a rag doll. The Ponyta fared even worse. By the time I got back up--I had been knocked down as well, because, come on, it was the _ground shaking_--the fiery pony was lying on the ground, barely conscious.

"Ra!" The other trainer gave a very feminine squeal, rushing over to his fallen Pokemon. The Ponyta gave a weak whinny just before it was returned in a beam of red light.

"Ha! Who's the newbie now, hmm? You can use another Pokemon in the battle, if you'd like, Mr. Hotshot. Me 'n Des won't mind. Maybe you'll be able to get in a move this time--"

Much like how I had taken advantage of his laughing to launch my first move, the other trainer tossed another pokeball and shouted, "Go, Kyu! Water Pulse!"

My head snapped around, ego gone. I knew what water would do to my Numel. "Dodge, Des!" I yelled, in a much higher voice than I would've liked. It was too late, however. Numel were not fast Pokemon, after all.

The little Psyduck on the opposite side of the arena let out a fierce blast of water from its mouth. Des went over like a sack of potatoes. It then mumbled something and held its head, sighing. "…Psy?" it asked its trainer.

"Good job, Kyu. You can return now." He called back his second Pokemon as well, and then walked over while I was trying to find Des' pokeball. It was in my backpack somewhere, I knew, but just where… I wasn't aware of his presence until he spoke again. "You know, you would have won that battle if you hadn't let your ego get in the way."

"Yeah, so?" I knew that.

"Hand over half your money."

"Here," I grunted, handing him a fistful of bills.

"Thanks." He didn't bother counting it, and just pocketed it instead. I finally found Pedestal's pokeball, and returned the unconscious Numel. This was the first battle we'd ever lost. Mostly because we had gotten lucky, with a lot of weak wild Pokemon and few other trainers. "Vahe."

"Huh?"

"Don't you want to know the name of the trainer who beat you?" he asked with an evil smile. "And you know what? I hadn't even wanted to battle you in the first place. I was only wanting directions."

That was really a kick when I was down. Literally, too, since I was still kneeling by where Des had fallen, and Vahe was standing over me. He probably wasn't that much taller than me--if at all--but he sure seemed to enjoy the height difference now. I pointed over to where the path continued behind me. "…That way is to Veilstone City."

"Thanks," he said, still with that evil smile.

And just like that, he left, and I had lost my first battle.

Sure, there had been a type advantage, and probably a level advantage, but Des had gone down in _one move_. It was a bit of a downer. Okay, _more_ than a downer--I was absolutely heartbroken. My plan was falling to pieces around me. How could I become the best trainer ever if my one and only Pokemon had such a weakness? It's not like water types were uncommon, after all; there was even a Gym that specialized in them!

As I carried Des' pokeball back to the nearest Center, I resolutely, and a bit hesitantly, came up with a solution. I would simply have to get another Pokemon. One that was excellent against water Pokemon. In fact, it would be so good, that it wouldn't have any weaknesses! I would train it up to be a great Pokemon, and together, with Pedestal, we would win the championship effortlessly!

Now I just had to figure out what Pokemon to add to my team. This cheered me up a little, even as I waited for Pedestal to return from the Nurse Joy.

What really cheered me up, though, was that Vahe would _sure_ be surprised when he found out that he was headed to Floaroma Town instead of Veilstone City. So what if I was a little spiteful? It only served him right for beating Pedestal in one move like that.


	4. Hazy From Here

What should my second Pokemon be? I wasn't sure. I knew it had to be something that could easily take out a water Pokemon, but aside from that, I was in the dark. There were two types that came to mind when I wanted an advantage over water: grass and electricity. There might've been others, but I wasn't an expert. Both grass and electricity had their advantages and weaknesses, of course, and I had to try to figure out something that wouldn't have any weaknesses that Pedestal couldn't take care of.

The immediate solution was simple, or so I thought: a grass Pokemon. They were weak primarily against fire types, and Des had proved that it could take out most of them with a good ground attack.

The more I thought about it, too, the more I liked the idea. A grass Pokemon would be good. Between the two of them, I could cover almost all types easily. It also meant I could participate (fairly) in double battles, too! It was that thought, more than anything else, that made up my mind for me.

"The trainer with the Numel--he's done!" the Nurse Joy called. At first, I completely ignored her. I was not only lost in my plans for the future, but I had associated Des with 'it' for far too long, over a month already. "…Whose Numel was this?" she tried again, this time succeeding in catching my attention.

"Oh! My Numel!" I stood up, earning a few snickers. No doubt they were thinking I was some dumb kid. Well, I would show everyone--not just those snotty elitists who I shared the Center with at that time--that I wasn't! I was going to be the next big thing, after all.

"Here he is," Nurse Joy said with a smile, rolling the pokeball across her desk. I caught it, eyes drawn towards it.

"…He."

"Yes, he. Oh, did you not know your Numel's gender?"

No, I hadn't. But I already had the attention of more than one eavesdropper, so I wasn't going to admit that out loud. In past Centers, I hadn't had to deal with this sort of thing; I would usually eagerly wait at the counter for Pedestal to finish being healed, and Nurse Joy usually handed it--him--back over with a "here you go" and a smile.

Good thing I hadn't picked a feminine name.

"Oh, of course I did. I just didn't hear you," I lied, rolling his pokeball back and forth between my hands on the counter. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. But--I have a question before I leave."

"Oh? I'd be happy to help!" she chirped, the Chansey at her elbow nodding vigorously as well.

"What kind of grass Pokemon live in these parts?"

"Hmm…" She tapped her chin, thinking for a moment. "Well… There's almost always Budew about. They're probably going to be your best bet, since they're so common. Also… Sometimes, trainers come in with a Sunkern or a Seedot. But I'm afraid those three are the only ones that come to mind."

"Thank you."

None of those three sounded particularly attractive. They all evolved into something else--didn't they?--but I didn't fancy having to play with baby Pokemon until that happened. I wanted something that was strong right away. After all, if Des couldn't fight against water Pokemon, we would be handicapped against fishermen or other water-type specialists. I wanted a quick fix to that problem.

As I left the Pokemon Center, I figured I had just two choices. Well, three, really, but I already dismissed training up either a Budew, Sunkern or Seedot. My remaining two: buy one from a breeder or travel onward and hope for the best.

I did have a fair amount of money, even after that trainer beat me. I wasn't sure it would be enough for a _good_ grass Pokemon, though, and I did have to save some for food and medical supplies. Although, on the other hand, traveling and hoping not to run into any water Pokemon was equally unappealing.

Come to think of it, I didn't even know that a good grass Pokemon would be. It probably would be a good idea to get a list of prospective additions to my team…

"Hey, Des? Here's the problem we have." We were back near where the other trainer had battled us; it was where we were comfortable, even with the loss. Plus, most of the wild Pokemon left us alone there. I guess it was our 'territory'. "We need another Pokemon. A grass one. But… The ones around here suck, and they're weak, and they're not terribly cute, either. We want something that looks good next to you, right?"

"…Nu," Des replied blankly.

I was used to his dull replies, so I just continued talking. "Right. So we either have to blow our money buying one, or we travel somewhere else to try catching one. Or I suppose we could always turn into thieves and steal someone else's--"

Just then, the most bizarre thing happened. Pedestal let out a snort of ash and stomped on the ground with one foreleg. This alone caught my attention, but then as I turned to him, he spat out a small Ember. At me.

By the time I had realized what just happened, my jacket was burning nicely. With a yelp and nearly tripping over my feet, I managed to fling it off before I got burned as well. Pedestal sauntered--or as much as a slow Numel as he could--over to where I was on my hands and knees, feeling betrayed. "Nu_mel_."

I turned to him. He stared back, eyes lidded.

Not only had I just been attacked by my _own_ Pokemon, it had been the first display of serious emotion from the usually listless Numel. He had been angry. _Angry_. At me--presumably because I'd jokingly (well, only _kind of_ jokingly) suggested stealing someone else's Pokemon…

"…You have your own code of honor, huh?" I asked, offering a shaky smile. Des bobbed his head, round ears twitching.

"Nu!" Now that I was open to the fact that he did, indeed, have emotions, I could see a bit of smugness in his eyes. Though he still looked rather dull. Okay, _really_ dull, but I would just have to get used to that. After all, we were a team. Pedestal was my first Pokemon, and nothing would ever change that, another Pokemon or not.

But that 'another Pokemon' was still definitely needed if we wanted to survive in the real world.


	5. Green In Every Sense Of The Word

The next day, I dug out my list. It was _the_ list, really. The one I had used to (or tried to) pick my starter Pokemon. I read the whole thing out loud to Des, watching carefully for any sign of a reaction. There weren't any. It didn't occur to me that he might not know what any of those species were; if I, an eleven-year-old kid, knew them, I thought that he ought to know them, too. Professional courtesy, you know?

Of course, the grass Pokemon on the list were few and far between. I hadn't realized how much I had leaned towards the 'better' types (or more offensive, anyway) until then.

"…Tangela…"

That was it. Tangela was the only grass Pokemon (that I knew of) that I liked, barring evolutions. That gave me an entire new array of problems. I _did_ have a soft spot for Victreebell, but that meant I would have to train a Bellsprout up _two_ evolutions. I didn't have that kind of time. There was also the grass evolution of Eevee, but again, it was an _evolution_, and Eevee were rare and expensive, anyway.

Come to think of it, Tangela weren't exactly running around everywhere, either.

I hung my head in defeat. If it weren't for Pedestal, I actually _might_ have seriously entertained stealing a Pokemon. (In addition to not being an expert, I'm also not a saint.) I didn't have the time or patience to deal with some lame baby grass Pokemon, especially if it was one I was unfamiliar with. I didn't want to get saddled with something that didn't evolve into sheer awesome.

"A Treecko might be kind of cool," I mumbled to myself, trying to yank the elusive second Pokemon down from its mental pedestal. No such luck; I wanted a cool Pokemon, and I would get one. A Treecko would not do. None of the grass starters were really that strong, either, until their second or third evolution. "Argh! I don't have _time_ for this!!"

Growling and huffing, I jumped to my feet, grabbed my stuff, and turned to Pedestal. He merely tilted his head to one side, offering nothing.

"Come on, Des! We're going on a grass hunt. I don't care if it takes us years or spans continents, I am getting that grass Pokemon!"

Maybe my words were a little rash and untrue. I didn't intend on spending _years_ hunting for a specific Pokemon. Nor did I want to go on a world travel trip. I just _really_ wanted this search to be over so the good training could begin.

Des and I first headed back to Jubilife City. It was a fairly large city, after all, and was the television capital of the country. There could be advertisements for breeders selling grass Pokemon; I could get lucky.

There certainly was _some_ sort of luck with us that day. We weren't in the city for ten minutes before a battle successfully halted us. No, we weren't challenged, and we didn't challenge anyone--if anything, we were simple, innocent bystanders, caught in the crossfire.

A pair of trainers were battling just outside the Pokemon Center. One was a girl, probably just a few years older than me, and the other was a boy, probably about the same age. It looked as if the battle had just started.

The girl, black hair pinned to the back of her head and auburn eyes flashing, shouted, "Dew Drop! Ice Fang!" The Croconaw in front of her jumped forward and sunk its teeth into its opponent, some sort of green, four-legged Pokemon with a large flower on its back. The other Pokemon gave a yelp of distress, trying to shake it off, but to no avail.

"Chill, Holly. Use a Razor Leaf," the male trainer said. He seemed utterly relaxed, whereas the other trainer was stomping her foot in frustration. The green Pokemon--a _grass_ Pokemon, I realized with some glee--let out a barrage of sharp leaves, right into the Croconaw's mouth and face. It let go immediately, clawed paws flying to its face.

"Water Gun!" The grass Pokemon jumped out of the way, but the irate Croconaw doggedly followed it. By now, more than just Des and I were watching, so we continually had to push and shove to get back to the front. I didn't want to miss this battle. Not only was it pretty cool to watch, but it had a grass Pokemon! It seemed strong, and it looked really cool, too. I _needed_ to find out what it was.

The grass Pokemon still dodged, further annoying the water one--and its trainer. "Ugh--Dew Drop, use Water Pulse!"

The Croconaw nodded and jumped in the air, landing with a splash, though there was no water--just then. It created its own puddle, which grew until it was a small wave, heading out in a perfect circle from it. The grass Pokemon looked right and left, worried, and was finally hit. It tumbled over, trying to get back up, but its flat feet prevented it from getting much traction on the slick concrete.

Most of the crowd was backing up, too; the water attack didn't end with it finding its target. It was only knee-high, though, so there wasn't much panic.

Except for Pedestal and I.

With an undignified squeak, I hastily bent down to pick him up, only to find that he weighed much, _much_ more than he looked. My jeans and shoes were soaked by the attack. It hurt more when I fell over with Des landing on top of me than from the actual Water Pulse. Still, my Numel was still conscious, which was good. Even if we were next to a Center, I didn't want either of us to miss the potential partner.

"Des--get off--" He immediately waddled off of me, and much-needed oxygen flowed back into my body. I sat up, groaning, not only because of the bruise that probably left, but because the wet ground did a pretty good job of making it look like I had just got pushed into a pool.

"Mel," Des said happily, head-butting me. He was either laughing at me or thanking me. I wasn't sure which.

"…Say, Des, what do you think of that grass Pokemon there? It's pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Nu."

"I'm serious. We need to get one."

"Nu-mel." He was eyeing the grass Pokemon--who had retaliated against the Croconaw by putting it to sleep and was still sliding around awkwardly on the wet ground--with what appeared to be disdain. Of course, with a lidded expression like he usually wore, it could have been love at first sight. I might've been open to the fact that he had emotions, but it didn't mean I knew what they _were_.

The battle ended when the Croconaw woke up and planted an Ice Fang on the grass Pokemon's flower, just as it released another barrage of razor-sharp leaves. It was a double knockout. The crowd slowly dispersed, but only the non-trainers left right away. The veterans stayed behind to congratulate the two on a good battle, whereas the younger, newer trainers stood by awkwardly to ogle the trainers with open awe and admiration.

"So, you done being angry now?" the boy trainer asked of his female opponent. She crossed her arms and looked away from him with a huff. "C'mon, Brenna, lighten up…"

Only a few trainers were left once the crowd figured out that the battle had started over a personal dispute. Those were usually best left alone. I was not deterred, however, and marched straight up to the blond boy. Pedestal stayed a safe distance behind me, still wary of the Croconaw, even if it was unconscious. He only ventured closer when the girl returned it. "Excuse me--"

Both of them turned to be expectantly. I hesitated, but then steeled myself. If I didn't find out the identity of that grass Pokemon, I might be stuck as a skittish, wary-of-water trainer for the rest of my life.

"What was that grass Pokemon you used?"

"…Another greenhorn, huh," the boy remarked, grinning lazily.

"I thought that was Cora's nickname," the girl said scathingly before I could reply.

"Well, it's more of a title, really, and she's been training long enough not to--"

"Excuse me, the Pokemon?" Personal disputes were not one to get mixed up in in the Pokemon world, even if it was accidentally. I already felt uncomfortable being called a 'greenhorn'--whatever that was--and listening to the girl's snappish comments. "That's all I want to know…"

"Is that your Numel?" the boy asked, once again not answering my question. He nodded down to Pedestal, who was pressed up against my wet jeans, watching them all guardedly. "No wonder you want a grass Pokemon. Sorry, kid, but Holly's not up for sale or trade."

"I didn't want to offer!" I said hotly, madder at not thinking of trading before, rather than his assumption. "I just wanted to know the species of, uh, Holly."

"Oh. Is that all?" Yet again, he had not answered me. He rubbed the back of his head. "Ivysaur. Second evolution of Bulbasaur, greenhorn. Good luck finding one in Sinnoh, though; they're pretty rare in these parts. You'd be better off catching a native grass Pokemon."

The problem was I didn't _want_ a native grass Pokemon; they all sucked. Still, I had a name to work with now, and knew that they were from Kanto. Almost as importantly, I had now been reminded of the prospect of a trade. Maybe I could catch a Pokemon from around here and trade for a Bulbasaur--or an Ivysaur!--with the GTS or something. An Ivysaur _did_ need to be evolved, though, which was a bit off-putting. Still, it seemed worth it. (And it wasn't as if I had many other choices to choose from.)

"Uh, thanks, but I think I'll try tracking down an Ivysaur…" I started to back away, mostly because of the evil glare the girl had turned on the boy. Their argument was far from over with, and the battle didn't appear to have done much to help. Pedestal had stuck himself so firmly to my leg, though, that I managed to trip, falling down for the second time because of him.

The older trainers both laughed, offering to help me up. I had my pride, though, and slunk off with Des in his pokeball before more misfortune could befall me.

An Ivysaur, huh? I could do that. I either needed to buy one from someone--if they were the evolution of a Kanto starter, it couldn't be _that_ expensive, right?--or catch something to use as trade fodder. I felt a bit better about the first choice, though, since it didn't entail a third wheel, so to speak.

"Nu," Des said blandly, twitching his round ears.

"Yeah, let's go. We need to find an Ivysaur." The Ivysaur was then placed precariously on its lofty pedestal as we merrily went into the Center.


	6. Alternate Resolutions

"Hi, I'm looking for an Ivysaur."

"Beat it, kid. I'm only trading for a Tropius." I didn't even know what a Tropius _was_.

"Um, hello, I saw your ad on the television for your Ivysaur--?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. But I already sold him…" It had been out of my price range, anyway.

"So, you're a breeder? Have any Bulbasaur or Ivysaur?"

"I don't deal wi' evos, but I don't got a Bulba, either. Sorry." I didn't want one from you, anyway; I was worried it would have caught your accent.

"What do you want for your Ivysaur? I can trade."

"I doubt you'd have what I'm looking for. Sorry, newbie." I didn't want to deal with elitists, either.

Still, as the week wore on, I was coming nearer and nearer to an irrevocable truth. I would not be getting an Ivysaur so easily. Even after I had lowered my standards to accept Bulbasaur, every offer I made was flatly refused. Since I was in the city, too, it meant that I wasn't battling; my money was dwindling with every meal ingested. I doubted I could even get a Budew _egg_ for what change was left in my pockets.

Spirits trailing in the dirt behind me, I made my way slowly back to the Pokemon Center. If I hadn't gotten a free room there, I probably would have been broke long ago. There was that small thing to be thankful for.

I didn't have it in me to go out, battle more, and come back with money, just to be denied again. I knew I didn't have the courage for that, and I only had enough money for another day or so of food. Plus, the Pokemon Center's free room deal only lasted a week. I would be booted out tomorrow night, regardless of how much money I had.

I hadn't even let Des out at all that day. I was too down in the dumps, and I didn't need to be trying to figure out his dull expressions and moods. Plus, I doubted he would have helped much. I might have been able to get a trade offer with him, but regardless of how bland and emotionless he was, I would never, _ever_ trade him away. Without Pedestal, needing a grass Pokemon was a moot point, anyway.

"Hey, you look pretty sad, there." I looked up at the voice. It was a man sitting cross-legged in front of a cardboard box, dressed in the most bizarre getup I had ever seen. It was all bright colors and patches, it seemed. Underneath an old lab coat. He grinned at me. I tried to grin back, but I must have failed pretty badly, because his own smile faltered and finally fell. "Ouch. Have a bad day?"

"To say the least."

"I know what would make you feel better."

"Oh really." To say I didn't believe him would be an understatement. A _big_ understatement. I might be one to get my hopes up about Pokemon, but I had no illusions about humans, and I was not naïve. "Unless you have an Ivysaur under that cape of yours--"

"Nope, nope. I don't deal with Kanto Pokemon; they're too nasty and high-strung. How about a Sinnoh Pokemon? I can guarantee you it was caught here."

"No thanks. I'm broke, anyway."

"C'mon, kid. Turn that frown upside-down!"

I set my backpack down and then stood on my hands for him. "Happy now?" I asked, just before I wobbled and fell.

"I'm not the one who needs to get happy," he replied, though I could hear the smile in his voice. "You are. You said something about an Ivysaur? Why d'you want one of those? They're not a dime a dozen in these parts."

"I need an awesome grass Pokemon for my team. I have a Numel, so he's really, _really_ weak to water attacks, and a grass Pokemon would not be weak against them." I got up again, dusting myself off, trying hard not to wince. There, I had just earned another bruise or two. Pretty soon, I would be one giant bruise.

"If you want a grass Pokemon--I have just the thing!"

"No thanks."

"But look! It's amazing!" Before I could stop him or protest, he had tossed a pokeball out in front of him. A small, squat, ugly green thing with the nastiest scowl I had ever seen appeared. I backed up a couple of steps; it looked that ferocious. "See? Fresh-caught, and on Sinnoh land, too. Not some elitist Kanto starter."

"It's…" What would be a good word to describe the nasty little thing sitting on the box? Ugly? No--if given a bath and if it smiled, maybe it would have been another cute, useless little grass Pokemon. Mean? To say the least. "It looks a little… scary."

"Aw. Haven't you ever seen a Shroomish before? They all look like this."

There was a whole _species_ of Pokemon that looked that malicious? I backed up another few steps, in case it had some sort of disease with its 'I'm going to bite you soon' look. "N-No, I haven't…" If it came down to it, I could always release Des and have him roast it, in case it tried to attack…

"Well, I can guarantee you that my Carlita is the nicest, cutest, most well-behaved Shroomish in all of Sinnoh. She's even talented! Watch. Carlita, dance, sweetie!"

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or run screaming at that point.

Suddenly, the Shroomish turned back to me and did something that could have been a bow. As it raised its--well, her--face back up, the scowl had transformed into the brightest, most cheery smile I had ever seen on a Pokemon. (I was approaching terrified at that point.) She then hopped on one stubby little paw three jumps to the left, and then another three back right. She twirled--at least the little leaves on her seemed like a skirt--and then did a flip to complete the dance number.

"Well? How d'you like Carlita?"

Carlita now had the silent snarl back on her face, glowering at me, daring me to reply. I instinctively grabbed Pedestal's pokeball, holding it in front of me like a shield.

Then, the most horrible thing yet happened. This was more horrible than getting a Numel as a starter a year late, or losing so horribly to that Psyduck, or even wasting a week trying to find an Ivysaur.

The man returned Carlita with one hand, back into her pokeball, and then reached forward to pluck Des's pokeball from my hands. "A trade? I'm down with that. A Numel, huh? Good trade. Thanks, kid."


	7. The Distance Between You And Me

I stared down at the pokeball in my hands. It was cool to the touch, unlike Des', which was almost always hot (though from being in my pocket, rather than by his heat). Though it was exactly the same size and probably the same weight, it felt blasphemous to be holding that pokeball instead of my Numel's.

"H-Hey!" I said, but it came out as hardly more than a squeak. I didn't _want_ this angry little Shroomish who could dance. I wanted Pedestal. My head snapped up, glare at the ready--but the man was no longer behind his cardboard box. "Hey!" This time, it was definitely louder, but came out much more shrill than my usual voice. A few passerby turned and stared.

I looked around, and spotted a tattered lab coat disappearing through the crowd. I leapt to my feet and ran blindly in that direction, heart pounding in my ears. Pedestal--my very own Pokemon--had just been taken from me. Stolen. Well, traded, but it was not a trade I had agreed to. That made it illegal in my eyes, as illegal as murder or treason. (Never mind the fact that I had contemplated theft before; that had been jokingly.)

"Stop!" I shouted desperately, trying to push my way past pedestrians while keeping his fleeing back in my line of sight. He wasn't a track star if an eleven-year-old kid was keeping (somewhat) up with him, but I wasn't going to look the gift Ponyta in the mouth. "Stop! Thief!"

That, more than my feeble attempts with "stop!", got people's attention. Several heads turned in time to see a man and kid run by, but they were too late to do anything, really. Unless one of them called the police or something. The sidewalks got more crowded the further downtown we got, until finally, it was all but impassable. It was the rush hour, after all, so it was packed everywhere. This was when my smaller size lent me the advantage; I could slip past people more easily than he could.

"Thief! Stop him!" I kept yelling, if only to attract attention; maybe some curious bystander would get in _his_ way in order to see what _I_ was yelling about. It was worth a try.

Eventually, he gave up on the sidewalks and ran into the road. The cars were moving pretty slowly, since it was nearly packed, but the man nearly got run over all the same. I followed him without a second thought, though I entered the street in front of a stopped car at least. He ducked behind a taxi and made it to the other side; I had to jump onto a hood in order to keep him in sight. The man ran into a department store. This was both good and bad; it meant that I could raise a ruckus inside, where there was a greater chance of someone stopping both of us, but it also meant that there were more places to hide.

I darted into the store just as I saw his white lab coat disappearing up the escalator. "Someone stop him!" I yelped, not pausing to point him out to anyone. At this point, I was doing little more than screaming and running. Even if someone else stopped him, I wasn't going to give up; I wanted at least one kick at his face for taking Des in the first place.

By the time I reached the next floor, a scuffle had broken out. Panting, I reached the top of the escalator. The man in the patchwork clothes was pinned to the ground, though still struggling, by another man. One knee dug into the thief's back, and one hand was working furiously to free the pokeball--Des' pokeball--from his grip. Both of them were yelling, and already other shoppers were gathering, whispering among themselves.

"Get off of me! This is assault, assault!!"

"Let go of the pokeball and maybe I won't break your fingers!"

"You all heard that--assault! Threatening me! He's--_ow_!"

"Let go of the pokeball."

I kept a cautious distance, half-hiding behind a pair of shopping women. Now, though the man who'd stolen Pedestal was successfully halted, I was even more afraid. The man who'd caught him seemed scarier. Who cared if he seemed to be helping me? He looked ready to kill--and I didn't know him. He seemed the epitome of the deranged, murderous strangers that my parents always warned me about.

"Has someone called the police yet?" one of the shopping women asked in a low voice, nervously glancing at the scrap.

The other nodded. "Oh, yes, I saw a couple of girls do it when he first tackled him."

Then, the man pinned to the ground, the thief, finally let go of the pokeball. It rolled away from his fingers, just a few inches, but so that he had no chance of grabbing it again unless he threw his assailant off. By a happy coincidence, it had actually rolled a bit closer to me.

By another slightly happy coincidence, the two women in front of me--who I couldn't get past without alerting them--decided to leave. They shuffled away apprehensively, muttering among themselves something about getting caught in the scene. I didn't bother caring. Pedestal's pokeball was just a yard or so in front of me, a quick leap in and a dash out. No one would be able to catch me, certainly not the two men on the ground.

I crouched down, and sprung forward. My Numel was back in my hands before anyone noticed I had left the crowd. Then, just as I was turning to run for it, however, I felt something like iron clamp down on the back of my shirt.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?"

Heart pounding, I turned to look over my shoulder. It was the man who had been attacking the other for Des' pokeball. A thought occurred to me, then--what if he had only been stopping him so _he_ could steal it?

"Is that your Pokemon in there?"

"Y-Yes sir." I doubted my voice could sound any more like a frightened Mareep.

"Can you prove that?"

"Y-Yes. It's my Numel."

"What about that other pokeball you're holding?" he asked, icy eyes boring into mine. I hastily turned away from him again, aware once more that I was holding the Shroomish's pokeball. Carlita's.

"A-A Shroomish."

"_What_ is going on here?!" Like the clouds parting to let the sun through, bystanders scattered as a harried Officer Jenny marched through. Her Growlithe was growling, sticking abnormally close to her legs. She tilted her head back and glared down at the three of us, planting her gloved hands on her hips. She didn't wait for us to reply. "It seems as if this is a fight. Not only in a public place, but also between trainers, is it? A _kid_, too. Let the kid go, sir. Now."

I probably would have run for it, then and there, if the Growlithe hadn't been blocking my way.

That was how I found myself in the Jubilife police station, wondering about my phone call. Should I call my parents, or skip the middle man and call the undertaker? I was surely dead either way.

…At least I got Pedestal back, right?


	8. False Starts Mean Better Friends

"Alright, you three. Tell me the story."

Officer Jenny seated us all down in a concrete room without any windows. Actually, only the thief and I were sitting; the other man was leaning against the wall behind us sullenly, and Officer Jenny was pacing on the other side of the table. All three of us convicts were handcuffed.

One good thing, however, was that I had been allowed to keep my Pokemon--both Des and Carlita. I didn't know which of them was actually _mine_, but I'm sure that the nice officer would help us with that. …If her glare didn't kill us first.

"…No one's talking?"

"I don't see why we were all three arrested," the man behind me muttered. I squirmed in my chair, silently agreeing. "I was doing a public service. That man is a wanted thief, and he has a reward, right? I just wanted to turn him in to the long arm of the law--and get that money."

"It wasn't a 'Dead or Alive' warrant," Jenny snapped. "You tackled him, broke one of his fingers, sprained a wrist, and caused a scene. Who knows what else happened."

"He wouldn't let go of the pokeball."

"What pokeball?"

"It was a Numel's. I think it belongs to the newbie." It took a few moments for it to register that he was referring to me. When it did, I shrunk down in my chair more.

"Why did _he_ have it, then?" she asked, nodding at the thief.

"I assumed he stole it. He is a _thief_."

"I traded for it, fair and square," he said, speaking up for the first time in his own defense.

"No you didn't!" I muttered darkly, glaring at him sideways. "You stole Pedestal--"

"_Pedestal?_" Officer Jenny repeated, blinking. I shut my mouth immediately, flushing. She sighed, rubbing her temples. "…Here, we're all civilized people here, aren't we? Why don't we take turns telling the story, and then we'll see if there's an ounce of truth in any of it."

I was chosen to go first, probably because of my age, and my apparent 'victim' label. Not that I was complaining. This was a bad enough experience; I didn't need blame, either. But I sucked it up, and told the truth, and was an honest trainer. More than either of the other two.

By the time we were all done talking--and arguing, since we naturally had conflicting reports--my stomach was growling and my throat was sore. It had to have been late, though there wasn't a clock, and my cell phone had already been confiscated.

It seemed as if the thief really was a well-known petty thief, and that the other man was out for his reward. Apparently, that was the thief's style; trade illegally until he got a rare Pokemon, and then sell it on the black market. I considered myself lucky that he was caught, even if it wound up with all of us in jail.

"Why did you three have to cause such a scene, then?" I could tell that the officer was getting tired of us. I thought (rather naively) that that was a good sign, that maybe she would let us go then. Oh, to be young and innocent.

"It wasn't intentional."

"He started it, anyway."

All three of us spent the night behind bars. My two Pokemon--or one, whichever--were confiscated at last, and I didn't get a last meal, either. I didn't bother wasting my phone call. I curled up under the thin blanket on the hard cot, vowing to never, _ever_ again get in trouble with the law. Even if it really _wasn't_ my fault.

That thief would be better off hoping that he never met me in a dark alley, either.

-.-.-

The next morning, the bounty hunter and I were released. The thief wasn't. I seemed to be the only one happy with this, since the bounty hunter never got his reward, and the thief, of course, ended up in jail. It served him right, though, trying to steal _my_ Des.

Then, just as I was exiting the station, a thought hit me.

I looked down at the _two_ pokeballs in my hands.

"Officer Jenny!" I hollered, heading right back inside.

"What is it--oh, it's you. You're free to go, you know." She looked up at first, but her expression dulled again once she saw that it was only the kid she'd mistakenly arrested.

"This one… The Shroomish isn't… It kind of isn't mine." Now that I'd been stolen from, I didn't want to steal from others, even if it _was_ only karmic retribution. I would be sure to stay on the light side of the law for the rest of my life--or until I needed another Pokemon, maybe.

"Who does it belong to, then?"

"I… don't know?" The thief said he'd traded for Carlita, so does that mean he scammed someone else?

"Here, give me the pokeball." She set it on the machine and tapped a few keys on the computer. I fidgeted nervously, rolling Des' ball back and forth in my hands. It seemed to take forever, and I didn't even know what kind of response I was expecting. I really didn't want the Shroomish--even if she did look like an evil little gremlin--to go back into someone's hands that weren't her rightful owner's. Plus, if the thief got her back, he'd just steal someone else's Pokemon with her. "Well, it seems as if any records of the pokeball or the Pokemon inside have been wiped. It'd be impossible to trace its original owner now."

"So… Then what?"

Officer Jenny looked at her computer screen, frowning faintly. She tapped her chin with one hand, the other hitting a few more keys. "This… It rarely happens, actually, so we don't have an official protocol. We could keep it here, and hope the owner comes back to claim it, but I doubt that would actually happen. The conman has been all over Sinnoh, so the original owner probably isn't anywhere near Jubilife. Plus, it looks as if it was a fairly newly captured Shroomish, so unless it was meant as a pet, the owner probably hadn't gotten too attached to it."

I didn't process what she was saying, not on any deeper level. I just stared, rolling Des' pokeball between my hands, trying to figure out what would happen to Carlita. "You could give her to the television company. She can dance," I said, a bit stupidly. Jenny looked at me for a few, long moments.

"Very rarely are Pokemon happy with a career on television, unless their trainer or owner is with them. It--She--wouldn't be very happy, I'd think," she replied quietly, finally taking the pokeball off of the machine. Then, immediately, she brightened. "Let's ask."

"Huh?"

Before I could protest, the mean little Pokemon was released again, right in front of me. I edged away as Carlita turned to eye me with evident disdain. Yet again, I held Des' pokeball out in front of me--until recent happenings kicked me mentally, and then I hid him behind my back. "See? She likes you."

"That is _like_?"

"Growlithe, ask her what she wants to happen," Jenny commanded, and the canine jumped down from the stool beside her. It sat down beside the grass Pokemon, bushy tail wagging, and barked a few times. The Shroomish replied in a high, somewhat squeaky voice, looking back and forth between Officer Jenny and I. At one point, she even repeated her dance, much to the Growlithe and officer's delight.

When Carlita was done, the Growlithe said a few things more to its owner, and then happily jumped back up in its spot. I had no idea what had just happened, aside from the dance. Apparently, Carlita liked to dance. She was a mystery, except for that simple fact. It made me laugh, so I had to bite the inside of my cheek; I doubted the officer would appreciate it if I cracked up in the middle of the station.

"The Shroomish says she doesn't want to go to the television station--she would like to travel, with you. You are the closest thing she has to a trainer right now." The statement was punctuated by a backwards look from Carlita. She didn't look very happy about this, but maybe her emotions were… like Des'. Hard to read. I sure hoped so.

"…_Really_?" I asked, quite aware of the fact that I had vowed to find a grass Pokemon. I just hadn't meant for it to be a _Shroomish_. But, like Des, Carlita might turn out to be a gift, right? A _good_ Pokemon…

"Yes, really."

So now I had Pedestal, the Numel whose name reminded me of my habit of hoping. In addition to him, now I had Carlita, also, the dancing Shroomish. She twirled on over and knocked over the mental pedestal the Ivysaur had been placed on. She and Des were… a surprise for me. I had never expected either of them to be on my team, just a sparse two months ago.

I would never, ever make the mistake of hoping for a super awesome Pokemon right off the bat, not ever again.


	9. Lies Not In Our Stars

"OH MY GOSH WE'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR TWO MONTHS."

Pedestal and Carlita watched as I ran around the campsite, shouting and frothing at the mouth. Okay, not really frothing, but I was still panicking.

I had been gone _two months_ already. I should have been at least in the League by now! Not wandering around, lost, in Eterna Forest. All of the wild Pokemon--save the occasional ditzy Buneary or Budew--were actively avoiding us at this point, since we had figured out that Des had an advantage against both grass and bug types early on. We won against all of the wild Pokemon we came up against now.

Which was good, considering Pedestal was level 16 and Carlita was level 20. We were over leveled for the area, I _knew_ that, and I would gladly move on, except for that problem. The problem of us being lost.

In the past week, however, I was quite proud of the progress we'd made. Pedestal had been distrustful of Carlita at first, but that passed when she saved him when we'd gone through Route 205; there seemed to be Buizel _everywhere_. I was glad we hadn't tackled it before getting a grass teammate. Now, the two were civil and tolerant of each other, though they still slept on opposite sides of me when not in their pokeballs.

In addition to the betterment (I hoped) of our team, we made it as far as Eterna Forest--until we got lost, that is. True, it was great training for Des, since he had stayed in his pokeball for nearly all of the last Route, but he was already several levels above any of the wild Pokemon _and_ had the advantage. It was hardly fair to stay there when we were strong enough to move on.

"We're moving. Come on, guys." Carlita huffed and delicately twirled on one foot to face away from me, scowl firmly in place. "Okay, guy and _girl_."

Carlita was a lot easier to read than Pedestal was. She was almost always scowling, though, which made her expressions difficult. She did, however, smile when she danced--which was often, thank the stars. She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty (figure of speech, of course, considering she didn't _have_ hands), and while she didn't necessarily act girly, she was quick to remind me that she was, in fact, female.

We started marching in a random direction. Or rather, I marched, while Carlita hopped all around, and Pedestal plodded along slowly behind us. This scene was a far cry from what I had imagined when I first became a trainer.

Several hours later, I managed to figure out that we had made no progress at all, except getting hungry and tired and dirty. Which I was used to, being a trainer and all, but I was also used to _going_ places. All of the Routes so far had been pretty cut-and-dried: you left at point A, traveled a bit, and arrived at point B. This forest had a point A and no point B. Then, it promptly ate the point A, so there was absolutely _no where_ to go.

"Can't you two… I don't know, find the way using your innate Pokemon senses?"

The Numel and Shroomish looked at me, then at each other, and then back at me. Carlita cracked up and Des snorted out a small plume of smoke. I was experienced enough to tell that even he was laughing at me.

I sighed and sat down on the nearest rock, not wanting to add more grass stains than I had to to my outfit. "You guys are terrible, I hope you both realize that. I'm your poor, defenseless, lost trainer, and you _laugh_ at me. Maybe I should trade you both away. I'm sure I could get a decent bargain, since you're both so strong from beating up baby Pokemon."

"Nu--"

"Shroo!!" Carlita squealed, shaking her head--body, whichever--vehemently. Des paused, then decided he was content with letting her do the protesting, and merely nodded his agreement.

"Then don't be so cruel to your trainer. I thought Pokemon were supposed to be loving and loyal?" I asked archly. Both came over and started the process of forgiveness. This involved Pedestal rubbing his head against my leg and making smoke rings, and Carlita usually had to hop on my head and dance there. "Fine, fine, you two. Let's just get out of here, okay? Maybe we can catch a flying Pokemon and they can find out where we are…"

"You there!" Surprised, I sat up, only to trip over Des and land in the grass below. I heard Carlita screaming at whoever it was, and looked up to find another human being. A trainer, probably, but the most important part was that she could help me find my way out of here! "Oh, good, you got off of the rock." The female trainer placed a hand to her forehead, sighing in relief.

"Rock? I was just sitting on it…" I looked over at it, to make sure it wasn't some sort of rock Pokemon. It wasn't; it was just a regular rock, covered in a bit of moss, surrounded by grass.

"That's the Moss Rock!" she cried shrilly.

"…Okay." It _was_ mossy. I hadn't ever heard of it, however, so if it was a shrine or something, I was probably toast. Maybe the Pokemon gods would take pity on me and only smite me a little bit.

"…You have no idea what the Moss Rock is, do you?" the female trainer asked flatly. I could only shake my head. "Well, call off your Shroomish, and I'll show you."

I realized that Carlita was chewing on the pant leg of the girl, and hastily shouted, "Carlita! Get _off_ of her! That's not how you treat other people." Carlita reluctantly let go, hopping back over to sit protectively in front of me.

"How long have you been a trainer?" the girl asked, giving Carlita space as she circled around us.

"Two months," I replied miserably.

"Did you start from around here?"

"Not really."

"Then I suppose I could forgive you for not knowing about the Moss Rock," she replied, kneeling down beside it as she reached it. The strange girl wrapped her arms around it, setting her cheek on the rock, closing her eyes.

"…Okay, thanks?" I started to gather up my things, picking up Carlita to prevent her from chewing on the other trainer again. I didn't know if crazy was contagious, but I didn't want to risk it.

"Battle me."

"Excuse me?"

"Battle me," she repeated, opening her eyes. There was an icy glint in them and a mischievous smile on her face. "I need to level up my Eevee here, so he can evolve."

"Evolve? Why _here_? Why me?"

"That's the power of the Moss Rock! If an Eevee levels up in its area, it will evolve into a Leafeon. There's also another rock up north that changes one into a Glaceon." The girl jumped to her feet, reaching down to her belt for a pokeball.

"I'm not going to lose to let you evolve!"

"Fine." Just like that, the other trainer gave up, and instead looked around. "Where are all of the wild Pokemon? Anything will do at this point. Alexander is _really_ close to going up a level, and I'm pretty sure even with wild Pokemon will give him the experience needed…"

"Alexander?"

"My Eevee. _Sure_ you don't want to battle him?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm sure." If she was that confident, I didn't want to try. She had probably been training for ages longer than I had. I started to skitter away, uncomfortable until she got distracted by a wild Budew. She released her Eevee, and instantly I was interested again. The furry little Pokemon was _white_. I had never seen a white one before, since usually Eevee were brown. And brown Eevee were rare enough! "Hey! Your Eevee--he's not brown!"

"Of course not. Alexander is _shiny_. So is his sister. Cost daddy a bundle to get them, but they were worth it," the girl replied with a proud smile, as Alexander looked over his shoulder at me. Then, he bounded forward and bit at the Budew fiercely and repeatedly until it fainted. He blinked his large eyes, and sat down.

Nothing else happened.

"…Huh? But--we're close to the rock, and--Alexander!!" the girl squealed in delight as the Eevee started to glow a brighter white than he already was. It grew just a few inches, but otherwise slimmed down. When the glowing stopped, instead of a furry, tiny, white Eevee, there was a tan Pokemon with brilliant green accents on its ears and tail. It also seemed to have leaves growing out of it, much to Carlita's amazement.

The girl happily skipped off with her new Leafeon, Carlita drooling as they left. She seemed to have quite the thing for Alexander, especially after he evolved. I ignored this for the most part, since I was too busy wondering if it was too late to trade her in for a Leafeon.


	10. Allowance To Grow

Eventually, we made it out of Eterna Forest. It took two more days and the help of another trainer, though. We were all exhausted by the end of it. Pedestal was officially level 17, though, so he was close to closing the gap between he and Carlita. That was the only silver lining I came up with, at any rate.

As we cleared the trees, all three of us saw real, un-tree-filtered sunlight for the first time in days. Carlita happily started photosynthesizing right away. Blinking, Des and I staggered into the bright light, until finally collapsing and soaking up the warm sun.

"It's good to be free," I remarked.

"Numel," Des agreed.

After we were all full of the sun, we continued along the Route again. There was almost always a path for us to follow, though sometimes it meant we had to jump off of small ledges, and eventually, we reached a bridge over the river. We had crossed the river going into Eterna Forest, so I counted this as a good sign.

Then, we found a fork in the path.

I looked left, and then forward. I could continue where I was going, or I could go left. There was a building, partially hidden behind some trees to the left. Forward, there was just more path. "…Which way, guys?"

Carlita bounded up ahead, whereas Pedestal waddled over to the left. This put me in a bind, since not only I was the tiebreaker, it meant I was literally having to choose between my Pokemon. "…Shroo," Carlita squeaked, noticing this.

"Nu," Des replied dully, twitching his ears.

"Shroomish!" Carlita insisted, stomping her foot in frustration.

"Nu…!" Pedestal said, a bit more firmly.

Soon enough, they were squabbling in earnest, and I had to pull them apart. "Stop it, you two! Fighting will get us nowhere. …Carlita, why don't we go to the left? There's a building there, so there will be people. Maybe it means we can get some food." In addition to missing real sunlight, we were all sorely missing real food. Berries and grasses were all well and good, but only once in a long while. This did the trick, and she reluctantly nodded.

Off to the left we went.

Two hours later, I was stomping angrily out of the building. It was the Valley Windworks building; it was on the side of Eterna Forest that we had went in. So we had basically come back out the way we went in; we went in a giant circle. _We were no closer to Eterna than we were before_.

"Des, set the building on fire."

"Mel!" he replied, eyes as wide as I'd ever seen them. He looked shocked. It was a pretty obvious 'no'.

"Fine, you noble little thing." I rolled my eyes, and then turned to Carlita. This was actually pretty hard to do, considering she was riding on my shoulder. Eventually, I settled with looking at her out of the corner of my eye, neck uncomfortably pushed to the side. "Carlita, do you know any attacks that could damage this place?"

"Shroo!" she replied happily, jumping down to the ground. Pedestal jumped in between her and the building, shaking his head fervently. Carlita huffed and tried to get past him, but he blocked her at every turn.

"Des, get out of the way! We're trying to--ack!!" He shot a mouthful of fire at me, and then at Carlita, sending us both running in circles as we screamed. The flames took an annoyingly long time to put out, and by then, we were both exhausted. Not only from the near-death experience from our own teammate, but running around and screaming at the same time took its toll.

That night, we staggered back to the Floaroma Pokemon Center, only to be turned away; the rooms were already all taken. We then staggered back to Eterna Forest.

"Mish," Carlita warned wearily, dragging her stubby little paws as she waddled behind us.

"I know," I lied. I had no idea what she was talking about. Probably something about the dangers of entering the forest at night. Whatever. The problem we had the first time was that we had gotten sidetracked, looking for places to camp, or chasing wild Pokemon. This time, that wouldn't happen. It would be a straight shot through.

After all, if I was awake and conscious, I would undoubtedly remember if I had passed by that tree before or not.

…Looking back, yes, I know, it was a rather bad plan. But one cannot comprehend the forest unless one has been lost there and spat back out on the wrong side. I wanted revenge. I wanted to beat the forest. My Pokemon, however, were another story.

"You two… Return, both of you."

"Nu--"

"Shroo--"

They didn't have a say in the matter. Carlita could hardly walk--though that was more because she was still slightly charred than from actual fatigue--and Pedestal was always slow. It would be faster to press on by myself. Plus, all of the wild Pokemon would be asleep, right?

Yeah… Wrong.

I was only a few minutes by myself when a black bird flapped out of the nearest trees, squawking and pecking at my head. I tried to run from it, but ended up tripping over a sleepy Budew and making them both mad at me. I kept Des out with my from then on.

It was probably about midnight when we both collapsed from sleep deprivation. Probably, maybe. I wasn't sure, since I was asleep before I hit the ground. When I awoke, however, it was fairly bright out and there was a curious Buneary sitting on my back. Pedestal was snoring beside me, perfectly asleep. He even had a snot bubble.

"Bun?" the little bunny asked, peering over upside-down to look at me. I shook my head. Or rather, attempted to, since I had a rabbit Pokemon sitting on my head. That made it pretty hard.

"Get off."

The Buneary jumped off, beaming at me. "Bun!"

"G'night." I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep.

"Excuse me… You're lying in a patch of poison ivy… I just thought… I mean, it looks like you've been there all night, but I thought… Aren't you going to move?" The next time I opened my eyes, there was a person standing above me. "Your Buneary has been trying to wake you for quite awhile now…"

"I don't have a Buneary," I muttered sleepily.

"…Oh." The other person blinked a few times, and then leaned back out of my range of sight. "Well… If it's not yours… Oh, nevermind."

"You can have it if you want."

"I already have a Pokemon."

"You _can_ have more than one. I have two."

"I have more than one."

"Six?"

"No, but… I have a good team."

Well, she was doing better than I was, then. I sat up, scratching my arm. It itched for some reason. The other trainer skittered back, clutching the bottom hem of her skirt like a lifeline. She eyed me warily with tired, indigo eyes. Then she had probably been here all night, too, lost in this maze of a forest. "Do you know the way out?" I asked her.

"There are lots of ways out. It's a forest, not a labyrinth."

"The way out closest to Eterna City?"

"It's down the path. Do you know the way out to Floaroma Town?"

"It's down the path," I replied with a shrug. If she was going to be vague, then fine, I was, too. The girl looked crestfallen.

"Oh."

"It's… It's not too far from here, actually…" I added awkwardly. I turned away then, partially to hide from her sad look, and partially to wake Pedestal up. He seemed oblivious to all attempts, however.

"It's about a day's walk… To Eterna, I mean. Or the exit out of the forest to Eterna…" She sighed, and then tilted her hair back. "…You can't see the clouds in the forest. That's sad, isn't it?" she mumbled dreamily, smiling.

"Uh, yeah, sad." She didn't look sad anymore. "I'm… I'm just gonna go, then."

Sticking to the path this time, it was much easier to get out of the forest. I kept itching, though, for some reason. The Buneary who had woken me up followed me--I returned Des, still asleep, since it was easier than trying to wake him--for quite awhile, before giving up and hopping away with a furious huff. I just huffed back at it. I didn't want a Buneary; they were cute and girly and generally useless.

By the time the sun was setting, I had figured out two things. The first was that I was pretty much covered in some sort of itchy rash that I had been unknowingly scratching all day, until I had several open wounds and was bleeding down my arms. The second was that Eterna City was the best sight I had ever seen. True, I was biased with gratefulness, tiredness, hungriness and the-want-to-sleep-in-a-real-bed-ness, but it was still pretty. Kind of.

Or had I gotten so bad that I was placing a city on a pedestal up along with my two Pokemon? That would sure suck. I shrugged and continued walking.


	11. Never Did Run Smooth

Eterna City was a nice little town that was surprisingly and somewhat disturbingly grassless. There were a few trees around, particularly by the Gym, and tiny clumps of grass by assorted buildings, but otherwise, it seemed to be all pavement, rock and dirt. Wasn't Eterna supposed to be the one with the _grass_ Gym?

I decided to check out the Pokemon Center first, though. Not only for Des and Carlita, though; my arms still itched like crazy and now they were crusted over with scabs and dried blood from my incessant scratching. I was convinced I had contracted some rare, probably fatal jungle disease from Eterna Forest. Maybe Nurse Joy would help me, though. She seemed to work miracles often enough.

"Oh my goodness! Your arms!!" I had hardly gotten through the door before getting swept up in alarm, curiosity, and concern. It probably didn't help that I just picked off another scab and was plaintively dripping blood onto the carpet, looking lost, beat-up, hungry, tired, confused--and just overall abused.

A couple of the trainers stood up as Nurse Joy and her Chansey rushed me back towards the menacing healing machine. I wondered if it would be prudent to release my Pokemon and try to fight my way out of her iron grasp. Probably not; her Chansey looked ready to rip my throat out if I bled any more.

"Can I just--"

"How did this happen? Did you do this to yourself?!" Nurse Joy asked worriedly, pulling me through some swishing doors into a clean, stark white operating room. I blanched; I didn't want to get operated on! I figured a few bandages and I'd be good--this was going too far!

"Wait! What're you doing?!" I yelped, getting pushed down onto the metal table.

"How did this happen?!" Nurse Joy insisted, her Chansey tugging at my shirt. It was short-sleeved, which was how this had happened in the first place. From then on, I resolved to wear a long-sleeved shirt _always_.

"I-I don't know! I just came from the forest--what's wrong with me?!" I cried, panicking. "I thought it was some sort of disease--am I going to die?--what are you doing?!" My shirt was tugged off over my head with no ceremony whatsoever. Nurse Joy leaned in to examine my shoulders and chest, and, after satisfying herself that my condition was confined to my arms, started studying them.

"Chan, sey!" Chansey exclaimed. The pink Pokemon waddled over to my other side, peering at my other arm, poking it occasionally with soft, rubbery arms. It only made the itching worse, and I tugged one arm away from the human nurse to scratch at it. The Chansey and Nurse Joy were both appalled by this behavior, particularly because it only peeled another scab away.

"What are you doing?! Don't scratch! It's _healing_--or trying to!" She reached out to pull my arm away from the other, and she and the Chansey held them apart as they continued diagnosing me. For my part, I was reliving my life, seeing it flash before my eyes; how could I become the world's greatest trainer if I was going to die at the age of eleven?! I only had two Pokemon! There were so many things I hadn't done yet in life.

Twenty minutes later, a _very_ relieved Nurse Joy dropped my arm and announced the verdict, "You're fine. It was just poison ivy, and you scratched at it too much…"

"Really?" I asked tearfully, rejoicing at getting my life back.

"Yes. You're completely fine, otherwise, though a little worn from travel." She smiled brightly, adjusting her nurse's cap and dress. "And maybe a bit traumatized from the frisking we just gave you," she added with a wink.

I gulped and nodded.

-.-.-

After securing a room at the Pokemon Center--which was actually aided by my bandages arms and kicked Growlithe appearance; Nurse Joy and her aides took pity on me--I judged that there was enough sunlight out to try to track down the Gym.

Actually, it was only a little after noon, but after the Eterna Forest escapade, I wasn't going to take any chances. I was going to make _sure_ I had plenty of time to get where I wanted.

My mood plummeted when I found out that the Gym was a short walk from the Center, not even five minutes away. I didn't have an appointment, but I didn't care, since walk-ins were usually welcome, too (as long as no one else was battling). Even that, though, couldn't completely destroy my mood. Because I had the advantage! Pedestal was a fire type, and I knew first-hand that his Ember was pretty strong. More than that--he was significantly over leveled because of our time in the forest. And while Carlita was grass type like the Gym, she was of an even higher level than Des so I could always fall back on her.

Standing in front of the Gym, there was a young girl. I shuffled up behind her carefully, eyeing her. Was she the leader? No, probably not, because of her age and rather ragged appearance. She looked very much like a relatively new trainer, not the cocky, experienced leaders or elitists. She was looking rather hard at a pokeball in her hand, as if it would give her some clue as to a great mystery of the universe. Hey, maybe it would. Sometimes, I swear I could see some pretty weird things in Des' ball…

"Is there a line?" I called out, standing a good ten feet away. I couldn't help being wary of other trainers. So far, I had lost to one snotty kid, almost got caught up in a lover's spat between a couple more, was very nearly stolen from by another, and I'm pretty sure that last girl had given me my jungle disease. My track record with others wasn't faring too well.

"Huh? Oh--no--there isn't," the girl replied, after a jump. "Not really."

"Okay…" What did 'not really' mean? There either was or there wasn't… "Have you battled Gardenia yet?" I asked. I knew I had the advantage, but I knew better than to get _too_ overconfident. That was what had led to me getting Carlita, after all--and who knew what Gardenia would throw at me? She _was_ a Gym leader, and she couldn't have earned that title if she was a total pushover.

She had grass types, yes, but she could also have mixtures. What if she had something I wasn't expecting, like a grass and flying type? Or a grass and ground? Or--_what if she had a grass and _water_ type_?! That would completely nullify whatever type advantage Des had. In fact, it would work against him if she had even one Pokemon with even one water move.

As I broke out into a cold sweat, the girl trainer answered, "I haven't. Not yet, anyway. I was about to…"

My worrying and angst-filled inner thoughts suddenly doubled. Now I had _no chance_ of getting some insider's information. I was going in blind, with nothing but the feeble hope that Gardenia wouldn't pull out anything nastier than a Budew or two.

"W-Well, you… go in and… good luck with that!" I turned and marched off stiffly. _She_ could go in and battle Gardenia. Maybe I'd run into her later and she could tell me about it. At the very least, maybe she'd wear Gardenia down.

I waited outside of the Gym, half-hidden by a bush. My knees were drawn up to my chest and I was shaking, thinking of the horror- and glee-filled grins of Gardenia's water and grass typed Pokemon.


	12. But In Battalions

After about ten minutes of waiting, I gave up and left. I went instead to the Pokemon Mart to stock up on everything imaginable, though mostly healing items and food. I was still sick of berries and grasses. Des and Carlita both came out of their pokeballs to help me pick out which kind of Pokemon food they liked, since this was the first time I had to buy any for Carlita and the first time I actually had enough foresight to ask Pedestal.

We wandered around the store for a little bit, my two Pokemon excitedly chewing on things, knocking things over, and generally behaving very badly. Carlita seemed to be a bad influence on Des; he was slowly brightening up when they got into trouble, and grinned and twitched his ears more often. Or maybe I was just noticing it more. I wasn't sure.

For my part, I was still busy mentally working myself into a panic over Gardenia. By then, I was absolute convinced (yes, in the same way that I was convinced my team was _awesome_) she had a water Pokemon somehow. I wasn't sure Carlita could help, since I was still a little unsure about her, and she preferred to dodge and dance instead of use actual grass moves.

There was a shady-looking man in green standing next to the counter, but I skirted around him and didn't make eye contact. I also picked Carlita up and kept myself between him and Des as I passed him. I wasn't taking any chances.

It finally came home when I was exiting the Mart. Des was carrying a bag pack-mule style, and Carlita was pretending to help by hopping around him energetically, twirling and pirouetting. They both seemed happy enough, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

_I'll just have to try my best with Carlita if she has a water Pokemon. Switch out fast with Des so he doesn't go down, hopefully,_ I thought, planning my strategy. Then, it was like I ran into a brick wall. It suddenly hit me, rather violently, how paranoid I had become.

In addition to idolizing the unknown, I was second-guessing any givens handed to me.

My two Pokemon turned and stared at me curiously as I promptly OTL'd.

-.-.-

That afternoon, as the shadows were stretching and the light was turning golden, I marched back to the Gym.

I marched back to the Gym only to find that it closed at five, so I marched right back to the Pokemon Center, trying not to cry for all of my wasted steeling-of-nerves and other preparations. I was in the right mindset (finally) to fight Gardenia, and then the Gym had to go and close. I skipped dinner and stalked right up to my room on the second floor and laid in bed and sulked. For the rest of the night.

Actually, it was probably only for a half hour or so. Then I decided to watch Carlita try to teach Des to dance.

I fell asleep sometime after that. I wasn't sure exactly when. I woke up around five, though, and was unable to get back to bed, much to my annoyance. I vaguely remembered some dream-about eating cereal?-and decided to blame my sudden insomnia on that. I rolled out of bed and immediately tripped over Des.

He sluggishly rose his head, yawning once he saw it was just his trainer. "Nuu…" he mumbled.

"Go back to sleep, Des," I whispered, rubbing my elbow where I hit it. I needed to keep a better eye on him. Mostly to prevent me tripping over him almost constantly. Though _how_ I neglected to see a yellow, knee-high camel, I don't know.

After using the bathroom, trying to at least _look_ like I had combed my hair, and rubbing more of the sleep out of my eyes, I decided to go downstairs and see if I could find some breakfast. I could eat ahead of the rush, and then bring up some food for my Pokemon; wouldn't they like breakfast in bed? Nevermind the fact that they were both sleeping on the floor.

"Oh! Awake already?" Nurse Joy seemed to have taken a special liking to me, possibly because of my arms, or possibly in some sort of apology for scarring me for life. She always seemed to greet me with a smile, though more than once I caught her inspecting the bandages from afar to make sure I hadn't been scratching them. (I had.)

"Couldn't sleep… Is breakfast ready yet?"

"Not quite yet. We're just mixing up the batter now. It's pancakes," she chirped with a beam.

"Need any help?" It would be better than waiting awkwardly out in the silent, lonely lobby. Plus, the pre-dawn light that was trying to trickle in through the windows and glass doors gave me the creeps. It was way too grey. It was like the light in a zombie movie I had once seen.

"Oh… Well, we can always use help around the Center, especially the kitchens…" Nurse Joy seemed a little embarrassed, which made me get the feeling that she didn't get offers for help that often. The pink-haired woman led me into the kitchen. It was already pretty busy, with two Chansey and three of her aides bustling around, trying to get breakfast ready for a Center full of trainers and their Pokemon. The Chansey looked to be in charge of the Pokemon food, which I decided they could handle; I was more comfortable cooking pancakes. "Go wash your hands thoroughly and then you can help Nick cook."

Spending the next two hours flipping (and burning some) pancakes wasn't as boring or stressful as I would've thought. It was actually pretty fun. Nick turned out to be another trainer like me, who woke up early and decided to help. He had been training for several years, and had a full team of six. He told me that they got along well, at least when battling, though his Gabite and Mothim bickered often. I had no idea what either of those two were, but they sounded cool enough.

"So, what Pokemon do you have?" he asked between mouthfuls of pancakes.

"'oomuff mnrd 'oomirsh," I replied, not quite as tactful as he. I paused to swallow, and repeated, "Numel and Shroomish."

"Really… Just those two? Gardenia's going to be your first badge, right?"

"Uh-huh." I felt nervous again just thinking about her. I fidgeted, covering the movement with another bite of pancake. Nick didn't seem to notice.

"You'll do fine. With your Numel, she should be a pushover. You might have a bit of trouble with her third Pokemon, though, but just a bit I'm sure." He grinned, meaning to be reassuring. I suddenly felt cold, however.

"Sh-She has _three_ Pokemon…?" I probably knew that already, somewhere deep in my mind, but now I was forced to confront the fact that we were outnumbered for the first time. I had never been outnumbered before, not really. Wild Pokemon only came singularly, and in the few double battles I'd been in, I could rely on both Des and Carlita. But both of them-against _three_ Pokemon? Three Gym Pokemon?

"Of course. I don't think any of the Gym leaders have less than that…" He paused to think, chewing thoughtfully. "…Nope, don't think so. A couple have four, and a couple have five, but none have just two. Oh-but you'll be fine! You have the advantage, after all! And even if your Numel goes down, it'll be hard for her to take down your Shroomish, because of the grass type. Just keep hammering away at her Pokemon with physical attacks if it comes down to that, okay?"

I could only nod, suddenly having lost my appetite. I bade Nick farewell and grabbed a couple of plates of Pokemon food to take up to my room. When I got there, both Pedestal and Carlita were awake, and squabbling, of course. He was holding her down with both stubby little front paws, licking the top of her head. Carlita, for her part, was screaming and wiggling, her frown as pronounced as ever.

"…Yeah, we aren't ready to take on Gardenia."


	13. A First Salvation

"Where are you three going?"

We really weren't going anywhere. Not for lack of trying, of course, but more because Des was heavy _and_ stubborn. I was trying to pick him up, while Carlita was pushing from behind. I didn't even know what was up with him. He just didn't feel like going out, or something, and he bit me the last time I tried to put him in his pokeball.

The person who asked, I was embarrassed to find, was Nick. He was standing at the base of the stairs, looking up at us with a dubious glare.

"We were just _trying_ to go out… But Des doesn't want to go," I said helplessly, taking one hand out from under Des. Bad move. He chose that exact moment to squirm and kick me, and in hindsight, maybe having a fight with your very dense Pokemon at the top of a flight of stairs wasn't the brightest of ideas.

Carlita screamed shrilly, and the ground suddenly was over me, and then all of a sudden, I was looking at Nick's feet. I also hurt. In addition to these facts, there was also a fat Numel on my back.

"Are you okay?!" Nick worriedly knelt down, helping to pull Des off of me. "Is anything broken? Are you okay?"

"I think I'm fine." Though maybe, if I came in with my arm in a sling, Gardenia would have pity on me and wouldn't use her water Pokemon… Nah. It wouldn't be worth it. Nurse Joy would probably have a heart attack, anyway.

"You are one of the clumsiest people I know," Nick remarked, trying to pass off his concern with a shaky laugh. "Or maybe you just have the oddest team dynamic." Carlita hopped down the stairs behind us, head butting me in the foot to make sure I was okay.

"I think it might be the second one…" I mumbled, bending down to stop her from attacking Des in revenge.

"At least you know how to take a beating, right?" Nick laughed, slapping me on the back. It hurt more than it probably was meant to, but I just grit my teeth and grinned back at him. Nurse Joy would probably kill me if I came in with another injury, anyway, and I was used to bruises. "So then, come on."

"Huh? Come on where?"

"Well, where were _you_ going?" he asked, narrowing his eyes threateningly. He probably knew where I was headed off to: Eterna Forest to train some more.

"…Out."

"You're going to the Gym."

"But--we're not ready!"

"Yes you are. If your own Numel can take down its trainer, it can take down a couple of grass Pokemon. Come on." With a grunt, Nick managed to pick Des up and started carrying him off, much to my dismay. Pedestal, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to let himself be carried--and he was probably happy it was to the Gym, too.

"No! Give me back my Pokemon!" Carlita and I ran to catch up with him, tugging futilely at Des' hind legs.

We only succeeded in making Nick stop and turn around. Second bad move of the day. "Do I need to carry you, too?" he asked. For a brief moment, I could only wonder if he was _really_ that strong. He was a teenager, I knew, but he didn't exactly look built. Maybe it would be entertaining to try--_no_. I shook my head. I would only get into more trouble if Nurse Joy saw him carrying Des and I out of the Center.

"Uhh, no. Just… Give me back Des?" I asked pathetically. He sighed and set the fire Pokemon down. I took the opportunity to return Des and then turn, running in the opposite direction. "Carlita, come on!" I called over my shoulder. _I_ knew I wasn't ready to take on Gardenia, and I wasn't going to suffer another humiliating defeat because of water Pokemon. Who cared if Nick looked a little betrayed at being duped like that? Des was the noble one, not me.

Twenty minutes later, I was being carried to Gardenia's Gym.

I found out what a Gabite was in that way; Nick decided to save himself a bit of trouble and just sent the dragon Pokemon after me. It nearly scared the wits out of Carlita and I both when we first saw it, and truth be told, I was still a little leery of it. I wasn't about to kick it, though, so I could do nothing more than limply let myself be carried.

"You're a bit of a brat, aren't you?" Nick asked, walking behind us, calmly carried Carlita and Des' pokeball (which I had already tried to throw at him). "I don't see why you don't want to challenge Gardenia… Both of your Pokemon are pretty strong for the area, _and_ you have a type advantage."

"She'll take me out with the water Pokemon," I muttered mutinously.

"Gardenia is a _grass_ trainer."

"She could have mixes! I could be a fire trainer, but I would still have Des, and he's half ground, right?"

"That's true… But, you know, there aren't that many grass and water mixes in the world. I can only think of three off the top of my head, and they're not from around here." Nick's logic seemed to be infallible.

"She would have moves designed to take out her weaknesses…" It didn't mean I was going down without a fight, however.

"So why don't you get some of those?"

"That's what Carlita is for."

"Shroo!" she said happily at her name.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I…" I shifted uncomfortably. Being carried by a Gabite was not something I wanted to do again. Its scales were rough and hard, and it wasn't being too kind with its claws, either. "I feel Des is at a disadvantage."

"Even though you _clearly_ have the advantage," Nick reminded me. I stayed silent, mimicking Carlita's scowl. "Well, we're here. And you're going to march in there and challenge her. She doesn't have any water Pokemon; it's all grass, trust me. Wake is the water Gym leader."

"Still…" I still felt uneasy, and no amount of logic or reality would fix that. If I wanted to be a coward and flee from the closest thing to a guaranteed Gym win in the circuit, then that was my problem. I was set down by the Gabite, and Nick offered me back my Pokemon.

"Still what? Go on in there and get a confidence boost. I bet you five grand that you can take down her first Pokemon with just an Ember." Nick's suddenly cheery smile and wager caught me off guard.

After the surprise, however, the shock and despair set in. I didn't _have_ five grand. I had half of _one_ grand, and that was before lunch today. I could buy very little, so I considered myself all but broke. How was I supposed to come up with that much just randomly?! I doubted I'd even get that much if I did somehow beat Gardenia…

"U-Um, I don't _have_ five thousand--"

"Then you'll just have to win the bet, won't you?" I saw that he was trying to give me some encouragement, but it was a lousy way of doing so. Nick, oblivious, turned me around and pushed me into the glass doors. If they hadn't opened at the last moment, I probably could have added more bruises to my ever-growing collection.

"Hm? Oh--a challenger." The woman that had to be Gardenia the Gym leader looked up, surrounded by knee-high grasses and Budew. I gulped and pressed myself against the nearest wall, scanning the battle arena for ponds. None--just grass and trees. At least there was that to be thankful for. "Hi there, come on in. I'm Gardenia, the leader here."

She paused, and it didn't occur to me until later that she had been waiting for my name as well.

After letting out a little put-off sigh, Gardenia continued, "Right then. Well, if you're here to challenge me, I suppose we'll just get started then. I have an appointment in about a half hour, but it shouldn't take that long… Do you know the rules?"

"Huh? N-No." Rules? Some vague memory of school teaching us Gym rules hovered tauntingly near my thought process, but keeping well away from it all the same; they had _rules_?

"…Okay…" Gardenia obviously hadn't expected that answer. "Um, well, I'll use only three Pokemon. You can use up to three as well. As the challenger, you may also substitute Pokemon during your turn, but I cannot. First one who loses all three Pokemon loses the match. Is that simple enough?" Now she was talking down to me. She probably thought I was some sort of imbecile. Great.

"Okay, yeah." She walked over towards a clearer part of the Gym, one with significantly less Budew running around. I skittered after her, keeping to the wall as much as possible, still looking around for any sources of water. None that I could see… But then again, I was the one who couldn't see a knee-high yellow camel.

"Go, Turtwig." I recognized it as the grass starter for the region. I couldn't help but grin; my starter could beat her starter. I might just win that bet, after all. Though it'd have to be a strong Ember…

"Go, Des!" Notably cheered, I called out my Numel, not missing Gardenia's surprised expression. It quickly turned into a resigned expression, however. "Ember attack!"

Des, after looking around the Gym for long enough that it seemed he was ignoring me, finally noticed the Turtwig for the first time. He seemed a little surprised, perhaps because they looked somewhat similar. It took a full three minutes for him to stop staring at the grass Pokemon then, and another thirty seconds for him to waddle over and get into a suitable range for his Ember to work. Gardenia and her Turtwig weren't sure how to take any of that. I considered myself lucky.

Pedestal _finally_ released a jet of fire in the direction of the Turtwig.

The Turtwig ran out of the way in a panic. "Turt! Turt!"

"Use Curse!" Gardenia called over her Pokemon's shouting.

The Turtwig glowed briefly, astonishing Des further, and then looked back towards its trainer for further instruction. Technically, though, it was my turn--my _second_ turn. I had just lost five grand because of that Turtwig. I just lost _five grand_, that I couldn't even pay back even if I _did_ win this battle.

Gardenia was going down.

"Des, Focus Energy!" He nodded and closed his eyes, reopening them after a brief, sharp glow. The Turtwig started backing up; it clearly knew what was coming next.

"Tackle!"

"Ember!"

Des took it down in one hit before it got to him. I didn't even knew if the Focus Energy had anything to do with it. Gardenia nodded to herself as she recalled the small turtle, as if she saw it coming. Retaliation with her water Pokemon never even crossed my mind. "Cherrim! Your turn now! Start out with a Growth!"

"Ember!"

Once again, the opponent was taken down in one move. This time, Gardenia was outright shocked. She must have thought that her Cherrim was stronger, and maybe it was, but Des still took it down easily. It was just the confidence boost I needed. "…Well, aren't you a lucky one… My last Pokemon won't be so easy to take down." She forced a grin and pulled out her last pokeball.

I paled; I remembered all the advice I had been given about her last Pokemon. What was it? No one had told me. It was probably stronger than the other two, and a mix of types, too, to offset her weaknesses-- "Des, return!" I called, whipping out his pokeball so fast that I nearly dropped it.

"Go, Roserade!" Next thing I knew, a fairly large, regal-looking green thing was staring me down. It wasn't actually tall enough to stare _down_ at me, but it sure looked like it was. I recognized the roses on its hands, though; it must have evolved from a Roselia.

Des was already back in his pokeball, which meant I had to send out Carlita, at least for one turn. I hesitantly did so; I barely knew how she'd behave. She'd probably dodge really well, because of her dancing, but I could only really work with her physical attacks against another grass foe. "Go… Carlita…"

"Shroo!" She appeared with a twirl, smiling at everyone. Her scowl reappeared, however, once she caught sight of the Roserade. Carlita turned towards me with a look of disdain, as if asking, _really? This is my opponent?_ I didn't know whether she was glad or afraid.

"Poison Sting!"

"Dodge and use a Headbutt!"

Carlita managed to the initial attack, but once she got close enough to attack, she got a face full of Poison Sting as the Roserade angrily turned its roses on her. She squealed and staggered back, tottering to one side. At first, I was worried she was poisoned, but then I realized that there was something worse going on--Carlita's grass type made her _weak_ to poison types.

I was so worried about Des' weaknesses that I had overlooked my other Pokemon's. I felt not only like a jerk, but like a bad trainer as well. "Carlita, return!"

"Swapping out?" Gardenia asked, interested. She must have thought I had three Pokemon with me, and was curious about my third, so I must have disappointed her. Out came Des once more. "Oh. Your Numel." She didn't seem thrilled.

"Des, keep away from its Poison Sting, and keep using Ember!" Too bad his Focus Energy hadn't carried over… I didn't want to waste a turn on that, though, just in case the Roserade did manage to poison him.

"Magical Leaf!"

Des _somehow_ managed to waddle out of the way, but the leaves just arced around behind him and smacked him in the back of the head. Bewildered, he turned to me for an explanation. I didn't have one, so I could only shrug. The Roserade laughed at us, waving its roses at him. Des managed to hit it with an Ember then, but it wasn't as weak as its two predecessors, so it stayed in the battle. One more hit would probably do it, however… Or so I hoped.

"Mega Drain!" The Roserade skipped gracefully over until it was a sparse few feet from Des, and then seemed to inhale. Des shuddered, and I could see some sort of green stuff leaving him and going into the grass Pokemon.

"Ember!"

The Roserade, because of its proximity, couldn't get away in time. Much like Carlita before, it looked up in surprise just in time to get a face full of a move it was weak against. It shrieked and covered its face with its roses, stumbling back, until finally it tripped and laid there. Gardenia frowned and peered forward, before proclaiming, "Looks like he's fainted. …I guess you won, kid. Congrats." She offered me another rather forced smile, which softened when she saw my shocked expression. "Really, you won. You get a badge and a TM and everything."

Nick was standing outside, waiting for me. He was reading a newspaper, tsk-ing at some event. He looked up when he saw me come out, and immediately trotted over. "You look pale. But, as you're grasping that badge hard enough to probably make your hand bleed, I think you're fine." He clapped me on the back and steered me back in the direction of the Center. He kept talking, but I was beyond the point where I could hear and understand him.

I had won a badge.

I had won my first badge.

I was now officially in the Gym circuit, and already better than all of those hobbyists or collectors or young kids who happen to have a pet or two. I was a _real_ trainer.

I was awesome again.


	14. With Friends Like These

Even Nurse Joy seemed happy about my first badge. I was caught off guard at first by this, but Nick explained that it was pretty much obvious to everyone that I had been afraid of the Gym, and not only the nurses, but a lot of the trainers who knew of the situation had been rooting for me. It was embarrassing to find something like that out, but the embarrassment soon vanished when it meant I got free food.

Nick treated my team and I to lunch. It wasn't anything extravagant, but it was all-you-can-eat. Des and I really packed it away, but I noticed that Carlita only seemed to pick at her food, and didn't seem very happy at all. "C'mon, Carlita, _eat_! You're not sad about the battle, are you?" I coaxed, trying to get her to open her mouth.

"Mmph," she squeaked in reply, turning away from me.

"What happened with her?" Nick asked curiously.

"I only used her for a couple of turns, and she nearly got poisoned…" Now I felt guilty just thinking about it again. Trying to ignore that, I took another bite. They had really good garlic bread here. I offered some to Carlita, trying to placate her. "Come _on_, Carlita… I said I was sorry…"

"What if she's not angry?"

"Huh?" Des and I looked up with matching clueless expressions.

"Well, look at it this way. You said so yourself, that she's the strongest of your team, if we're going by levels. You call her out for a Gym battle, and she nearly faints. What if she's the one feeling guilty?" Nick suggested, also trying to get my Shroomish to eat. She glared at him and bit his finger. He just laughed and gently pried her off. "See? She is."

"Ohh." That made sense now that I thought about it. I reached over the table and picked her up, hugging her. "It's okay, Carlita. We won. You did great."

"Mish," she mumbled rebelliously, rubbing her forehead against my arm. I took it as a sign of her being okay now. At least, she _was_ okay, until Des leaned over and licked the top of her head. "Shroo!! Shroomish!" she shrieked, trying to hit him. Des just turned contentedly back to his meal.

"Just like a family, aren't you?" Nick asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it," I replied, setting Carlita on my other side, so that I was separating them. "They certainly act like kids…"

"I think all teams do, to some degree."

"You're really smart, you know that?" I said shrewdly, eyeing him over my glass. "…You're also really nice. Why're you helping me so much?"

"Well aren't you the trusting one," he said with some amusement. When I didn't reply, he continued, a bit more seriously. "…If you _must_ know, you remind me a lot of my little brother. Only he's not a trainer yet; he's only nine."

"I remind you of a nine-year-old?" I asked flatly. I was _eleven_, darn it!

"It's only one year difference. Don't get your feathers ruffled."

"I'm eleven!"

"Whoa, really?" His eyes widened in surprise, until he laughed again. "What can I say? I must be going senile in my old age."

"Yeah…" I suppressed a smile and turned to try to get Carlita to eat again. She was still picking at her food, though this time, mostly it was because she was picky. She finally accepted a small piece of the garlic bread, before deciding it was delicious and stealing the rest of mine for herself. And, when I turned back to my plate, I found that Des was also adjusting to human food; he was contentedly munching on my spaghetti and meatballs. "Guys! Eat your own food!!"

"Definitely like a family," Nick decided, trying hard not to laugh. "Oh, hey--question. Did you win our little wager?"

"Eh?" I squeaked, voice raising an octave or two. I had heard him perfectly, and I knew I had not won our little wager. "W-Wager?" I repeated, feigning ignorance.

"Don't worry about it. It was just a little incentive," he dismissed. He obviously knew I had lost it, though why he'd give up the chance to potentially gain that much money was beyond my comprehension. Or maybe he had so much money, he didn't need another five thousand? He _was_ an older trainer, and if you got money by battling, then you must have a ton once you got good…

I would have a ton soon enough then, I told myself.

"He sure likes spaghetti," Nick said suddenly. I stared at him, confused. What was he talking about? Then I felt a nudge on my elbow, and looked down to find Des eating off of my plate again.

-.-.-

It was late in the afternoon before we got back to the Center. I was still miffed at both of my Pokemon, especially Des, since he not only started the habit of eating off of my plate, but got Carlita into it as well. They were in high spirits, like me, but it seemed to mean that they misbehaved more when they were happy. I would have to look out for that in the future.

"So, where are you heading after this?" Nick asked conversationally as we walked to our rooms.

"I… don't know." I hadn't given much thought to my second one. What other Gyms did I have advantages against? Definitely not the water one…

"Oreburgh."

"Huh?"

"Go to Oreburgh. On the conventional circuit, Roark is the first leader, so he's not terribly strong, and Carlita would have an advantage against his rock type," he said, nodding wisely.

Totally starry-eyed, I nodded as well. "That does make sense." I was absolutely infatuated with his experience; he seemed like such a wealth of information! He not only helped me with Gardenia, but he had been so nice, and he was even giving me advice for my future of training. A thought struck me then. Trainers traveled together all the time, right…?

It would be perfect. We were already friends, and he could help me until I got surer footing in the training world, and then we could go take on the Elite Four together! The perfect tag team! But I just had to subtly find out if _he_ thought it a good idea. What if he didn't like hanging around with a kid all the time?

"Hey, uh, Nick--"

"What's this?"

We had gotten to my room's door, only to find something hanging on the doorknob. I snatched it up, holding it out from me curiously. It was a pretty bright red, and appeared to be a jacket of some sort. I wondered why it was hanging on my doorknob; it certainly wasn't mine. (Though I _had_ been looking for a jacket. My arms itched just thinking about that.)

"…This isn't mine…"

"Maybe someone left it here?"

"Then how did it end up on my door?"

"Maybe it was left in the hall, and someone just left it on the nearest door, hoping it was the owner. See if it has any contact information on it anywhere."

I was already rummaging through the pockets, but found nothing but lint and a few candy wrappers. Nick sighed and took the jacket from me, flipping it over expertly and looking at the inside tag. There, in neat, cursive handwriting, was a name and a phone number. "Oh. Pri-sci-lla. Priscilla. A girl." There were a lot of girls in the center, but this jacket would've had to belong to one of the younger trainers. It looked a little familiar, now that I really _looked_ at it, though…

"Do you know her?"

"No… Well, I think I probably saw her before. I wonder if she's still in the Center." I turned and marched back downstairs, looking for Nurse Joy.

She found me before I found her, and asked immediately, "Oh, is that not your jacket? I thought not…"

"Is there a girl named Priscilla still here?"

"Priscilla?" The pink-haired woman tilted her head to one side, thinking for a few moments. "…Oh! No, she's not, I'm afraid. She just left this morning. Do you know where she went?"

"Uh, no." The girl was still a stranger to me; how was I supposed to know where she went? Then again, there weren't a lot of places one could go from Eterna. And if she was taking on Gardenia, it meant she would still be a newbie, so she probably went to Oreburgh, too… "I'll take it with me, though. She might've gone to Oreburgh." That _was_ where the next nearest Gym was, at least the nearest that wasn't hopelessly difficult. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I must be right. Plus, there was a phone number, so I could track her down eventually.

I left the next morning for Oreburgh. To my dismay, sadness, concern and nervousness, Nick wouldn't be traveling with me; he would be off to tackle Victory Road and the Elite Four. Of course, this only made me idolize him more. He seemed to be the only one deserving of the pedestal I placed him upon, at least so far.

"You'll do fine, kid," he said with a smile, ruffling my hair. "Oreburgh will be a pushover. You'll probably beat me to the Elite Four!"

"You're going to Victory Road…"

"Yeah, but I've tried to get through it before. This'll be my… fourth time, I think? I get lost _really_ easily," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "So don't give up hope."

"Okay then."

With that, I hopped on my borrowed bike at the northern gate of Cycling Road, and Nick shouldered his backpack, heading out the door. I craned my head, looking for one last glimpse of my idol, and accidentally pushed my bike's kickstand up. Unaccustomed to the rather steep path, I shot forward about twenty feet, and promptly fell off, dropping pokeballs, potions, backpack, a red jacket, and scrambling to pick them all up before my bike skidding any further down the path.

The temporary embarrassment was soon forgotten, however, because I got used to the Road, though I was still going way too fast for me to be comfortable. I crashed at the bottom as well, but at least I was closer to Oreburgh by the end of it. I also now had skid marks on my hands and knees, but that was beside the point. I was completely used to such injuries in the name of training by then. After all, I was going to be the best trainer in the world, so a couple of scrapes were nothing, right?

Even if they hurt like heck and I was picking bits of gravel out of my knees for the rest of the night.


	15. It Takes Courage To Enjoy

One week later, my life took a turn. I'm still trying to figure out if it was for the best or worst. I had just beaten Roark that day--okay, so _what_ if I took my time? I didn't have Nick around to make bets or carry me to the Gym--and finally got around to calling that Priscilla girl who'd left her jacket behind. It was a cell phone that was written on the tag, but it must've been off, because the phone rang and rang and finally just went to her messages.

"Yeah, Pri_-sci-_lla," I started, annoyed at getting her answering machine and thus investing as much of that into her name as I could, "I have your jacket. Idiot, leaving it behind in Eterna. I'm in Oreburgh right now, so if you're in the area, you should come by and pick it up. Oh--my cell is 555-327-1994. Call me, I guess."

I sounded like a creep, calling this unknown girl, and I noticed a few strange looks in the Center. I ducked my head down, sorely wishing for a hat. Even Carlita would do.

But, there was no line for the phones (for the first time I'd seen _ever_), so I decided to call home. I hadn't yet on my journey, I realized. That only made me feel happy, instead of guilty; it must have meant that I was too busy becoming a top-class trainer to phone home. I _did_ have two badges, too, so I _must_ be getting there. …It had only taken two and a half months.

I released Des and Carlita, wondering if he'd gained weight. He was heavy, and he was sitting on my lap, since he couldn't see over the counter otherwise. Carlita sat delicately on my head, giggling when I asked, "Des, you're fat. Have you been getting fatter?"

He snorted out a plume of fire, and I decided to drop the subject. He even looked _annoyed_.

"O-Okay, let's just call my parents. I--"

That's when my life took the turn I mentioned earlier.

Someone grabbed my ears and tugged backwards, tilting my head back until I was staring up into my assailant's face. Only she must not have taken into account all of the extra weight on my chair, because Des slid into my chest, and Carlita toppled over onto him, and next thing I knew, we were all on the ground.

"I _knew_ it was you!"

"Ow… Huh?" I rolled my Numel off of me as Carlita had the courtesy to hop off herself. It was a good thing I was in a Center; that _must_ have broken something. Sure, I could go through numerous other injuries without much harm, but my body had to have a breaking point. I was getting paranoid that sooner or later, I'd find it, and end up dying or something.

A hand was extended downward to help me up. I took it, not because I wanted to, but because I was seriously wondering if a rib had just punctured my lung. Or heart. I was still deciding.

"I knew it was you," the girl repeated happily. I stared at her. She didn't _look_ familiar. In fact, she looked pretty plain and un-unique. It was possible I had seen her, but didn't remember her. She had light brown hair, long, hanging straight down from her head and falling a little into her matching brown eyes.

"Ah… Um, _who_?" She must have been mistaken. If I didn't remember her, no matter how ordinary she looked, then she didn't have just cause to remember me.

"…Shroo!" Carlita squealed suddenly, hopping over to try climbing the girl's leg.

"Ack, Carlita, don't--"

"See, your Shroomish remembers me. That may be because it's a grass type, though." The girl leaned down and pat Carlita on the head, but my Shroomish only took that as an invitation to leap onto her hand and work her way up until she was nestled comfortably in her hair.

"I don't know you," I said flatly, reaching up to pluck Carlita from her hair. She shrieked and wriggled, but I held her firm in my hands.

Then, suddenly, it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head.

Carlita knew this girl--and Carlita had had another trainer before. Was this girl Carlita's original trainer…?

I hugged my grass Pokemon a bit tighter to my chest. No, it couldn't be that. I mentally shook my head to convince myself of it. I had never met Carlita's original trainer, so she wouldn't recognize me. The girl laughed, and then reached back and held her hair up in messy pigtails. "Does this help?"

"No."

"Hmm. Well, this should jog your memory." She let go of her hair and reached down onto her belt, and then released a Pokemon I recognized immediately. The Leafeon sat down by its trainers feet, Carlita wiggling harder than ever in an effort to get down to meet it again.

"You're that crazy Moss Rock girl!" I exclaimed, finally letting go of my Shroomish when she bit me. Carlita sidled up to the Leafeon, astonished at the leaves it had growing out of its body.

"Crazy…?"

"I mean--"

"Whatever. My name is Hanna. That is Alexander, since you seem to remember _him_ so well, and then I also have a lot of other cute Pokemon--"

"Guys, stop it!" I cut her off as Des waddled over to inspect the Leafeon as well. I returned both of my Pokemon immediately; I knew how they acted around others. The girl, Hanna, stooped down to pick up Alexander, and stroked his long ears. He replied with a contented, purr-like sound.

"That Shroomish might be a problem… But the Numel is good…" she murmured to herself, looking down at her Leafeon.

"What are you talking about?" I pocketed the two pokeballs, just in case she turned out to be a thief or something. She was taller than me, and probably a year or two older, so I wasn't sure if I could take her in a fight.

"You're coming with me," she said with a glittering smile.

-.-.-

I was 'recruited' into becoming Hanna's bodyguard. She was traveling to Snowpoint City, or an area close to it--the Ice Rock--to level up and evolve her other shiny Eevee, Isabella. And, since I had a fire Pokemon, evidently I was her best choice for getting through all of the ice Pokemon.

"I told you--I only have two badges!"

"Two more than me!"

Hanna also seemed to think that fire Pokemon would win out, no matter what, against ice Pokemon.

So now I was being drug out shopping for cold weather gear. At least she had enough sense to see that we'd both need it. I didn't appreciate being forced into the more expensive stores, however; I might've had two badges, and battled my fair share of newbies for their cash (again, Des was the noble one, not I), but I wasn't made of money!

"Ooh, this is cute. Should I get this one, or that one?" Hanna held up a pink coat, and then pointed over to a white one.

"White. Camouflage." I shrugged, and continued looking for the cheapest of the cheap. She huffed and set the pink one down.

"Idiot. You don't want to get lost in the snow. You need to pick a color that'll show up."

"Then why did you bother picking out that white one?" I asked angrily, squinting at her. _I_ was the idiot? Hanna puffed out her cheeks, turning from me--clearly ignoring me. "…Stupid…" I muttered, continuing through the bargain bin.

We continued on in an angry, uncomfortable silence for a bit, until Hanna finally gave in. "What're you shopping over _there_ for?" she asked with disdain, sniffing at the cheaper clothes.

"I don't have rich parents like you. I'm not rich at all," I replied scathingly, shoving a discounted coat back into the bin rather savagely.

"I told you--this is _my_ expedition, so I'm covering the costs. Get over here and get a _good_ coat." She marched over and grabbed my arm, dragging me back towards the expensive side of the store. I wasn't going to complain about getting new--free!--clothes, but I still felt a little skittish around price tags with that many digits. "You. You will wear blue, and I'll--"

"Why do _I_ have to wear blue? I don't want to."

"It matches your eyes," she replied easily, pulling out a dark, almost black coat. "Hmm, wrong shade…"

"I'm not wearing something that _matches my eyes_. That's just stupid. I'm not a fashion plate like you."

"_What_ did you just call me?"

"N-Nothing." After that, I timidly accepted a black coat and silently followed in her wake. She was _scary_ when she felt like it. Hanna paid for the gear as if she was giving out pocket change, and then, sensing my sudden docility, proceeded to drag me off to another store for Pokemon gear.

Overall, it was a long, pricey day.

The next morning it didn't get any better. Hanna barged into my room at the Center, dropped an armful of supplies on my bed, and announced cheerily, "To the North we go!"


	16. Keeping Quiet Is Hard

Route 217 was my absolute least favorite place in the world. I was sure of it.

The wild Pokemon, while I did have the advantage with Des, were insanely strong, and Sneasel were annoyingly fast, too. Snover were learning to avoid us, however, since an Ember could usually take them down in only one move. Hanna managed to talk our way out of any trainer battles we got into, luckily. It was cold, windy, and I kept getting stuck in ever-growing snow drifts. More than once we had to dig out way out with mitten-covered hands and boots, after finding out the hard way that Des would melt the snow, which would then re-freeze into ice, and would be twice as hard to get through--and twice as hard to get air into.

In addition to _all_ of that, we were currently lost.

"This wouldn't have happened if you brought a map," sniffed Hanna, pulling her scarf up higher around her face.

I looked up from where I was packing snow into the cave entrance to keep the snow and wind out (I was getting good at stuff like that; I knew how to beat the elements). "_You_ should have brought the map, since this is _your_ expedition," I replied flatly, too tired to argue with her. Some people just needed others to blame, and as long as she didn't get too annoying, I would sacrifice myself to let her do just that.

Des made a small sound and rubbed against my leg, eyelids drooping. I felt sorry for him; I had been using him constantly after finding out via Hanna that grass Pokemon were weak against snow, cold, and ice-type Pokemon. I rubbed his head and scratched his ears. "Nuu," he said, temporarily pleased by this.

"What day is it?" Hanna asked quietly as I finished sealing us in. It was quite dark, with only a faint glow from the snow until Des waddled over and lit a fire.

"Day three, I think." I examined the cave, making sure there weren't any Pokemon already in it. The blizzard had picked up outside rather suddenly, and we didn't get the opportunity to check it out beforehand like we usually did. Thankfully, there were no Ursaring or Sneasel lurking in the flickering shadows. I sat down by Des, and as he twitched his round ears and made contented sounds, released Carlita.

After getting snowed in a cave once before, Hanna and I knew it was better to let our Pokemon out, even the grass ones. More bodies meant more body heat, and anything with 'heat' in the phrase was great when on Route 217. Plus, Des' fire was getting weaker and weaker, and I was worried that soon he'd freeze, too. You could only wrap a Numel in so many articles of clothing (a small hat, a scarf, and socks currently) before it would only slow it down in battle.

"Come on out, guys," Hanna murmured, and Alexander and Isabella appeared as well. Carlita immediately hopped over to the shiny Leafeon and proceeded to coo at him, while he tried hard to ignore her. The little white Eevee beside him made a discontented sound and edged away from her, scooting over to Des in the process. Isabella then began to delicately lick her paw and run it over her fur, something Des seemed intrigued by.

All of us fell asleep in a huddled mass, using coats and backpacks as blankets and Pokemon as pillows.

-.-.-

On day five of our expedition, we came upon a house. Teeth chattering, bodies shaking, and blinking snow out of our eyes, we knocked on the door. A woman opened it, and without anything more than a surprised "oh!", she ushered us inside.

"Th-Th-Thank y-you ma'am," Hanna said timidly, closing the door against the wind and snow.

"You poor things! How long have you been out there in the blizzard? You look like a couple of Snover!" the woman exclaimed, tugging us inside. There was a fireplace, cheerfully ablaze, and without any more encouragement, Hanna and I both shuffled over and stood in front of it. In no time flat, there was a small pond from all of the melted snow and ice. I immediately felt drowsy, and swayed on my feet, until I fell over completely--onto Hanna.

I woke up cocooned in blankets. There were voices, slightly muffled, and I immediately recognized the fire's crackling as well. For the first time in nearly a week, I was _warm_.

"Oh, are you awake?" The woman from the night before leaned over into my vision, smiling grandly. She had a kind face, almost like Nurse Joy's, though she was much older and didn't have the signature pink hair. "Hanna's told me about your expedition already. You poor things. You're both lucky you didn't die out there in that snow!"

"Apparently it's happened before," Hanna's voice chimed in. I sat up, still pretty warm even when the blankets fell off. Hanna was sitting by the fire, sipping what appeared to be hot chocolate. On cue, my stomach rumbled. "Yeah, I guess a lot of trainers come up here to train, or for the Ice Rock, or to try to get through to Snowpoint itself. And then they get lost, or they get stuck in the snow, and then…" she left off rather ominously.

"So like how we came up here for that rock?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Hanna blushed and looked away.

"Really? You two came up here for the Ice Rock?" the woman asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah. For her Eevee."

"Naturally; what else would it be used for?" She laughed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I sighed. I didn't have an Eevee, and after all of this trouble to get Isabella to evolve, I doubted I ever would get one. So why would I have a need of two rocks? "My, my. I must say, you two are _very_ lucky to have found my house. There aren't a lot of people living out here, for obvious reasons, so there aren't a lot of reprieves in the area."

"Yeah," I grunted, feeling a shiver go down my spine. It had nothing to do with the weather outside, either. "So… You would say it's inadvisable for a trainer with only two Pokemon and two badges to venture up here?"

"Of course it would be! Frankly, I doubt they could even make it through Mount Coronet. Young kids like that just don't come up here, really. On the traditional circuit, Candice's is the seventh Gym, so usually trainers like you two have five or six badges and a full team." My remark went clear over her head.

Hanna, however, grimaced and hid behind the mug of hot chocolate. She didn't have any badges, and I only had two--and we had four Pokemon between us, two of those with a severe weakness to ice types. We had only got through Mount Coronet and most of Route 216 because she had a family friend fly us there. (When asked about that, she waspishly replied that no flying Pokemon could fly to Snowpoint because of the weather; you could only get through to there via the skies from the Battle Frontier, and that was on a _good_ day.)

"Yeah, it would be pretty stupid for some kids to come up here," I muttered, looking around. "Say, ma'am? Where are--"

"Your Pokemon are still in their balls. I didn't know if it would be proper to release them during the night, so I didn't. Now, who wants breakfast?" She certainly was motherly, and seemed bent on keeping us pampered. "You're both welcome to let them out for breakfast as well. There's enough food for all."

The woman had a Kadabra, a Sneasel and a Swinub, so I was thankful that Hanna and I only had four Pokemon between us. It got a little crowded in the dining room, what with three humans and seven Pokemon. A comfortable ten squeezing around a table meant for four. Des was sitting on my lap and Carlita was sitting on his back, so I had to eat _around_ them; they usually helped themselves to a bite or two off my spoon before it ever got to my mouth.

"You lot had better stay here until the snow calms down a little. It should only be another day or so. It's no trouble, and you'll be keeping us company, so don't bother protesting," she said when Hanna and I opened our mouths to do just that.

So, in a stroke of superb luck, Hanna and I found ourselves snuggled under the same massive blanket with all of our Pokemon, watching television with the nice lady.

We were watching the news, waiting for the weather to say when the blizzard would stop, when I suddenly gagged on my cocoa. Hanna looked at me in alarm and thumped me on the back, and I hastily set down my mug.

On the television, a reporter was giving the commentary, "…And here we have an interview with one of the latest to come out of Victory Road. He looks quite tired! Excuse me, sir! May we have a moment?"

"Oh, sure."

"Your name and age, first."

"Nicholas Sayre, and I'm seventeen." His full name was Nicholas, but I knew him as Nick. Nick, the one that I admired so, was on the TV, and was giving an interview. He had made it out of Victory Road to boot! He looked tired, with dark rings around his eyes, and obviously wanted to go to sleep right then. His dark hair hung limply around his face, he was missing a sleeve of his hoodie, and had tear tracks cutting down through the dirt and sweat on his face. I had never seen him happier.

"You just came out of Victory Road, didn't you? Was this your first time through?"

"Well, I have tried to get through before, and made it pretty far… But yes, this is my first time making it through _all_ the way." He beamed, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"And at such a young age! You ought to be proud of yourself. Are you planning on taking on the Elite Four and the Champion?"

"You bet I am. Hey, Champ, if you're watching this, keep an eye out for me. I'll be coming around sooner or later."

"Ooh, he's cute when he smiles like that," Hanna remarked, eyes glued to the screen. I gave her a disdainful look (which she didn't even notice) and then eagerly returned back to Nick's interview.

"Do you have any advice for aspiring trainers, whether they're taking on just the Road or the entire Four?" the reporter asked.

Nick thought for a moment, biting his lip. Then, with a grin, he replied, "Trust in your team, and you'll do fine. Also, don't fret over weaknesses. You're a lot stronger than you seem if you just work with your Pokemon as they are."

I knew that last part was to me, and I blushed as I ducked my head. So, Nick was out of Victory Road, and was going to take on the Elite Four… Wouldn't that be cool if I knew the new Champion?! "Hey, you're drooling. Do you like that Nicholas, too?" Hanna interrupted, peering shrewdly at me.

"I do not! I just know him."

"What?" Even our hostess joined in on that one.

"Yeah. He helped me a lot in Eterna." I beamed, proud of this. That pride kept me happy for a lot of the rest of the day, especially when Hanna quizzed me on Nick. She apparently developed quite a crush on him, or maybe she was just the type to like those on TV. I wasn't sure, and either seemed probable.

My happiness evaporated like snow in Des' Ember attack that night, however. Why? Because I was woken up by a ghost staring at me.


	17. You'll Be Okay, Anyway

I stared at the ghost. The ghost stared back. I continued staring at the ghost, and it continued staring back. I had no idea how long that lasted, but it felt like an eternity. The creature at my feet didn't blink, or move, or breathe. The only light came from the embers of the fire; it bathed the ghost and I in a warm glow. But even that did nothing to soften it. It stayed a ghastly white, devoid of life, with its yellow and ice eyes staring at me intently.

"Lass," it said finally, and the spell was broken. I gave a violent start and yelled, and instantly Des was awake, growling at the ghost. It screeched and hastily floated away from him, only to get cornered by Alexander and Carlita. It must have given up then on whatever sinister act it had planned, because it fled out of the room via the wall.

"What's goin' on?" Hanna asked sleepily, woken by the cacophony of growls and squeaks from the Pokemon.

"Th-There was a ghost," I said, wrapping my arms around myself. I felt cold, and I couldn't stop shivering. Des shuffled over to me, laying sympathetically by my side.

"A ghost?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. A white one."

"…That's descriptive."

"What's going on out here? Are you two alright?" Our hostess came out into the living room, where we were camped out, hair in curlers and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. After seeing no damage or blood, she relaxed.

"There was a ghost," Hanna said matter-of-factly, though she hadn't believed me when I first told her. I shivered and nodded.

"What did it look like?" the woman asked worriedly.

"It was white, or mostly white, and it had these blue horns sticking out of its head… It had a red stripe on its stomach, too, and light blue eyes…"

"That's what I thought." We stared at her until she reluctantly continued, "It was a Froslass. They're ice Pokemon, so they come here when they're created. See, they only evolve from Snorunt if a Dawn Stone is used, so very rarely are they wild. When their trainers release them, or die, they migrate here…"

"They're _ice_ Pokemon? It disappeared through the wall!" I exclaimed, a bit angrily.

"Ghost and ice," she amended placidly. The woman sighed and placed her chin in her hand, looking at the darkened window. "…I haven't seen one for quite some time. You probably don't want to see one again. They're considered bad luck, and if they breathe on you, you could get frostbite--or worse."

I nodded, taking the advice to heart. I never wanted to see a Froslass again.

The next morning, the blizzard stopped. The sun was actually out, too, glittering prettily on the snow outside. Hanna and I re-bundled up ourselves and our Pokemon, thanked the woman profusely for allowing us to stay, and then trudged back out into the snow.

Route 217 was much more harmless in daylight when there wasn't so much snow blowing into our faces, to my delight. In fact, it wasn't long before my Pokemon and I were frolicking in the snow (after making sure that no ice Pokemon were around, to make sure Carlita was safe). Hanna called us all children and would not, no matter how many snowballs I threw at her, join in the fun.

"She's just being stuffy. She wants to act like an adult, because Nick is older than her," I told my Pokemon loudly, just to get a rise out of her. It worked. Hanna gave an indignant shout and soon a snowball fight had started.

It stopped soon after, however, after Carlita started complaining of the cold in her high, squeaky voice. In addition to that, clouds were moving in overhead rather threateningly, and we hadn't gotten much ground covered.

"…Come on. The Ice Rock should be just a bit farther north," Hanna said uneasily, glaring at the dark clouds. The wind had started to pick up, blowing her hair around her face. I pulled my hat down tighter.

We were forced to camp in a small group of trees, in a cave we made out of snow. It was a bit cramped, but we had enough room for a night thanks to Des' fire. We couldn't light a fire in there, however, so we just ate a bit of our dwindling supply of trail mix and Pokemon food and then made a giant nest.

I couldn't sleep, however. All of the white-blue ice in our cave reminded me too much of that Froslass. Plus, if they were part ghost, not even the snow and ice would stop it from coming in here. "…Hanna?"

"Mm?"

"What's a Snorunt?"

"An ice Pokemon," she said sleepily.

"What does it look like?" The name sounded familiar, and not just because of my lesson in Froslass that morning.

"…Like a triangle. Kinda orange-ish in color. Black face, usually shivering. _Why_?" Hanna propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at me through her sleep-mussed hair.

"I remember now. Nick had one," I said, mostly to myself, as I closed my eyes. That made me feel a little bit better, though I didn't know exactly why. Nick, who was probably taking on the Elite Four by now, would eventually have a Froslass. Probably.

"Mm," she mumbled, giving up on conversation. I kept my eyes closed, but stayed awake, listening to the Pokemon and Hanna sleeping. I was convinced that if I opened my eyes, that Froslass would be staring at me again. I was safer with my eyes closed. And, like that, I eventually fell asleep.

-.-.-

"_Finally_! The Ice Rock!" Hanna was practically weeping with joy. On day nine of our expedition, we came upon a rock. It was exactly like the nondescript rock in Eterna Forest, minus the moss and plus some ice. Hanna sobbed happily and fell upon it, hugging it.

I laughed when she got her cheek stuck to it.

After freeing herself and losing most of her dignity, the female trainer delicately straightened her coat and called out Isabella. Des, who was staying out to keep any unwanted wild Pokemon away, and I watched. "_You're_ going to have to battle me, you know! The wild Pokemon here are much too strong for my little Isabella," Hanna told me.

"Des has been having to take on dozens. Your little Isabella can take on _one_," I told her in response. Pedestal gave a snort of fire in agreement.

"But--she's still a baby!" she cried, much to her Eevee's embarrassment. "Plus you have the advantage."

"So? Just go find a Swinub. They're small, and pretty weak, I guess."

"You wouldn't be so brave about this if you didn't have your Numel."

"Carlita is _weak_ against ice types. Your Eevee is a normal type. It doesn't have the disadvantage."

"Fine," she conceded with a pout. She spotted a Swinub--luckily for her and Isabella, because I had a feeling that the local Sneasel would've ripped the tiny Eevee apart--and Isabella proceeded to Bite, Tackle and Quick Attack it into unconsciousness. She crooned happily upon winning, and then, like her brother before her, started glowing with the glow of evolution.

I couldn't help but frown a tiny bit. I had two Pokemon, too, but neither of them had evolved yet…

The Eevee grew and slimmed down, loosing her bushy fur in favor of sleek, thick, weatherproof fur. When she was done, she was roughly the same color as the snow around her, except for blue accents, including a blue-tipped tail and paws. Isabella squealed in glee, dancing around on her new paws, waving her new tail and moving her new ears.

I happened to glance down at Des at that point, though in hindsight, I'm not sure what compelled me to do that. I just know that I finally recognized one of his expressions without having to think about it; he was love struck. His eyes were wide, his mouth was open, and he was staring quite openly at the recently evolved Isabella.

"I'm so proud of you, baby!" Hanna yelped, leaning down to hug her. "You're a Glaceon! Now I have you and Alexander! You're so pretty!!"

I snickered as Des tried to recover, closing his mouth and making a huge effort to look away.

-.-.-

We didn't make it to Snowpoint City that night, but Hanna reassured me that we would get there tomorrow, and then she would pay for my ride back to sane country. I was okay with this. Des had gotten a lot stronger during this trip, and now I could tease him about liking Isabella. I did find it a bit odd that a fire Pokemon would like an ice Pokemon, though.

The wind was really beginning to pick up as we settled down in part of a forest. There was still enough snow on the ground to make another cave, so we started digging right away. Des helped by melting the snow, obviously showing off for Isabella, who was circling around us, keeping watch.

"This is the last night we'll sleep out here!" Hanna exclaimed happily, tossing an armful of snow off to the side.

"Yeah, and tomorrow--"

"Glaaaaaaa!" A high wail cut me off. Hanna's head snapped up immediately; I didn't get the chance to look up, as Isabella suddenly leapt over the snow wall and landed on my head. I went down into the snow, and, unbalanced because of my movement, the Glaceon went tumbling into the other side of our cave. I couldn't hear or see because of the snow, but I felt something hit my back. Soon after I managed to pull myself out of the snow, and turned to find Hanna screaming, while Des and Isabella were bravely attacking what appeared to be the largest, meanest snow monster I had ever seen.

The thing--Pokemon? I didn't know--swiped at our Pokemon, snarling at us. Isabella bit down on its green paw, which only enraged it more. It tried to pull her off with its other hand, but Des managed to stop it with a well-timed Ember. It roared and shot an Icy Wind at Des, which only made him wince, thankfully.

"What is that?!" I shouted, unfortunately drawing attention to myself. The Pokemon turned towards me, eyes narrowing, and batted away Des as if he were nothing more than a snowflake. Isabella climbed up onto its shoulder and bit down on its eyebrow. She also got thrown off as it roared again and shook her off.

It then lumbered over to where Hanna and I were scrabbling to get out of the literal hole we dug ourselves into. It decimated one side of it, throwing snow into the air. "Holy--"

Isabella once again jumped over the side of the cave, this time landing squarely in front of her trainer. Hackles rising and teeth bared, she loyally stood between Hanna and the monster. I saw Des finally melt his way out of the snow, running rather awkwardly over to where we were. The monster didn't notice him, and raised its paw again to probably squish Isabella.

Pedestal ran into her, however, and sent both of them sprawling, just as the giant paw came down and cracked the frozen ground below it. Hanna screamed again and skittered backward as far as she could.

With its paw coated in ice this time, the monster smashed into both Des and Isabella, quickly putting them out of commission. That left two young trainers with under leveled grass Pokemon as our only defense alone with this yeti of a Pokemon.


	18. And It Breaks My Heart

"Carlita! Stun Spore!" I called out my last Pokemon, hoping against hope that paralysis would stop the creature in its tracks. I couldn't help but remember the lady who'd helped us, how she told us that worse things than getting lost could happen on this Route…

Carlita loyally sent out a cloud of golden dust, which only served to irritate the Pokemon before us. I snatched back my Shroomish before she could get stepped on, trying to get out of the way as it crashed around the hole we were all stuck in. I saw Hanna going over to get Isabella and Des, and tossed her his pokeball. She nodded, and returned the two wounded Pokemon before worse things befell them.

Inside, I wasn't panicking anymore. I was beyond panicking. I was completely sure we were going to die because of this thing. In fact, I felt pretty calm. I knew where I was, I knew where Hanna was, and I knew where the monster was; there were no more surprises for me. Des and Isabella might've been hurt, but they were safe inside their pokeballs now.

"Carlita, try another Stun Spore!" It was our only hope. If we could slow it down or immobilize it completely, it would give us enough time to climb out of here… Carlita, still stuck tightly in my arms, aimed another jet of dust at the opposing Pokemon. This time, it wasn't just swatted away.

Unfortunately, while it looked a _little_ slower (maybe), it looked a _ton_ more aggravated.

"Shroo!" Carlita shrieked, trying to get out of my arms.

"No! You'll just be hurt, too!" I said savagely, keeping her still as I tried to find an easy way out of here. The easiest would be where the creature broke in, but it was still standing in front of it, and we would have to get around it.

"Go! Alexander, use Sand Attack!" Hanna shouted. So now we had two grass Pokemon out against this behemoth. Yeah, we were going to die.

"Shroo!" Seeing the Leafeon only encourage Carlita more, but I put my chin on top of her head to keep her from squirming too badly.

"Stop it, Carlita! You're not strong enough." If I could have let go of her, I would have, to return her. She couldn't do much to damage the creature, since I was fairly certain that it couldn't be poisoned and paralyzed at the same time. Come to think of it, maybe I should've tried having her use a Poison Powder instead… The top of her skull hit the bottom of my jaw, jarring my teeth and bringing me back to the present. "Stop it!"

"Shroo!" she snarled venomously in reply.

Alexander, meanwhile, was kicking snow into the Pokemon's face, so that it was blinded, slowed, and even angrier (if such a thing was possible). We weren't doing too good. "Leeeaaaaf!" he squealed, barely ducking under what appeared to be another Ice Punch.

"What is that thing?!"

"I don't know! Get rid of it!"

"_How_?! I don't even--Carlita, _stop_ it!!"

"Shroo_mish_!"

"Alexander, try using Razor Leaf!" Hanna guessed, obviously deciding that something was better than nothing. Carlita squeaked and struggled harder, taking that as a sign that she ought to be battling, too.

"Stop it, stop it Carlita! Alexander can dodge better than you can! You'll only get squished!" I shouted, skirting Alexander and his Razor Leaves to get over to Hanna. "Do you have any Revives left?"

"Only one, and we'd have to release Des in order to give it to him."

"We don't have _time_ for that!"

"Here, give me Carlita's pokeball and I'll return her. Then we can try to climb out of here." It was a good idea in theory, until you tried to get a pokeball out of a pocket with not only mittens but a squirming Shroomish in your arms. Just as I managed to get it, Carlita made her bid for freedom, and finally skipped happily out of my arms over to Alexander.

The snow monster took a swipe at the two valiant grass Pokemon. The good news was that it missed entirely. The bad news was that it decided to come after us instead. We weren't nearly as fast as our Pokemon, either, and it sent us down into the snow easily. I landed on my arm, pain shooting up to my shoulder. I heard Hanna cry out as well. I rolled over onto my back, wiping snow out of my eyes, to see the Pokemon towering over us.

I was going to die. I knew it, then and there, and could only mentally pout at how lame it would be, getting killed by some ice Pokemon on Route 217 instead of going out with a bang somehow.

"Loom!" And, just like that, I wasn't going to die anymore. I managed to raise my head a few inches off of the ground, to see a new Pokemon just coming out of its evolutionary glow. Much taller than Alexander (though barely coming up to the snow monster's waist), she stood on two legs now, with a long neck and even longer tail. In just those few seconds, Carlita grew up from being a squat, scowling little dancer into a tall, grinning one. "Breloom!" she crowed triumphantly, and then darted forward. I nearly missed the movement, it was so fast. The ice Pokemon didn't see it, either, and was slammed into with all the force of her new attack.

The ice Pokemon didn't like it very much, and it obviously took some damage from it as well. With one last growl and groan, it lumbered away, shooting dirty glances over its shoulder. Carlita hopped excitedly, waving her new tail. "Loom! Loom!"

"Leaf," Alexander commented warily, sniffing at her ankles curiously.

"Wow," Hanna deadpanned.

"Yeah. Wow," I repeated, sighing. My arm hurt-- I was tired, cold, and in pain. Knowing it was a stupid idea, I felt my eyelids drooping, thinking only of how this might seem cool or funny tomorrow morning.

"Loom!" Carlita exclaimed in alarm. I was too exhausted to check to see what it was now. I could only hope that when it killed me, it didn't wake me up first.

"Lass," was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

-.-.-

My mother patted me on the back, a little awkwardly, and kept saying, "My, look at how much you've grown. You're so big now. You're a trainer. Look at how much you've grown." My father was no where to be seen.

"Mom, where are we?"

"Look at how much you've grown, dear. I'm so proud of my trainer."

I didn't know where we were. Everything had a fuzzy, indistinct grey tinge. I couldn't even tell the horizon from the ground a sparse few feet from me. There was some far-off sound, a distant roar, like some monster or a waterfall. I wasn't sure. The more I listened to it, the fainter it seemed to get, until it was like mere TV snow.

"Snow," I said dumbly, looking around me. "Snow. Why…?"

"You're so big now, and you're a trainer."

Just then, my mother's hand turned icy, and seemed much too light for any human hand. I turned and found myself staring at ice blue eyes with yellow around them, half lidded. The ghost leaned in and exhaled on me, and I felt more than shivers go down my spine. The world became even more blurred, the roaring louder, and suddenly a wall of ice separated me from the Froslass.

"Lass," it said with a twisted smile. "Lass."

"Let me out of here!" I shouted, banging against the ice.

"Lass," it repeated.

A silhouette, a human's silhouette, appeared behind the Froslass. It turned and was swept away into dust by a dismissive hand. The figure leaned in, becoming more distinct, and with a skipped heartbeat of joy, I recognized Nick. "Nick! Let me out of here! That Froslass, it sealed me away--!"

"Are you sure you want out of there?" he asked, voice crystal clear despite the barrier. The roaring of the beast-waterfall got louder in my ears as I nodded. "It's safe in there. You won't find water in there."

"I want out of here," I cried desperately, banging against the ice once more. Nick smiled--it wasn't a kind smile, or an evil smile, but a smile that held many secrets--and waved his hand, dismissing the ice like the Froslass before it.

He continued smiling and placed a hand on my head, ruffling my hair. "You've gotten so big since I saw you last. You're turning into quite the trainer."

"Don't say that." It sounded wrong when he said it, and I didn't know why.

"But it's true. Look at how much you've grown--"

"Hey! Hey! Wake up!" I woke up to find an angry blonde girl in my face.

"Rena, stop it, you're waking everyone _else_ up," came a second voice, from somewhere behind her.

"Both of you, leave us alone! We've been traumatized, and we need our sleep. Who cares if we're having nightmares?" Hanna was suddenly there as well, leaning over me to push the blonde girl back.

"You're going to traumatize the rest of us if you keep up your screaming and thrashing!"

"Where… Where am I?" I asked dully. I still felt groggy, and my arm felt heavy.

"You're at the Snowpoint Pokemon Center." Yet another person leaned into my limited view of the ceiling, smiling brightly. "I'm glad you're awake, though. You and your friend scared us half to death when they brought you in."

"Huh?"

I sat up, holding my head for a moment when the room spun. Looking down, I soon found out why my arm felt heavy, too; my arm was in a cast. I blinked. When had _that_ happened? How long had I been asleep…?!

"Hey, don't start freaking out like _she_ did," the blonde girl commanded, pointing at Hanna, who looked outraged.

"I did _not_ freak out! I was merely surprised, waking up here to find myself in the company of ruffians like _you_." She then turned to me, ignoring the other girl. "Apparently, someone found us out in the snow last night, and sent some people from Snowpoint to retrieve us. We're now in the Pokemon Center. Oh, and you broke your arm."

"Thanks," I said dryly, "I hadn't noticed."

"It was your Froslass. She was the one who brought someone to get you two," the boy, currently restraining the blonde girl, said helpfully. I froze, ignoring the shivers. I didn't have a Froslass, but evidently I had a ghostly stalker. "You're lucky to have such a loyal Pokemon."

"Uh, yeah."

When morning finally came, several hours later, I found out more details about what had happened to us. The Pokemon that attacked us was an Abomasnow, rare around those parts normally. But just a few weeks ago, an unusually aggressive (and large) one appeared in the forests just south of Snowpoint. We weren't the first casualties of it.

"Actually, you two are _very_ lucky that Froslass came to get someone. Even if it hadn't come back, you might've died of hypothermia out there," Nurse Joy told us severely, shaking her finger at us. Hanna and I took the well-meaning abuse, contemplating how close we really had been to dying. We were safe now, though, safe and warm and fed in the Pokemon Center.

We were also snowed in.

The blizzard that started yesterday completely shut down Snowpoint, cutting off power in almost half of the city, and keeping an uncomfortable number of people stuck in the Center. The rooms upstairs were already all completely full, and that left about half a dozen out to sleep in the lobby. Hanna and I became a sort of celebrity pair in those cramped confines, telling of our Pokemon's heroic battle against the Abomasnow, culminating in how Carlita evolved and managed to beat it back.

"Yeah, she was pretty awesome," I boasted, wrapping my arms as best I could around my Breloom. Carlita grinned happily--something I was still getting used to was her new non-scowling expressions--and waved her tail.

"You were lucky with her. Did you know that Shroomish evolved into fighting-type Pokemon?" Devon, the boy from our wake-up call, asked curiously.

"Nope."

"So now you have a fighter. Well, that's nothing special. _Lots_ of people have fighting Pokemon," Rena scoffed, crossing her arms, practically begging me to ask what kind of fighting Pokemon she had. I smirked and ignored the obvious question, much to her annoyance.

"I'm just glad that Carlita managed to chase it away," Hanna sighed. "It was really scary. Why did that Aboma-whatever appear, anyway?"

"No one knows. It's been having a pretty heated battle with the more territorial Ursaring around there, though." Devon sighed, too, hanging his head. "They're talking about restricting travel in Route 217 because of it… Which means we'd be stuck here for quite some time."

"Ehh?! No way! They can't do that!" Hanna exclaimed. "I want to get out of this snowy hole of a town!" I grimaced, turning away from my spat with Rena. I already knew Hanna's moods, and now it seemed as if she'd lapse into her spoiled rotten mode.

With Hanna throwing her tantrum, she commanded most of the attention in the lobby. I, however, caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. No one else saw it. I turned, gaping openly at the Froslass in the corner of the Pokemon Center. It stared at me with big, sad eyes, the ice horns on its head glittering in the light from the window.

Carlita turned, wondering what had captured my attention so fully, and tensed up as she spotted it, too. "Looooo," she growled, slowly crouching down to spring. I could feel her new muscles moving just beneath her skin, getting ready for a pounce. I wrapped my good arm around her, holding her back.

"Don't."

The Froslass looked down at one of its tiny paws, and then back up at me. I felt that it wasn't just another random Pokemon encounter; that ghost wanted something from me, specifically. But then, as Devon noticed something was off, it turned and vanished through the wall, leaving behind a slight shimmer of frost.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, adjusting his glasses. "…There's nothing there."

"Just… looking off into space."


	19. Half Hoping For A Showdown

There was a ghost. It wasn't the Froslass, or any other ghost I had ever seen. It was taller than me, and vaguely humanoid in shape--almost like a blurry silhouette. A _very_ blurry silhouette. We stood across from each other in an equally dark world. I felt like I was standing on the side of a hill; I felt dizzy and off balance. The sky seemed like the snow on TV, except it was purple and black and blood red. The ground seemed like dead, charred grass.

The ghost came towards me. It didn't stagger, or lurch, or hover, or do anything a scary ghost ought to; it simply walked forward.

I felt pulled by some invisible string. I walked forward as well--though I fought against it as hard as I could. It was as if some invisible hand was pulling me by the front of my shirt. The closer we got, the more I felt like panicking and screaming and running away. Something was wrong about that ghost, though it didn't look scary, it didn't act malicious, and it didn't walk like a zombie.

We were twenty feet apart, and I dug my heels into the scorched ground.

Then we were fifteen feet apart, and I started tearing at my shirt, hoping to cut myself loose. My shirt wasn't the problem, though. It just felt like it.

Ten feet apart, and I was on my knees, getting dragged forward by that same invisible force. Finally, it gave one last yank and sent me tumbling forward. I looked up into the face of the ghost. It loomed over me crookedly, dark and expressionless.

Then, as if a zipper were pulled across its face, it broke into a wide, jagged grin. Its mouth was bright red, dripping blood and fire down onto my forehead. I knew it should hurt, but it didn't. I opened my mouth and tried to scream. Nothing came out. Nothing except a hoarse little croak that only encouraged the ghost more. Eagerly, grinning, dripping, it leaned down towards me, mouth opening wider and wider.

I felt something cold hit my back and finally I could scream.

I opened my eyes. I did nothing else. Heart thundering in my ears, I looked up and was not surprised to find the Froslass' eyes staring down at me. Its tiny little hands ghosted over my face, smoothing back my hair, freezing the sweat. "Lass," it sighed, breath visible in the warmth of the Pokemon Center.

"Why are you here again?" I whispered, eyelids drooping. To say I felt cold was an understatement. Hypothermia was probably setting in at that point. "Do you have something to say to me?"

The Froslass, bizarrely, looked like it was about to cry. "Lass…!"

I hastily backpedaled. "Wh-What's wrong? Is this something important?" Okay, so I wasn't good with consoling sad ghost Pokemon. So sue me.

"Lass, lass." The Froslass sighed again. I could feel the frost forming on my face. It started to melt away into the air, rubbing its eyes to stop its tears from freezing right away. "Lass!" it said fiercely, and then vanished completely.

I placed my hands over my face to start the melting process, sighing against my palms. "…This sucks," I muttered.

The next morning, a man in an expensive suit appeared in the Pokemon Center. All of those snowed in with us were excited by this; it meant we could get out of the Center, at last, finally! He shot us down with a glare and a, "Don't even try it. The Route is closed."

Rena and I found solace in each other's sudden hatred for the man. We spent the better part of the first hour after the man's arrival in the corner, glaring at him, plotting his demise. "Carlita can kick him."

"Kick him between the legs," she advised. "Amber can roast him." Yet again, I could see she wanted me to ask about her Pokemon, so yet again, I ignored the not-so-subtle hint and kept the topic firmly on the suited man.

"Who is _he_ to tell _us_ that the Route is closed? He doesn't even look like a trainer. I bet he doesn't even have _any_ Pokemon."

"If he did, I bet he'd have a Magikarp."

"Or an Igglybuff."

"Or a--"

"A_hem_." As we started the list of his Pokemon, we turned conspiratorially to the corner, forgoing glaring in favor of glaring over our shoulders. Only as she was figuring out another worthless Pokemon for him to hypothetically own, he came up behind us.

Rena and I turned slowly and guilty up into his dark eyes. My mouth went dry; I didn't reply, half-hoping she would take the blame for me. She didn't.

"For your information, I own several Pokemon. They are all purebred, loyal, strong, and rare. I wouldn't expect such lowbrow children such as you to recognize the value of Pokemon like that, especially exceptional species like Absol and Dragoniar--"

"Dragonair aren't special in the least. Daddy has two of them, and one of them is _shiny_," Hanna called loudly. "They're just symbols of who you know. If you were _really_ such a good trainer with such _good_ Pokemon, you'd have ones that are functional _and_ pretty."

This was possibly the first time I loved Hanna's bratty, spoiled side. Or maybe it was just the first time it paid off for me. Even Rena snickered. The suited man, on the other hand, paled and stalked off. Obviously he wasn't used to being out-snobbed by a young girl. Hanna stuck her tongue out at his back, and soon the rest of the lobby was mimicking her. Even one of Nurse Joy's Chansey joined in.

"…Did anyone bother figuring out _why_ the Route is closed and who he was to declare it?" Devon asked, playing the voice of reason. The mood fell appropriately. He rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses before coming to our collective rescue. "Luckily, I overheard him talking to Nurse Joy about it."

"…Well!?" Rena demanded impatiently. I edged away from her; she was definitely the violent type, and I already had a broken arm. I didn't need another.

"Evidently, the Route is closed until that Abomasnow is taken care of."

"That's it?" I asked dubiously. It seemed like a pretty lame answer.

That was, it seemed like a lame answer until Devon fixed us all with a cool glare and said, "It killed a person."

No one quite knew what to say after that. Hanna and I looked at each other and then looked away uncomfortably. That could have been _us_. It very nearly was. No wonder that man was so stuck-up. I'd be uptight, too, if all I had to do all day was deliver bad news about other people dying and shutting off a bunch of trainers' only way back to proper civilization.

The afternoon passed quietly. I noticed that people avoided Devon, as if _he_ was the one who'd killed the unknown person. Talk about shooting the messenger (and it was even a second-hand messenger!). Hanna and I gravitated toward him, possibly just to spite all of those nervous kids, or maybe because we felt a connection because of that. He was blamed for something he didn't do; we were nearly killed for that thing he didn't do. Sounded good. Rena stuck close to us, though more out of habit than any actual selflessness.

The evening was spent with chess. Nurse Joy dug out a few checkerboards, chess sets and archaic board games to entertain the snowed-in victims. Luckily, it worked. Almost everyone had something to do with that stroke of genius, and Devon acquired one of the chess sets early on and challenged everyone to a game. And by 'everyone', I mean Hanna and I. Rena apparently didn't know how to play it, and instead hovered over his shoulder, absorbing it. Occasionally she'd ask why the "horses moved so stupidly" or "the king is retarded and the queen is the only strong one".

Devon was easily wiping the floor with both Hanna and I. I had barely ever played chess and barely knew the rules--I, too, was surprised when I learned the knights moved in L shapes--and Hanna was… well, Hanna. She wasn't the chess type. Soon, Devon had to beg us to keep playing. We kept saying no. You could only lose so many friendly games before your pride started smarting.

"I'll play you." To everyone's surprise--mostly Devon's--one of the other lobby-dwellers decided to break through the barricade of blame and sat down opposite of the blonde boy. She was much older than any of us, probably eighteen or nineteen. She looked like she was even older, though; her gaze was lidded and tired and she had dark lines under her eyes. I edged away from her, graciously giving her the space near the board.

Maybe it was her all-black attire, or maybe it was the way I think I could have killed a Growlithe puppy in front of her and she wouldn't have batted an eye, but something about her sent shivers down my spine.

"I'm Devon," he chirped, ever-friendly.

"Lola," she replied in a monotone. Curiously, she took the white side; I had thought she'd switch with him on principle. Even her nails were painted black, I noticed. I also noticed that Hanna was looking at her monochromatic clothes with nothing short of horror. I had to stifle a laugh, lest Lola curse us both or something.

The game began, and I found myself rooting for Devon. I didn't care if he had won four straight matches against me (one of them in only seventeen moves). I didn't like the goth aura of his challenger. And even if she was older than him, I knew he was good, and not just for his age.

Imagine our surprise when she beat him in six moves.

"If that was a battle, you would have lost half your money," she said as a farewell.

Devon, while initially as shocked as we were, recovered quickly enough. He sighed, pouted, and turned to Rena. "You know, I'm in some serious despair right now. I think I need a hug."

"Not a chance," she growled in reply.

"That Lola chick was just… Creepy. She must be one of those dark genius kids. I bet her IQ is like, a million."

"Alakazam only have an IQ of five thousand. A human genius is usually about two hundred," Devon responded, grinning helplessly. "I highly doubt she was as smart as that. In fact, I would be terrified if she was."

"You're being stereotypical. Just because she was wearing all black doesn't mean she'd rule the world," Rena snorted, giving him a push.

"Says the one who beats people for owning ghost Pokemon."

"I don't do that!"

The two continued their bickering, and made me rather thankful that I didn't, in fact, own that Froslass.


	20. So Let Go, Jump In

This time, the dream wasn't much of a nightmare. I was almost getting used to it, anyway. I stood in a vast, white world, with no light source and no shadows. It was a little blinding. I tried using an arm--curiously missing a cast and feeling fine--to shield my eyes, but it didn't do anything. So instead I squinted, looking around for the source of yet another odd dream.

I spotted it off to my right, tiny paws folded in front of the red stripe across its middle.

"Froslass," I called to it. The ghost bobbed its head in response. "Are you the one making all of these weird dreams?"

Yes, it replied in a high, feminine voice. It--_she_--hovered a bit closer, still keeping a safe distance. I wasn't complaining.

"Are you intentionally giving me nightmares?" I asked critically, raising an eyebrow. I was not happy having ghosts drip flames onto me and being encased in ice. The Froslass shook her head, shaking frost off into the air.

That was an accidental side-effect. I'm not used to prying into others' dreams, she admitted.

"Why are you trying to get into my dreams in the first place? What do you want with me?"

The Froslass looked up at me with icy eyes, shimmering with tears. You must help my trainer, she said softly.

"Why me?"

You're the only one who can.

"But why _me_? Why not invade Hanna's dreams and get her to beg her rich dad to help your trainer?" I may have seemed heartless, but I was also scared of the Froslass. She was not only a ghost, but a ghost that repeatedly nearly gave me hypothermia just by being _near_ me. Not to mention the nightmares. Plus, she was not _my_ Pokemon. I didn't have to help her.

The female human isn't kind enough to help. She is… not very altruistic, she said delicately, fiddling her fingers.

I frowned, but accepted the point. Hanna really wasn't the type to go out and help others all willy-nilly. "You know… Even if I _wanted_ to help--don't get your hopes up, because I'm not saying I do--I couldn't. I'm stuck in Snowpoint. You have to have realized that by now."

Snowpoint is not that bad of a town. It's nice and cold.

"Yeah, I know it's cold." I crossed my arms, relishing the gesture while I could. It wasn't easy to do with a cast. "I can't help anyone where I am now."

The Abomasnow will be taken care of eventually. I will take care of a route out of the city, the Froslass said sharply, narrowing her eyes. I flinched and took a step back. She sighed a cloud of crystals and ducked her head with a, I'm sorry for frightening you.

"It-It's fine," I lied. "How will you get us out of Snowpoint?"

The female human may not be able to help me in my quest, but she may be able to help you in yours, she replied indifferently.

I decided not to pursue the matter. "…How are you able to get into my dreams, anyway?"

I am a ghost.

"That's not very specific."

I know Dream Eater. It's why you had nightmares at first; your mind was trying to reject me. By the way, I did not appreciate getting brushed aside two nights ago.

"I didn't appreciate having monsters attack me!" I retorted hotly, bristling. We glared at each other, neither of us willing to concede.

I woke up after a blast of cold air hit me. I shivered and found myself coated in ice. Instead of looking for the Froslass, I just burrowed deeper into my sleeping bag and tried to get back to sleep. _Normal_ sleep.

-.-.-

The next morning, Hanna was excitedly telling anyone who would listen about her idea. "Once the weather clears up a bit, I know how we can get out of Snowpoint! There's a ferryman, right? Just south of the city. He normally takes trainers to like, Battle Frontier. But I'm sure for the right price, he'd drop us off at Sunyshore instead! Aren't you guys lucky I came up with this?! Now we can all get out of here!"

I didn't bother correcting her.

I still felt moody after hearing the Froslass' plea, and was still pretty unsure about helping her at all. I didn't know who her trainer was or what kind of trouble he or she may be in. I didn't want to get tangled up into something worse than what I could handle. It was hard enough being a trainer. I didn't need to be a hero, too.

About noon on our third day there, the electricity came back on. The tired electric Pokemon who had been powering the emergency generators happily collapsed while the fire Pokemon took over melting our way out. If the power came back on, it stood to reason that the weather was okay now, right?

"Come _on_, Des!" Only somehow, my Numel missed out on the excitement of freedom. He yawned and twitched an ear before going back to sleep. "Come on! We should help the others get out. Don't you want fresh air? And sunshine?"

"Nu," he mumbled through his paws.

"Some Pokemon. Doesn't even listen to you," Rena said in passing, marching out proudly with what looked like a red, humanoid chicken. "Let's go, Amber. We can dig ourselves and the lazy ones out."

I glared at them as they left. Then, turning back to my Numel, I resumed my begging. "Pedestal, come on! You're not going to let her get away with that, are you? She called us lazy!"

"Nu." It sounded as if he was agreeing with her.

"You're horrible to me. I bet _Carlita_ would help us out."

At this, he raised his head and set my cast on fire with an Ember.

-.-.-

By evening, Hanna had escaped out into the world, headed to the harbor, and secured a deal with one of the ferrymen. It would cost an untold amount of money, but she managed to secure passage for all those in the Center who wanted to leave. Surprisingly, not everyone jumped up at once. Some of the trainers were actually there and _wanted_ to be; they had stuff to do, like challenge Candice. Still, over supper, about half of the Center agreed on leaving on the boat.

"It's spaghetti. Your favorite. I _know_ it is." I held the fork tauntingly in front of Des, but he just turned his head from it. I scowled at him and ate it instead. "What's up with you? Why're you so moody?"

"Numel," he grumbled.

"Just eat some spaghetti and be happy. We can resume our journey for the third badge once we're back in sane country. Don't you want to beat more Gym leaders?" I asked, trying to bait him at the same time with a meatball. It was even my last one. Des shuffled around so his back was to me.

"What's up with Des?" Hanna asked curiously.

"Glaaa?" Isabella added worriedly, looking up with sauce all over her mouth. I turned to see that Des was even ignoring _her_. Something was definitely up.

"Hey, can you watch Carlita for a moment? Just keep her next to Alexander and she won't even notice we're gone." Hanna nodded and watched us intently as I forcibly pushed Des out of the lobby. He resisted for all his worth, and while he _was_ fat, I was the stronger one. (Barely.) Now in the corridor leading up to the rooms, I turned on him. "What's up with you, Des?"

"Nu," he replied nonchalantly, turning his head away.

"Don't you 'nu' me. Tell me what's wrong." I squatted down so I was eye-level with him and reached out a hand to keep his head from moving. Now he _had_ to face me. Des narrowed his lidded eyes and butted his head against my cast, effectively moving it.

"Mel," he said in the closest thing to an actual growl I'd ever heard from him.

"Are you angry?"

After a bit of thinking, he bobbed his head.

"At me?" A shake. "At Hanna?" Another shake. "Carlita?" Yet another shake. I couldn't very well ask _who_ he was angry at, but I was running out of suspects. "Um… Are you angry at someone in this Center?"

Pedestal nodded, ears drooping slightly. I tilted my head, puzzled by his behavior.

"Is it a human?"

He shook his head.

"So it's a Pokemon." Nod. "One of Hanna's?" The thought of him being angry at Isabella was laughable, but he _was_ ignoring her… Des just shook his head sharply, glaring at me. I smiled apologetically. He definitely wasn't mad at Isabella. "One of Devon's?"

"Nu," he grumbled with another shake of his yellow head.

"Rena's?"

Another no. I was beginning to get frustrated, seriously running out of Pokemon he knew. Maybe he and another trainer's Pokemon had a scuffle of some sort and I hadn't noticed? It was possible, but not likely. Maybe he was feeling angry with the other fire Pokemon? But no--he had been angry even before the melting process began and the fire Pokemon came out. That's just when I noticed he was.

I stood up and sighed, using my cast-less hand to brush back my hair. "You're impossible, Des. _Who_ are you angry with? Wait--the Froslass?"

"Nu," he sighed, shaking his head _yet_ again. I snorted and frowned. I thought I had hit upon the answer with the ghost.

"Do _I_ know the Pokemon?"

"Numel," he replied evenly. I may not have spoken his language, but I think 'duh' is universal.

"Des! I have listed off every single Pokemon I know that you have met! Unless you're holding a grudge against a Pokemon we battled ages ago, it's not in this Center!" I burst out, gesturing wildly. I nearly lost my balance, however, when my cast arm decided that since it was heavier than my other arm, it ought to team up with gravity and momentum to try to take me out.

"Numel," Des said in a tiny voice, butting his head against my leg. "…Nu." He looked up at me with his usual blank expression, but now I knew him well enough to read the answer.

"…Oh. Oh." I knelt down beside him, unsure of how to take this answer. He was angry at himself? Why? (I couldn't ask that, though, unless I wanted another hour of guessing.) I reached out and brushed back his bangs, scratching him behind the ears. He made a discontented sound but didn't pull away. "Des… Why are you angry at yourself? You haven't done anything wrong."

"Numel, nu-nuu!" he retorted sullenly, glaring at the floor.

I didn't know what that meant, but if my starter was this upset about something, I felt it was my duty to try to find out. I continued scratching his ears to try to placate him as I thought back over the past few days. What had happened that might've distressed him?

We started on Route 217, but he was the one battling the most, and he seemed proud of his type advantage. It wasn't that. He seemed to like the lady that let us stay with her, and he wasn't angry at the Froslass. The only other big events centered themselves around that Abomasnow.

And then it hit me.

It hit me like so many things before had: like the Abomasnow had hit me, how the floor regularly hit me, how trees and bushes and doors and walls and people regularly hit me. It was sudden and it _hurt_.

Des felt angry at himself because it was _he_ who'd had the advantage over the ice types. _He_ was the one who fainted. _He_ was the one who left it up to Isabella and two grass types to protect the trainers. _He_ was the one who hadn't chased off the Abomasnow.

_He_ wasn't the one who'd evolved.

"Oh, Des. You'll evolve eventually. It's okay. It's not your fault. We're all fine, and you'll evolve and become even more awesome soon enough. We'll get out of Snowpoint and then go to Sunyshore and I don't know, but we'll get the rest of the badges, and we'll be an awesome team. So what if Carlita evolved first? We're a _team_. It's okay to rely on her sometimes, okay?"

I hugged him, perhaps for the first time. At least, I knew it was the first time I hugged him and meant it.


	21. Closest To Confessionals

Des cheered up significantly after our hug. I was surprised that such a simple gesture had such power, and vowed to use it only for good from then on. Not that you _could_ use hugs for evil… Though that Lola girl might've been able.

Thankfully, she wasn't in the group that was leaving Snowpoint. I wasn't sure I could handle another couple of days with her on a small, crowded ship. When asked about it by Devon, she just replied with a flat, "I'm challenging Candice."

"Do you have a dark team?" Rena asked, trying not to laugh.

"No." There was no scorn or malice in it, and that was probably what caught us off guard the most. We were expecting at least annoyance at us bratty kids. But Lola just walked off with a swish of her black skirt, black boot heels clicking on the floor and black hair swaying behind her.

"Thank _everything_ that goth isn't coming with us," Hanna exclaimed, putting a hand dramatically to her forehead. "I think I lost part of my tan just _looking_ at her."

"You lost the rest of it during this entire expedition," I muttered.

"I _know_! Once we hit Sunyshore, I'm nonstop tanning. I'm _so_ white. I practically match the snow outside! Hmm, maybe I can tan on the boat…"

"You've created a monster," Devon remarked. Hanna remained oblivious to it. Rena and I rolled our eyes in unison.

Just then, all of our problems and plans were swept out the door as it opened.

In walked an anchorwoman and a cameraman, evidently filming. _Live_. And, as the good children we were, we were instantly enthralled. "And here, just a day after Snowpoint's latest big blizzard, we see the poor souls who were snowed in the Pokemon Center. As you can see, it was quite crowded. Even without the weather, however, most of these trainers could not leave without expensive, alternate routes home, due to the closure of Route 217. It is now officially closed, due to the tragic death of a young trainer by a feral Abomasnow--"

I suddenly felt a yank on my cast and was suddenly pulled ahead by an excited Hanna. "Ooh! Miss, we know all about that Abomasnow!" she called, dragging me over to the woman and camera. Rena and Devon followed, though out of loyalty or the lure of the limelight, I wasn't sure.

"Hm? Oh, young trainers." She turned to the cameraman and whispered something unintelligible, and then said with a serious face, "More on this story after the weather." After her partner gave her the signal, she relaxed and turned to us. "Okay, kids. I know you just want to get on TV and do the whole 'hi mom' thing, but do any of you _really_ know anything about Snowpoint's situation? You're all old enough to understand that it's always good to get a trainer's view on anything, but if you're just going to be feeding us crap--"

Hanna held up my cast arm, beaming. "Lady, you won't believe how lucky you just got."

"Why?" the woman asked shrewdly, inspecting me with what felt like x-ray vision.

"You know the kid who died?"

"Of course. It's all over the news. It's going to be part of this segment."

"We were almost that kid."

"Elaborate."

"A couple of days before the, ah, tragedy, these two were hauled in from the edge of the city. The Abomasnow attacked them, and if it wasn't for their Shroomish evolving to beat it back, they would have died as well," Devon explained, adjusting his glasses. The woman's mouth dropped into a perfect little O.

"As it is, look! Broken arm. Tragedy, right?" Hanna asked, waving my arm around.

"Hold still, you two." The woman immediately descended upon us with a pocket makeup kit, fixing our hair and patting down our faces with some sort of powder that nearly made me sneeze. As she did so, she regarded Devon and Rena out of the corner of her eye. "What connection do you two have?"

"Friends?" the blonde girl guessed. "On the first night after they came in, they woke us up screaming. Nightmares. Does that count for any screen time?"

"No, but it makes them look better," the anchorwoman said with a bright smile.

Hanna, matching her smile watt for watt, added cheerfully, "_I'm_ the one who organized the boat out of Snowpoint for the trainers, too."

"You two are going to _make_ this story. Ah, wait--you're not uncomfortable telling this, right?" she asked sharply. Hanna and I looked at each other, then turned back to her and shook our heads. "You're both official trainers, right? Nothing illegal or immoral that'll mess this up later?"

Again, we shook our heads, but this time, I could tell that even the happy Hanna was a bit unnerved by the question. I knew I was. What trouble did she expect a couple of kids to get into? Join a crime organization? True, I _was_ arrested once, but I wasn't about to mention that and spoil my chances of getting on television.

"You two, shoo. Maybe you'll get an interview later. Depends on how this airs. Here, you stand here--no, like this--make sure the cast is visible." I was moved around like a mannequin until she chose the most uncomfortable, awkward position in the world. "Good. Now hold it. Oh, wait--where's that Breloom of yours? The one that evolved?"

After Des' moodiness over Carlita's evolution, I knew better. "If Carlita's coming out, Des is, too. My only other Pokemon."

"Oh yeah! Des was the one who initially kept the Abomasnow at bay. My Pokemon helped, too!" Hanna chimed in eagerly.

Obviously thinking Hanna had a full team, the woman shook her head. "We can't fit too many into this shot. Already it's going to be a bit crowded."

"But--they're so _pretty_!"

"Maybe we can fit them in later, if we have time to do an actual interview rather than a quick one for this story," she fielded. The cameraman then leaned over and mumbled something to her, and she quickly straightened, fixing her hair and clothes. "Alright, you two. Just answer the questions and try to keep it good."

-.-.-

Hanna and I ended up giving a good story, evidently, because just an hour later, the anchorwoman was excitedly receiving a phone call from her bosses asking her for full interviews from us and our Pokemon. That in turn had Hanna nearly bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm, but I was a bit more reserved. Snagging her sleeve as she rushed past me, I hissed, "What if they ask why a couple of kids with only two Pokemon each, half of those _weak_ to _ice_ types, came up Route 217?"

"They don't know our Pokemon's levels. Just play it off all cool-like. Come _on_, they won't ask that! Just look cute and injured and we're good!" she chattered and flounced off again.

Her interview was up first. I sat in the background with my Pokemon, fiddling with my phone. Half of me wanted to make funny faces at the camera, but I knew I'd pay for it in the long run when Hanna found out I stole the attention from her. "You guys ready?" I asked quietly, scratching Des behind the ears.

"Mel."

"Bre!"

"It's not going to be live, so there's less pressure. That's good, right?" I added with a fake cheer, moving to scratch Carlita under the chin. I was actually pretty nervous, but I knew if I made them nervous because of it, that would only make me more nervous, which would make them more nervous--it would be a very nervous circle.

Just then, my phone rang. All three of us jumped and I scrambled to find it, trying to shush it before it took Hanna's spotlight. "Hello?" I asked as I shuffled away from the camera, hoping to get out of the shot.

"Guess who I saw on TV earlier today." It was Nick, sounding as amused as ever with my antics. I couldn't help but grin just hearing his voice. It had been ages since we talked--in fact, not since Eterna. This was the first actual conversation we'd have, aside from a message on my voicemail once. "Nice cast, by the way."

"Most people would be worried that I got mauled by a rogue Abomasnow," I retorted as delicately as I could. But contrary to my words, I was glad he wasn't concerned. I was already dreading the call my parents would inevitably make. I shivered at the very thought.

"Yeah. Sorry about that," he said absentmindedly. "At least you're okay now, right? You sure seemed perky when you got on TV, anyway. Are you traveling with that girl now?"

"Kind of…" I trailed off, pursing my lips. Once this was over, Hanna and I were over.

There was some loud noise in the background on his side, and I frowned as I tried to place it. A voice? Was someone else there, talking to him? "Yeah, I will--" he said, presumably to the voice. Then, back to me. "Hey-so-I-think-you-should-turn-on-the-TV-right-now," he said quickly, all in one breath.

"Why?"

"I gotta go! Watch! Bye!" Nick said loudly, and then the phone clicked off. I pulled it away from my ear and stared at it, before looking around for the TV in the lobby. A couple trainers were already sitting in front of it, casually watching the news. It was already on; he hadn't told me what channel. I scowled and stomped over (careful to stay out of Hanna's shot), and had to stand on my tiptoes to reach the channel button on the television. The other trainers made no move to stop me, probably because I was the kid with the cast.

I flipped through several channels before freezing on the channel that was dedicated to the Elite Four and its challengers (nicknamed the Champ-Channel, though the Champion rarely appeared on it). There was a blue-haired man with glasses on the screen, smiling coolly at his opponent. He sent out a lavender feline that was announced as an Espeon, and the screen flickered over to the challenger.

None other than Nick grinned and sent out his Mothim. I had never seen it before, but I dimly remembered him mentioning it before. I didn't know what other Pokemon he had, aside from his Gabite, of course, and a couple other random species names that I could probably remember if he sent them out.

I felt giddy. Nick, the one who had helped me so much in my journey, my friend, the one trainer who I admired most--he was challenging the Elite Four. And he was challenging the _fourth_ Elite Four member. (I only knew that because it was announced about a dozen times; apparently, not many made it that far.)

I sat and watched, enraptured, as the Mothim and Espeon battled. It was a fairly short battle, however, as the bug-type moth had the obvious advantage and took care of the Espeon with ease. Lucian, the Elite Four member, sent out a Mr. Mime, which was likewise defeated by the Mothim. But halfway through his third Pokemon, an Alakazam (that one I knew without any help, since I had wanted one as a starter) sent out a Thunderbolt, and that was the end of Mothim's rampage against the psychics.

Nick sent out what I assumed had once been his Gabite, but what was announced on the TV as a Garchomp, and made quick work of the Alakazam with a vicious Crunch attack. That made three pokemon of Lucian's down, and only two to go. _Nick was winning against the Elite Four_. I knew he was a strong trainer, yes, but I had never thought I'd get to watch someone I knew _winning_ against the _Elite Four_. The last of them, even! After that, it was just the Champion, and then…

I frowned, suddenly realizing something. If Nick won--which I was definitely hoping for--and then won against the Champion… he would become the new Champion.

That meant that I would have to battle him, and defeat him, if I ever wanted to take that title.

I watched Lucian's Gallade fight valiantly against Nick's Garchomp, now more serious. I'd have to take on what was mopping the floor with Lucian. And I would have to _win_ if I ever wanted to reach my dream of being the Champion.

"Hey, kid, it's your turn!"

I didn't register the fact that the reporter lady was talking to me, though I'd been addressed so many times as 'kid' in the past three months it was a wonder I even remembered my own name. I was still engrossed with Nick's fight. Gallade went down, but not after taking out Garchomp. Nick sent out a pink and tan _thing_ that balanced precariously on one leg, the other and its arms shifting immediately into a fighting stance. Lucian sent out his last Pokemon, a hulking mass with red eyes that floated over the ground.

I was yanked backward suddenly by the shirt collar, and Hanna was glaring down at me. "It's your turn."

"Right."

All throughout the interview, however, I couldn't think of anything but Nick and his fight against the Elite Four. He'd probably be done with Lucian soon. Then it'd be on to the Champion, and if he won, then I would have to face him one day. I'd have to beat him one day. Why did that feel too much like a betrayal?


	22. Take A Message Back From Me

"Oh my _gosh_ you broke your _arm_! You were attacked! You nearly _died_!" Predictably, my parents were quick to call once the interviews aired (evidently, they missed the live segment). I was holding the phone a good foot away from my ear, listening to my mother's wailing impassively. True, the Abomasnow attack was a rather rude wake-up call, but if she had known half of the abuse I'd received on this trip…

"I'm fine, really. I have a cast, don't I? That means they're fixing my arm," I told her in the first lull.

"But… oh _gosh_, I just had never thought this would happen! We've been such a _peaceful_ place, ever since that Galactic incident, and now there's wild Pokemon attacking young trainers!"

"I'm fine. They're taking care of the Pokemon soon, and I'm leaving Snowpoint anyway. Today, in fact. I'm heading to Sunyshore with my--friends." I examined my nails, frowning at how uneven they were. I had been trying to stop biting them--the awkward positioning required to do so with the cast on helped--and now that they were growing out, they were hideous. I swapped my cell phone to my other shoulder and bit the nails on my free hand.

The video phones were all full up with trainers excitedly calling home, telling their parents that they would be home soon. Or something. I don't know; I wasn't going to eavesdrop. I could barely hear anything else as it was, what with my mother shouting in my ear and all. It was better that she couldn't see me and I couldn't see her, I decided. That would only make things worse, and I had the sudden, unexplained paranoia that she'd start telling me how much I'd grown.

"You ought to come home, you know! Most kids would be scarred for life after such an ordeal, and now I'm just going to worry about you!"

I was pretty sure I was scarred for life, but I wasn't about to tell her that. "Goodbye, mom," I said forcefully.

"You better come home soon to visit--"

"I love you, bye." I shut the phone with a heavy sigh. There was no _way_ I'd be going back home. They'd have to cart me back in a coffin after all I'd been through. And, as the saying goes, no pain, no gain, right?

I looked over to where Hanna was giving one last interview with the reporter lady. She wasn't letting go of her fifteen minutes of fame that easily, it seemed. We would be leaving in just an hour, and she wanted to make sure to leave a departing mark.

I got to my feet, pocketed Des and Carlita's pokeballs, and pulled on my jacket. It was my last hour in Snowpoint, and as much as I hated the town for what it and Route 217 did to me, I wasn't going to leave without seeing more than the inside of the Center. Candice's Gym was the seventh, traditionally, so I should be back here relatively soon, but then again, it had taken me this long just to get two badges.

Rena and Devon only spared me a glance as I wrapped my scarf around my neck and pulled my hood over my hair. I marched out into the snow, blinking Noctowl-ishly in the bright sunlight. The reflective snow didn't help much, either. My boots crunched as I made my way through it all, even the parts that were knee- and waist-deep, until I reached the center of town: the Gym. It stood grandly in the middle of all of the snow, icicles hanging from the eaves, its sign proudly declaring Candice as the "Diamond Dust Girl!".

As I was reading the sign, the door slid open, releasing a trainer I recognized immediately. As if all of the black didn't give it away. Lola didn't even spare me a passing glance as she wandered off in the direction of the Center. I watched her leave; had she just beaten Candice? If so, then she probably had seven badges. I might have to battle her, too, on my route to becoming the Champion.

The rest of the tiny town wasn't very exciting. True, there was one old man who shouted random, smart-sounding phrases at me out of his window, but that was about it. I wandered down to the dock at the southern tip of Snowpoint, hands in my pockets for warmth. It was chilly out, even if it was still early afternoon. I couldn't help but glance nervously over to the forest, however. The Abomasnow was still there, somewhere, perhaps waiting for its newest victim…

I shivered.

And then, I shivered again, because I felt a very familiar pair of cold eyes on the back of my neck. I fumbled around in my pocket for Des' pokeball. I whirled around, tossing it as I did so, but the Froslass just caught the ball. It was encased in several inches of ice in a heartbeat and dropped to the ground harmlessly, my Numel trapped inside. "Lass," she said reproachfully.

"Don't give me that. I never agreed to help you," I fielded, wondering if Carlita could kick ghosts. I had hoped to leave the Froslass behind in Snowpoint, regardless of her plea for help.

"Lass…" Eyes hardening, she held both arms out from her sides, and I felt the temperature around us drop. Even more threateningly, the sky overhead darkened.

"D-Don't," I warned, teeth chattering. I had to do something about this before the Froslass attacked, and Carlita was the only Pokemon I had left… Using my cast-arm as a shield, of sorts, I pulled her pokeball out of my pocket. The Froslass screeched in anger as my Breloom appeared and I called out, "Carlita! Mach Punch!"

While she definitely had the advantage of speed, she didn't have the advantage of intangibility. Her clawed paw went right through the ghost and was coated in ice before she could do much else. "Lass!" With that, the Froslass sent what was obviously an Ice Beam at her, and Carlita went down. I made a move to go to her, but the ghost growled and sent another Ice Beam at my feet. Unfortunately, it was just as I had stepped down, so I ended up slipping and landing--hard--on my back.

Winded and dazed, it took me a few moments to realize that I was now being dragged back towards the forest by the Froslass. I blinked blearily at the dark sky, moving my head in an effort to clear it. Bizarrely, the only thought I had was _if mom could see me now…_

It took a few more minutes for me to figure out what was going on. I was getting kidnapped by an angry Froslass, Des was frozen in his pokeball, and Carlita was unconscious in the snow. None of that was good. "H-Hey! Wait! What are you doing?!"

"Lass," she replied indifferently. I craned my head back, but I still couldn't see her.

"Let me go!" Froslass was a ghost, and a fairly small one at that. Surely, if I struggled, she couldn't carry my weight anymore, right? I started thrashing, but she solved that by numbing my limbs with another ice move.

The Abomasnow might not have gotten the job done, but this Froslass sure would.

-.-.-

I can communicate more easily with you like this, she said. We were once again in that stark white place, with the Froslass floating just a few feet in front of me. I looked around my dream, realizing that I wasn't aware when I had fallen asleep. Great.

"We can't talk like this. If I'm asleep out in the snow, I'm going to die. Then I can't help your trainer, can I?" I countered nervously.

You already stated you would not help him, she replied coldly, eyes glinting.

"I-I'll change my mind. Just let me go, and let me get back to my Pokemon," I pleaded. Carlita was in the same predicament I was, and she was already weak to the cold…

I do not trust you.

"How can I prove to you that I'll help?" I burst out desperately. Carlita and I would both get hypothermia, and then frostbite, and then--death…

…You cannot, necessarily, _prove_ it, the Froslass admitted, looking down at her tiny paws. Then, returning her icy gaze to me, she stated, But I will exact a promise from you.

"Fine! I promise I will help your trainer. Please, please let me go and wake me up!"

You have no idea what you're getting into. My trainer is--

"I'll find out later!"

Impatient little human, she spat, ice crystals forming around her. I gulped and backed down.

"Tell me what I need to know, then," I said humbly.

My human is older than you, and already a strong trainer. He will not listen unless you are strong, like he is. You will need to become stronger, and collect those badges that humans are so infatuated with, she explained calmly, relaxing.

I nodded, not bothering to tell her that that had been my plan all along.

But you need to find him, and help him, before something terrible happens. I do not know what that might be, but I know it will happen if he continues on the path he's chosen, the Froslass said, shifting uncomfortably. Continuing, she said, Last time I saw him, he was in a cave, far from here.

"That's not very specific. What's 'far' from here? Is he still in Sinnoh?"

I believe so.

"What does he look like? What's his name?"

The Froslass tilted her head to one side, and said, I do not know what you humans call him. I, and the others on his team, always just called him 'Master' or 'Trainer'.

I squinted at her. _Really_? "…What does he look like, then?"

I cannot tell you humans apart, really, she admitted sheepishly.

"What?! Come on, we all look different!" I exclaimed.

Can you tell apart two Froslass?

"…Probably not."

Then do not patronize me.

This was getting to be frustrating. To make matters worse, I was probably dying at that very moment. "Does he have short hair?"

I suppose, she said. It gave me the very distinct impression that she had no idea what different hair lengths on humans were.

"Does he have hair the color of mine?" I pushed off my hood and pulled a brown lock away from my head, pointing to it with my other hand. "Is it this color, or lighter, or darker?"

It is not that color, she said as she floated closer. She inspected my hair closely, and finally said, I think it's darker.

Okay, male trainer, strong (so probably older), and in a cave (which he would probably be out of by the time I ever found him). Oh, and also in trouble, with (maybe) short hair and (maybe) darker hair. I didn't even bother asking for an eye color. "Anything else I should know?" I asked impatiently.

Just… Help him. He's lost, and confused. I fear he will make a grave mistake soon, she said, tears freezing as they fell on her cheeks. I looked away in embarrassment.

"I'll try. Now let me out of here!" I got a blast of cold air in the face, and next thing I knew, it was hailing on me. "Ow!" I growled as one hit my forehead. I sat up and pulled my hood back over my head, brushing my hair out of my eyes as I did so. The good thing was that I wasn't dead. The bad thing was that I had no idea where I was.

I flipped open my cell phone, and predictably, it told me that it didn't have any service.

I got to my feet, swinging my arms to get circulation again, and then spotted what appeared to be a trail. A trail that I must have made, getting dragged. Gleefully, I started running in that direction, nearly losing my boots in some of the deeper drifts, but happily all the same. Soon, the hail started to lessen and the sun started to shine weakly through the treetops.

Soon enough, I ran out of the forest, and back out to the dock. Immediately, I was sent into the snow as Hanna tackled me. "Oh my gosh you were missing and we thought you had died and where have you been?!"

"Get off of me," I wheezed in reply. She got off of me and offered a hand to help me up, which, at first I refused, but then decided I needed. Between the Froslass and her, I didn't need any enemies. Those two were doing a fine job beating me up.

"Where have you been?! We've all been worried sick, especially after we found Des and Carlita."

I winced, and asked, "Where are they? Are they alright?"

"Yes, they're both fine. But where have _you_ been?"

"Just… out for a walk." No one would believe me about the Froslass, anyway, and her quest for me. "Has the ferry left yet?"

"It's about to, which was why we were searching for you, idiot! Now come on. I've already packed your things, and your Pokemon are already on there, so we just need to join them!" I was dragged off by a crazy female for the second time that day.


	23. So Let Me Say Before We Part

We reached Sunyshore early the next morning. Hanna and I said goodbye to Rena and Devon. Then, Hanna and I awkwardly said goodbye to each other. "Well… goodbye. Thank you for coming with me. Sorry you got mauled and all," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'm used to it." I shrugged with one shoulder, and then looked down at our Pokemon. Carlita had picked up Alexander and was swinging him around in one of her dances, and Des was steadily staring at Isabella, who was watching them. "…Say goodbye, Des," I told him, since Carlita seemed to be doing a good job on her own.

"Nu," he pouted, looking up at me instead of at the Glaceon. I smiled helplessly in return. I refused to step in for him to say goodbye to his crush. Finally, he shuffled over to where Isabella was still watching the two dancing grass Pokemon, scooted up next to her, and licked her on the cheek. She squeaked in surprise, and I gave him the dignity of a quick retreat into his pokeball.

"Well isn't he a shy little fellow," Hanna remarked warmly. "…I'll miss him. I'm sure these two will miss yours, too." We both looked pointedly over to where Carlita was still spinning Alexander around. "…Eventually, they will. Well… Bye then." A quick hug later, and Hanna and her two, returned, were on their way. I returned Carlita as well and wandered off in a westerly direction.

-.-.-

Route 222 was much sunnier and warmer than Route 217. Most of the trainers consisted of fishermen, content to let me pass as long as I didn't scare the fish. I still felt much too exposed, however, especially since they were obviously water trainers. I kept to the edges of some of the ledges and hid whenever someone turned my way.

Thankfully, there weren't many wild Pokemon around. They would probably be too strong for us, anyway. I did spot an Electabuzz and nearly went after it, but then I realized that it would probably electrocute us all. I resolutely walked on.

_An Electabuzz… That's awesome. I'll have to come back here some day_, I thought, mourning the loss of my potential newest Pokemon. It had been on the list of my wanted starter Pokemon. I still liked them. _I'll come back when I have a few more badges and catch one--_

I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes wide.

The first thing I realized was that I was contemplating getting another Pokemon. What had happened to my dream of training up just one--well, now two--Pokemon? Evidently, it had been thrown out the window. After watching other trainers with their teams, I had come to appreciate what a larger team could do. I didn't necessarily want six, since I had my hands full dealing with just Des and Carlita, but maybe three, or four…

That revelation was hastily swept aside by a larger, more ominous one.

I had never caught a Pokemon.

Des had been my starter, and Carlita I had gotten rather unorthodoxly. I had never caught a single Pokemon. I only had a sparse few pokeballs, never having even _thrown_ one at another Pokemon. "Argh! What kind of trainer _am_ I?!" I shouted furiously, kicking the ledge.

"Hey! Kid! You scared the fish!"

I hastily ran away from all of the angry fishermen. I circled around to the top of the ledge, once again dodging trainers with my apparently awesome stealth skills, and found a patch of grass. There were Electabuzz about… Electabuzz that would sooner zap me than look at me. Maybe it'd be better to try for a different Pokemon. True, Des had leveled up a ton on that expedition, but I wasn't sure how strong the wild Pokemon around this part were. Better safe than sorry.

I went off of the path and into the trees, in case someone else was in the vicinity, and released my two Pokemon. "Listen up, troops!" I marched back and forth between them. I had sold most of my cold weather gear in Sunyshore for some quick cash, but kept my hat, and was now wearing it like a helmet. This was war, after all.

Carlita smartly saluted and clicked her heels together. Des looked up at me cluelessly.

Picking a small branch off of the ground nearby, I waved it like one of those things I had seen generals carry around in old war movies. "We are going to catch a new teammate. But this won't be easy, oh no it won't. This will be hard. We will have to earn this new addition through hard work and perseverance! And, we are going to have to go about this in a bit of a roundabout way…"

-.-.-

All three of us were lying on our stomachs in the tall grass, peering through the blades at our target: an unsuspecting Electabuzz. After much internal debate I decided to just go for it. I _did_ like them, and they were here, relatively common. Plus, we had the element of surprise.

"Carlita, Stun Spore," I whispered, hopefully quiet enough that our quarry hadn't heard. She nodded and puffed out a cloud of golden dust from the hat-like thing on her head, and then blew it towards the Electabuzz. It hit it and it immediately stiffened. Growling, it slowly turned around, looking for us. All three of us ducked out heads down into the grass. Phase one: complete.

I had figured that as long as both of them didn't attack it at once, it was completely legal for both Des and Carlita to help with this battle. "Des, Focus Energy and then Ember!" That time, unfortunately, the Electabuzz heard me.

It lumbered, rather sluggishly, over, swinging its arms. "Buzzzzz!" There was a rather ominous crackle of electricity in its cry.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position, ready to bolt. Carlita was already on her feet, hopping excitedly. Des, finished with his Focus Energy, spat a mouthful of flames at the electric Pokemon. It hit it square in the face, and it stumbled back, roaring in pain. Without me telling him to, my Numel followed it with another Ember, and the Electabuzz stumbled back again. Something must've caught its foot, for it tripped and landed on its back.

I took the opportunity to jump to my feet, empty pokeball at the ready. "Carlita! Jump on it or something! Knock the wind out of it!" I knew from experience that you couldn't struggle very well if you were winded. She happily pranced over and bounced on its stomach a few time. The Electabuzz, clearly not expecting that, wheezed and went limp.

I tossed the pokeball, and it went in with a flash of red light. The ball disappeared into the grass, and I waded through it to make it to the wiggling thing. I was just about to reach down and pick it up when it snapped back open, revealing a very angry Electabuzz not a foot in front of my face. My nose tingled, probably from the electricity suddenly back in the air.

I looked up at it, smiling sheepishly.

"Buzzzzzz," it growled, leaning down and showing its teeth.

"Mach Punch!" I screamed and dropped to the ground, crawling away. I heard Carlita eagerly start trading punches with the Electabuzz, though with her speed, I knew it was mostly going to be one-sided. After getting what I deemed to be a safe distance away--and within arm's length of Des--I turned to see the wild Pokemon go down for the second time. This time, Carlita obediently sat on it, and I tossed a second pokeball from afar. She plopped to the ground with the absence of her chair, and this time, I waited cautiously by my Numel.

Nothing happened. I peeked up out of the grass, Des mirroring the movement. Carlita was tossing the pokeball between her clawed paws, tail waving behind her happily, and then she turned to us. "Bre!" she called and threw it at us. I shouted and ducked, and it landed behind me, opening up to reveal the Electabuzz in a flash of white.

"Ack! Des, Ember--" Then, I promptly realized that it had only come out _after_ it had been tossed. I reached over wordlessly and clamped my hand over Des's mouth to stop him from following that order. I stared up at the Electabuzz--_my_ Electabuzz. It stared mutinously back, yellow fur crackling with static. "…Yay!" There was no other word for it. I jumped to my feet and threw myself at it, wrapping my arms around it, burying my face in its fur. I could feel my hair frizz out, but I didn't care. "Electabuzz, Electabuzz! Electa--ah, aahhh--" I sneezed.

Then, I sneezed again. I removed my face from its fur and was alarmed to find my eyes were watering. I stepped back from the Electabuzz after another sneeze, sniffling miserably as I rubbed at my itchy, watery eyes.

"…Buzz?" my new Pokemon questioned cautiously, taken aback by this change in behavior. Des head butted my leg nervously and Carlita came up beside us, bouncing on her feet.

"I-I--ahh-_choo_!"

I was allergic to Electabuzz.

-.-.-

Des, Carlita and I watched the sun set over route 222. Sunyshore City was still visible in the distance, glowing palely. I rolled the Electabuzz's pokeball back and forth between my hands, thinking. Des was leaning his head on my lap and Carlita was curled up behind me, letting me lean against her stomach, tail curled around us. This was what it was like to be a team. Just being together, momentarily getting along, enjoying the silence and the view. I could never do that with my Electabuzz. I was terribly allergic to it; I couldn't go any nearer than about ten feet, hard as I tried.

Was it fair to keep it, then? True, I probably wouldn't get that close to it in battles, so it could still fight on our team. But I could never sit around a table and have it steal bites off of my plate, could never sleep with it, could never hug it, could never be near it at all. Still, it was _my_ Pokemon. I had caught it, and it didn't seem to hate me. I certainly didn't hate it.

"Guys… What should we do?" I asked quietly, sniffling. I was still getting rid of the aftereffects. I was allergic to my own Pokemon. How unfair. It made me wonder what other species I might be allergic to… None of them I had come in contact with so far, thankfully.

"Loo," Carlita mumbled.

"Nu," Des agreed. I scratched him behind his round ears absently.

"Should I release him?" For lack of a better way of referring to it, I had started calling the Electabuzz 'him', though I was still unsure of its gender. "Or should I trade him? Sell him? Give him away? …Should we keep him?"

Neither of them answered me that time. I sighed heavily. What did other trainers do when this happened? Did it happen to others, or was I just that unlucky?

Without wanting to, I felt my eyes water up again. I couldn't say it was my newfound allergies, either. I didn't _want_ to get rid of this Electabuzz. I liked Electabuzz, I was proud of myself for catching one, and I was now entirely attached to it and the thought of having a three-Pokemon team. I wished I could work around it, but when I couldn't even get near it… Was it fair to a Pokemon to have a trainer that couldn't go near it? I didn't know. I didn't know what to do, either.

Des moved his head as I drew my knees up to my chest, setting my forehead on them. In front of us, the sun finally set. I sniffed and bit my lip, but the tears came anyway. Losing this single, new Pokemon. It hurt. I didn't know its name, its gender, or anything about it. Did it like to dance like Carlita? Did it get type-impractical crushes like Pedestal? Did it like pasta, or sweet foods, or sour foods? What attacks did it know? What was its fighting style? Did it like to battle, or not? I knew nothing about this stranger, but I wanted to know about it so badly it hurt.

Would it get jealous if it saw me scratching Des behind the ears? Would it be bitter that I couldn't go near it? Would it resent me for it? Would it look upon all trainers with that same resentment, then?

I stood up, wiping the tears away with my wrist. I walked away from Des and Carlita, away to where I would be relatively alone. I released my Electabuzz and took a few cautious steps backward after I sneezed. "Electabuzz, would you like to be a trained Pokemon? Or would you rather go back to being a wild Pokemon?"

Tilting its head to one side, it asked, "Ele?"

I realized that I'd have to ask simple yes-or-no questions. "…Would you like to go back to being a wild Pokemon?"

A shake of the head and tail. I shuddered and covered my mouth and nose with my sleeve. The Electabuzz watched me cautiously, looking almost concerned. Probably more worried about what it had just gotten into, if its very first trainer was acting like this…

"S-So you still want to be a t-trained Pokemon?" I asked, struggling not to sneeze. The Electabuzz nodded vigorously, flexing the muscles on its arms. So it wanted to become stronger--or at least, that's what I took away from that show of strength. I finally sneezed and my eyes started watering. My cast arm felt very heavy as I said, "Well… I-I can't be your trainer. So I'm going to give you away t-to someone else."

"…Ele? Buzz?"

"It's not that I don't want you! I want you to be on th-this team very, very much. But I can't g-go near you, so it would be unfair to keep you." With that and one last, mighty sniffle, I walked forward and wrapped my arms around it, pressing my face into its fur for the last time. I immediately paid the price, however, as my allergy decided to take revenge for the sentimental move. My Electabuzz watched as I spent the next several minutes ten feet away from it, coughing, sneezing, dripping snot and tears, and generally having a bad time of it. I didn't get any relief until I returned it to its pokeball.

I walked back to Sunyshore to spend the night. I gave the Electabuzz to Nurse Joy and instructed her to "give it to a good trainer who knows how to treat electric types right". That wouldn't be that hard, right? After all, the Gym leader here was apparently the electric-type one, so there should be a fair share of enthusiasts wandering around.

I slept curled into a ball, snuggled in tightly between Carlita and Des, that night. What if I lost either of these two? What if I developed allergies towards them, or we got separated from each other--or what if one of us _died_? I hugged them closer to my body and fell asleep that way.

The next morning, I helped out in the kitchens for breakfast. It brought back memories of how I met Nick. I hadn't gotten to see the end of his fight with Lucian… _What if he's the Champion?!_ I suddenly felt cold and halted in my muffin-making. _No… No. He would have called, right? To tell me…?_ I didn't feel too sure of that as an answer, however. Surely he made new friends and wouldn't waste his time on an eleven-year-old kid. And even if he didn't… I hadn't told him about my Electabuzz, and that was about a big deal as it got in my life. What if he didn't tell me about his big deal?

"Hey, you okay?" One of the other workers elbowed me in the arm, temporarily unbalancing me. It was hard enough working with a cast; I didn't need to be abused any further! I sent him the best glare that I could manage, considering I wasn't the cleanest of muffin-makers. I had flour on my cheeks from where I'd rubbed my arms--and only found this out later--and blueberries made my mouth blue. It was obvious I'd been sneaking a few from the bowl. (I also didn't find that out until later and figured I had gotten away with my crime.)

"What do you want?" I asked the other worker.

"You just seem really distracted. You a tourist, too?" he asked with a disarming smile. I squinted at him. He didn't _look_ like a tourist, but then again, he was also covered in flour and muffin batter. He didn't look like too much of anything but a mess. He rubbed his cheek, smearing said flour. "Fine, just don't look at me that way. You look like you're going to murder my girlfriend or something. I won't question your godly Pokemon trainer-ness anymore, I promise." He rolled his eyes and went back to pouring batter into the paper cups.

I glared at his back for a moment longer. What did _he_ know? He had a girlfriend, probably some Pokemon--pets, not my awesome team--and didn't know what it was like to have to give up an awesome Electabuzz because of a stupid allergy. I turned back to my cooking--and immediately back to him. I stared up at his hair, studying it. It was darker than mine.

Finally, I had to ask. "Hey. Do you have a Froslass?"


	24. Stood On My Toes To Catch A Glimpse

"Lass?"

The brown-haired boy gave a start when the Froslass suddenly appeared beside me. I did one better: I shrieked and made a bolt for the door. My shirt collar froze stiff as the Froslass grabbed it and began to drag me back. For an intangible mass of frost and cold, she was pretty strong.

"Wh-What is that thing?!" the other boy said in a loud voice, pressing himself up against the counter to try to get farther away from us. By now, the others in the kitchen had noticed and were also in varying degrees of panic. The lucky ones escaped. The not-so-lucky ones were stuck in here as the Froslass waved her free hand and the door was locked in ice.

"Lass? Lass?!" The ghost pulled me back away from the door and up onto the nearest counter. She narrowed her eyes and glared down at me, then pointed accusingly at the brown-haired boy. "Lass!"

"I-I don't know what you're sa-saying!" I shook my head and tried to stop my teeth from chattering. She paused, studying me. Then, she let me go and floated over to the brown-haired boy. She pulled out a bit of his hair, pointed to it, and glared at me.

"What's g-going on?" he asked, clearly scared.

"I get it! It's n-not him, okay? Now let us out of here--!" She let go of him and instead came towards me. I ducked under her first lunge and hid under the nearest cart, shouting, "Don't freeze me again!"

Her arm reached through the fabric and one of her little fingers touched my forehead. I felt cold for a brief moment, and then slumped against the side of the cart.

I reopened my eyes in the white world of the Froslass. She floated unapologetically next to me. I lashed out at her with my cast arm, but it just went right through her neck. Don't do that, she commanded sternly.

"Stop bringing me here! I am going to _die_ if you keep freezing me, okay? Then I can't do anything about your stupid trainer!" I shouted, wishing I had a way to hit a ghost. I didn't even care if I got arrested again for it.

Don't call him stupid!

"Well, he is pretty stupid, isn't he?! Getting lost in that cave of yours, getting in trouble, getting some stranger to try to help him with his stupid Froslass!" I crouched down on the white ground, trying not to pull my hair out. I could feel her glare on the top of my head. "…Why aren't you still in Snowpoint? I thought I left you behind…" I couldn't keep the defeated hope out of my voice.

I am not tethered to Snowpoint or the snowy Route, she said simply. Continuing, she said conversationally, Though I _like_ cold areas, I am not unable to go to warmer climates or cities.

"Why don't you ever go back to him and try to help him _yourself_?" I snarled.

I cannot, she said in a very tiny voice.

I raised my head a bit, looking at her. "Why not?" I demanded flatly.

He released me. It is not… _proper_ for released Pokemon to return to their trainers.

That struck a chord with me, and I lowered my head again. _Electabuzz,_ I thought morosely. Had I technically released it? The Froslass floated lower until she was sitting beside me, arms folded across the red stripe on her stomach. "…If he released you, why're you so desperate to try to help him?"

He is my trainer. He raised me from a young Snorunt. He cared for me, fed me, trained me, spent time with me. I still care for him.

"You two parted on some weird terms, huh?"

It's… complicated.

With that, she reached over and touched my forehead again, and suddenly I was looking up into several pairs of very worried eyes. "Oh--Are you okay?!" The brown-haired boy I had mistaken for Froslass' trainer was there, with what looked to be a Ninetales sitting beside him. Nurse Joy was also there, and a few people I dimly recognized as others who had been helping out in the kitchen.

I sat up and immediately regretted it. Head pounding, I flopped back down, only somewhat surprised to see that I had been moved to one of the hospital beds. Nurse Joy felt my forehead, and told me in a clipped tone, "Your fever has gone down a bit, but you're still sick and recovering from the chill that Froslass gave you. You should stay overnight and rest." Then, turning to the rest of the crowd, she said, "Alright! No more excuses! Off to bed with all of you!"

-.-.-

In the following weeks, I got my cast removed, left Sunyshore, and earned my third badge from Fantina. It was kind of tough, since I didn't have any advantages, but Des managed to burn his way through all of the ghosts. I managed to avoid another semi-fight with Carlita, since she hadn't gotten to battle with the Gym leader, by letting her participate in a Cool Contest, which she barely won (and that was because she was so good at dancing and showing off in the first two rounds). Des, thankfully, didn't seem enthused with the idea of Contests and didn't want his own turn.

During those few weeks, the Froslass was still following us. She didn't appear again, but I occasionally saw a flash of white, or felt a chill on a warm, sunny day. I knew she was still following us. I couldn't do anything about it, unfortunately, aside from try to placate her by asking all of the dark-haired male trainers if they had ever owned a Froslass. None of them did.

I called my parents a couple of times, only to assure them that I hadn't been mauled again, and Hanna once. She was apparently on vacation on some tropical island with her Pokemon and family. I couldn't help but feel jealous.

"Hey, guys, want to go to Pastoria?" I asked one cool evening. "I don't want to battle the Gym, but there's the Great Marsh, and some Pokemon and trainers we could battle…"

Carlita's eyes immediately lit up and she bounced on her toes, squealing, "Bre! Bre! Breloom!"

"I'll take that as a yes." I had nearly forgotten that she must have been from there originally. I studied my map, trying to forget that, and frowned at the fact that we'd either have to take the long way around through Solaceon and Veilstone--the way we came from Sunyshore--or go through uncharted territories straight to Pastoria. Long, familiar way, or shorter, unfamiliar way. I grimaced. I wasn't sure which I preferred.

Eventually, I flipped a coin.

All three of us peered at the Magikarp on the up side, then looked at each other. "Looks like we're going south," I said simply.

South turned out to be a very, very bad idea. With that coin toss, I had found the one Route I hated more than 217. I wasn't even sure of its exact number, but I was sure of the fact that it was wet, disgusting, horrible, difficult, and made the Abomasnow look like a walk in Amity Square.

I was unaware of the bogs and marshes that covered much of the Route. I had thought that it was just a bit of mud and water. Oh, how naïve I was. To make matters worse, I had come across the first bog and had decided that straight across was the fastest way.

Predictably, halfway through I got stuck. Just as predictably, I soon came up with a brilliant plan to get myself out. "Des! Come on out! Use an Ember to harden the mud around me!" Harder mud meant I could stand on it, right?

Wrong. As it turned out, Des sunk into the mud faster than I was and was soon struggling to keep his head up.

And what do I do? Panic. "C-Carlita! Help!"

So that's how all three of us ended up stuck in the mud.

We were stuck there for several hours, trying to keep somewhat afloat, until a Ranger came over and rescued us. He was also nice enough to lead us the rest of the way to Pastoria, though it was the middle of the night, raining, and we were all crying from frustration. (I think that was why he was that nice, though.)

We took one step into the Pokemon Center, however, and were turned away because we were more mud than human or Pokemon. The three of us sat outside in the rain and dark, willing ourselves to get cleaner (but not really accomplishing that as we were sitting in even more mud). Nurse Joy eventually came out and hosed us down--Des didn't approve of that--and let us inside. We sat miserably in front of the fire for the rest of the night, sniffling.

How was I supposed to help Froslass' mystery trainer if I couldn't even handle myself and my own team? If it hadn't been for the Ranger, we'd still be in the mud. Probably dead from cold or suffocation by now. I reached over and pulled Des into my lap, petting his back. That made Carlita decide she wanted to sit on my lap, too, and I was soon sprawled on the ground with my two Pokemon on top of me.

"How am I supposed to angst with you two suddenly so cuddly?" I wheezed. Des craned his neck over and licked my face while Carlita giggled and waved her tail. Eventually, they figured out that I really was in danger of suffocation, so they released me. I sat back up, pressing a hand to my chest. That _had_ to have broken a rib or two. Still, I grinned at the pair of them. "You know, we just wasted the entire night. That means we have to stay up _all day_ today in order to not mess up our sleep schedule. You two brought that on yourselves."

Predictably, we all fell asleep just a half hour after that, just as the morning sun was starting to peek through the windows of the Center.

-.-.-

I jolted awake what felt like minutes later. I blearily looked around, feeling chilled, looking for the Froslass. She was nowhere to be found. I blinked and found the source of my sudden wake-up call: my phone. Its ringing also woke up Carlita, who had rolled away from me and taken Des with her, apparently. I flailed randomly until I managed to grab it, flip it open, and press it crookedly to where I hoped my ear was. "Nngh…?" It was as good a reply as I could muster.

"…Well don't you sound bright-eyed a bushy-tailed," came Nick's voice. I closed my eyes. Not even his call could sufficiently wake me up.

"What…?"

"It's ten. Do you really sleep in this late?"

"We just got to sleep… a little while ago." I paused to yawn, rolling over onto my stomach. I pressed the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I pushed myself up, trying valiantly to get up. The attempt failed and I flopped back down. "…What did you want?"

"Where are you now?" Nick asked, sounding amused. He was probably laughing at me.

"Um… Pastoria," I replied after a few moments of thought. It's hard to remember exact locations when running on a sparse few hours of sleep and the inside of every Center looks pretty much the same. "Why?"

"I'm coming down for a visit." With that, he hung up. I exhaled, willing myself back to sleep--until his words actually registered.

I remained face-down on the floor for a little while longer. "…That means I have to get _up_," I growled into the carpet. Carlita, Des in her arms, rolled back over and deposited him on my back. "No, _up_. Not stay down."

"Bre!"

"Nu."

"Thanks, guys."


	25. Good For Nothing

I hadn't properly seen Nick since Eterna. That seemed like so long ago, even if it was just a sparse couple of months. I was slightly cranky from lack of sleep, but I figured I had enough energy to greet my friend.

My Pokemon, however, were _way_ past the 'cranky' stage. After actually getting _punched_ by Carlita, I decided to let them sleep in their pokeballs. They could be social later. Preferably when they would behave themselves.

I was waiting outside the Pokemon Center when the shadow passed by overhead. I instinctively looked up, only to see one of the largest, fiercest birds ever dropping out of the sky towards me. I skittered back inside the building to watch from the safety of glass in between us. The bird halted its dive with an expert's precision just above the ground, flapping its overly large, grey wings a few moments to regain its balance. It was then that I noticed the semi-terrified trainer gripping the feathers around its neck with rather white knuckles.

I ran back outside as Nick slid off of the bird, laughing weakly. "G-Good job, Ser…" he muttered, patting its shoulder as it finally settled delicately on the ground. It shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"Ser?" I asked curiously. Nick looked up, jumping slightly. He immediately relaxed into a wide smile.

"Short for Serling, actually. You aren't the only one who shortens nicknames, you know," he replied. He looked back at the bird with a touch of fondness. "She's my Staraptor. Well, kind of mine…" The bird, Serling, apparently, shifted again and clicked her beak. "You can go now. Bye, Ser." With that, he hugged her, and the bird flapped its wings once to get airborne again. She spared me a glare before soaring off.

I stared at him, slightly unnerved. "You… just released her?" I didn't know why that scared me as much as it did. I suddenly wanted to get back inside. Instead, I forcibly calmed my nerves and looked around for the Froslass--after all, she would usually appear at a time like now.

"No, no! Serling is… Well, kind of wild. She comes when I call, but otherwise, doesn't travel with me very often anymore. She just gives me rides these days. It's… kind of complicated." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. I grinned uncertainly at him. I still felt uneasy. Nick walked over and clapped a hand on my shoulder, steering me away from the Center. "We're going for a walk. You look pale. You need some sunlight!"

"Yeah…" I needed sleep, and I needed my Electabuzz back and my allergies to it gone. Still, I walked beside him. He was still my friend, after all.

Nick looked down at me, frowning lightly. "Hey, you okay?" I looked back up at him, blinking innocently. He brushed back my bangs, leaning down a bit to look at my eyes. "…Your eyes are darker. Which of the three did you suffer?"

"What?" I asked blankly, completely caught off guard and clueless.

"The three greater tragedies." He smiled again, but this time, it was strained. "Which of the three happened to you?"

"…I don't know what you're talking about." I wanted to back away from him, but the warmth of his hand on my forehead was too good to pass up. I was too used to Froslass' cold little hand there. "What are the three greater tragedies?"

Nick sighed, straightened, and removed his hand, much to my dismay. "The three greater tragedies of Pokemon training. There are a few minor ones, too… But they're three things that inevitably happen to every trainer, as much as everyone would wish they didn't." He held up three fingers, taking one down for each he named. "The first is that you lose so many battles that you just give up. It's the hardest one to fix, precisely because it _can_ be fixed. It breaks your spirit; you have to rebuild it. The other two are a bit more… permanent.

"The second is when you have to release a Pokemon. You _have_ to. Whatever the reasons, it'll happen." He paused too long before taking down the second finger. "…Finally, the third greater tragedy is a Pokemon's death. It can happen in battle, or from old age, or from anything… really…"

I didn't like the far-off look he suddenly got. Each of them inevitably happened to a trainer, right? It looked as if he had recently suffered one of those. I reached over and tugged on his sleeve, a little desperately, because that look really scared me. Pokemon training was supposed to be happy, albeit tough, and no one should have to look like that while thinking about their own team. "I-I caught an Electabuzz, Nick."

"Oh?" Just like that, he was instantly smiling and bright again. I relaxed and let go of the fabric. "Wait--"

"--I had to release it."

"…Oh."

"I was, um, really allergic to it. _Really_ allergic…" Why did it sound like such an excuse now? I had desperately wanted to keep that Electabuzz. It was my first captured Pokemon, it was awesome, and it was probably the strongest on my team. "I didn't _want_ to get rid of it, but I couldn't go near it, so I just gave it away…"

"I'm sorry, but it's alright." Nick gave me a hug, and that seemed to be all I needed. All was well once more.

-.-.-

"So, how many badges you have?" Nick asked around a mouthful of sandwich. I, as opposed to his actual meal, was currently picking through a salad; as much as my Pokemon ate my food, I figured that they'd eat this, too. I had noticed that Des was getting bigger, and not height-wise, either. Pokemon had to eat healthy, too, right?

"Three, now."

"Congrats. Which three?"

"Well, Gardenia's, Roark's, and Fantina's."

Nick choked on his bite. After recovering, though admittedly losing a fair portion of his dignity, he asked, "Haven't you battled Maylene or--oh, come on, you could totally take Crasher Wake…" I tried not to flinch at the thought of taking on the water Gym leader. "Isn't that why you got Carlita? To battle against water types?"

"Yeah, but… She's only one Pokemon…" I muttered, sighing as Des stole my last tomato. Carlita growled at him for it, and tried to whack him with her tail. The only problem was that I was sitting between them; she inadvertently got my back as well. Watery-eyed, I glared at her. "And she doesn't _behave_ very well, either."

My Breloom at least had the grace to look apologetic. She pushed one of the carrots she had stolen earlier back onto my plate, trying to make amends.

"If you're that paranoid about it, then go challenge Maylene first for training. She's a fighting type, so you don't have any weaknesses. Oh--! I know!" Nick brightened, making me wary. The last time he was so cheerful, he made a bet with me which I subsequently lost. I still hadn't paid him back, either, even though he said I didn't have to… "Take on Byron! He's the steel type. Both your Pokemon have advantages against that!"

"Huh?"

"Des is fire, and Carlita is now fighting. Both are good against steel types. You could take him on, and I bet it'd be a pretty easy match."

I took a sip of my drink, thinking it over and trying to ignore Carlita as she stole back the carrot from my plate. "…Isn't he the sixth Gym, though…?"

"Fantina was the fifth," he retorted. I ducked my head. I hadn't realized that when I'd challenged her; I had thought she was the third. "If you want, you can battle Maylene first, and then Byron. _Then_ you have to take on Crasher Wake, though."

"Why?" I asked feebly.

"Don't you want to be the Champion? Last time I checked, you need eight badges to get to the Elite Four." I squinted and looked away. Why did he have to make sense?

Fielding, I asked, "What ever happened to your Elite Four campaign? I didn't get to watch the rest of Lucian's fight…"

"I beat him that first time. Cynthia completely wiped me out, though." He looked down, poking his sandwich. "I've battled her twice more since then, but I just can't get past her team… I need _my_ Garchomp to take down _her_ Garchomp, but he can never last longer than her Spiritomb, and I always waste so much time trying to take down her Milotic…"

"You--_haven't_ beaten her? But you were so good against Lucian!" I spluttered, taken aback by his confession. I had figured he'd at least… I don't know. Maybe not become the Champion, but not have trouble!

Nick smiled wryly at my exclamation. "I had a few type advantages and knew how to use them, that's all. Since then, I've swapped out my team a few times, and I've never beaten him as easily as that first time."

"Wait--what?" I gave him a blank stare. My Pokemon took the opportunity to scarf down the rest of my salad.

"…I _do_ have more than six Pokemon, you know," the older trainer said simply. "I actually have enough to make about two and a half teams that are strong enough to battle on fairly even ground with the Elite Four. The rest of them, I'm still training. Buuuuuut I got sick of that. So I'm visiting you and saner country. Do you want dessert?"

"Huh?"

"Your meal has been finished for you. Want anything else? My treat."

I looked down at my plate, somehow unsurprised to find it empty and licked clean. Carlita burped, covering her mouth with a clawed paw. Nick couldn't help but laugh. "…Yeah, a chocolate shake would be nice." If there was only one straw to guard, I might actually get to eat most of it.

"Nu!" Des head butted my elbow. "Numel!"

"Bre! Bre!" Carlita added, tugging on my other arm with a big grin.

"Three chocolate shakes, then."

"Wait--You can't just buy them--" I tried to get away from them to stop Nick from spoiling my team and I further, but my Pokemon were rather hard to get around. So several minutes later, all four of us were sipping chocolate shakes. "…Isn't chocolate bad for Pokemon?" I asked sourly, glaring at my two. We had to sit outside, since Des couldn't walk and drink like we could.

"Only for some. Most can have it in small doses," Nick replied easily.

"I could've paid for it…"

"But you don't make the money I do."

"Don't you lose half of it each time you lose against Cynthia?" I asked flatly.

"Ah, yes, normally that is true. But like most challengers, I figured out a way to cheat the system." I gaped at him, and he must've realized that I genuinely had no idea you could _do_ that, for he elaborated. "Look, the official rules of battling say you have to hand over half of your money, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, technically, you only have to hand over half of what's with you at the time. So you can simply buy a lot of items before battling, or you could deposit your money in a bank. I've heard some people even hand it over to a friend for the duration of their battling spree."

I practically drooled at his wisdom. No longer would I have to worry about money now! I just had to win a few more battles and then stash it away somewhere… "Is that really legal?"

"Pretty much."

"…Wow."

"So, now that you're unafraid to lose money, let's go battle Wake."

"Okay, sure--_wait no_." Paranoia back in full throttle, I crouched down and hid behind Des, setting my drink on his back. He had managed to get me to battle Gardenia, but I'd had an advantage with her. Des was especially weak against water. I wasn't setting foot near that evil Gym because of it. "You're not getting me to go there."

"Why? I think Carlita could handle it."

"What if she can't, though?" I heard her snort of disbelief, but I wasn't going to be dragged, blackmailed, bribed, or otherwise coerced into going to that Gym.

Nick stared down at me, trying to get an edge. No longer was I the weak, scared trainer in Eterna. I had survived three badges, a rogue Abomasnow, the Froslass and her psychotic tendencies, and my own team's craziness. I could survive my idol as well.

I was tied up, blindfolded, gagged, and deposited in front of Crasher Wake twenty minutes later.


	26. Dripping Wet And Clearly Depressed

The second I could speak again, I started yelling. "Nick!! I am going to _get you_! You can't pick on younger trainers like this! I should call the cops! Abuse! Kidnapping! Amber alert!"

The second I could see again, however, I stopped yelling. Nick was trying to contain laughter. Crasher Wake--or the man I assumed was Crasher Wake, for there was no one else he could possibly be--was staring down at me with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "This would be hardly more than a bite for my Gyarados!" he exclaimed with a grin and laugh.

I squeaked and wished the blindfold was back on. Or that I was untied so I could run for it. But, looking around the Gym, I realized that I'd have a better chance if I _swam_ for it. I couldn't even use the terrain to my advantage…

"Hey, the kid's already terrified. Lay off a bit?" Nick asked quietly, though I heard him all the same. Wake nodded seriously, though it didn't look like he was the type to 'lay off a bit'. Looking down at me, Nick asked, "Want the rest of your shake?"

"I will throw that at your head once I get out of here," I snarled, trying to wiggle out from my makeshift bonds (which was really just Nick's hoodie tied around me).

"Is it legal for a trainer to battle like that?" Wake whispered loudly.

"…Well, as long as speech isn't impaired for commands…" Nick replied dubiously, scratching his chin.

"But what about calling out the Pokemon and substitutes?"

"Oh, this'll be a one-Pokemon crusade."

"I am _not_ battling!!" I spat, still wiggling vainly on the ground at their feet. It gave me a bit of hope that the Gym leader wasn't all for the idea, however. Maybe I could still get out of this…

"This is a rather unorthodox way to battle… But Crasher Wake likes challenges! I won't use my arms, either, then!" There went that bit of hope.

What further sapped my hope is that Carlita wasn't in the least worried that her trainer was bound on the floor behind her. She was completely gung-ho. I blamed the chocolate shake; if she hadn't had all that sugar, maybe she would see the sense of taking on a Gym leader by herself…

Crasher Wake managed to balance a pokeball on his head long enough to call out, "Go, Gyarados!" Then, he proceeded to let it fall, and kick it into the water. (Kind of like what he did with my hopes to get out of this intact.)

The Gyarados burst out of the water, showering us all, and gave a mighty roar. Carlita flinched back, but resumed bouncing on her feet, tail waving, all the same. I tried to inch back to give them more room--because honestly, who would want to get _closer_ to a _Gyarados_?--and shouted, "Carlita! Use a Mega Drain!"

"Uh-oh." Nick walked over to sit beside me, watching the battle with interest.

"Uh-oh? What do you mean, 'uh-oh'?!"

Carlita pulled off the move easily, but it didn't do nearly as much damage as I'd been hoping for. (Though truthfully, I had been hoping for a one-hit KO.) The Gyarados reared back and tried to Bite her, but she danced out of the way with a shriek. Nick smiled helplessly and said, "Gyarados is part flying type. This means whatever advantage she had with her grass moves is gone; they will do normal damage. Also, her fighting moves' damage is halved…"

"You let me fight him knowing that?!" I snarled, trying to get into a position where I could either kick or bite him.

"Thrash, Gyarados!" Crasher Wake called from across the arena.

"I had forgotten about his Gyarados… His other Pokemon definitely still have a weakness to grass moves, though! I swear."

I didn't hear him, since I was busy screaming at Carlita to dodge the thrashing Gyarados. That was easier said than done, even for my dancing Breloom. Eventually, she got hit by its tail and was thrown across the arena into the far wall of the building. It was an instant knock-out.

-.-.-

Even after Nick _graciously_ carried me back out, untied me, and walked me back to the Center, I was still not speaking to him. There was a _reason_ I had been avoiding the water Gym. Me being cranky from lack of sleep probably didn't help matters.

"It was a good try. And you learned that you'll have to go up against a Gyarados at some point, right? At least it didn't know any flying moves, so there's that to be thankful for, too…"

"Why do I care if it knew flipping flying moves?" I rubbed furiously at my eyes, tired, angry, and trying to pretend I wasn't about to cry. It had been a _long_ time since I'd lost a battle, and an even longer time since I had been trounced so easily.

Delighted that I was seemingly talking to him once more, Nick explained, "Well, Carlita is a dual grass and fighting Pokemon, right? Both of those are weak against flying types, kind of like how Des is doubly weak to water--oh, hold on, don't start--"

"Carlita is--she has the same sort of weakness?!" I screeched, wide awake once more.

He shrunk back sheepishly. "I thought you knew…"

"…What _else_ might you think I already know?" I asked suspiciously. My night was already ruined from the battle, so I might as well get all of the bad news now and get it over with. Hopefully tomorrow would be better…

"If you _really_ want to start hating flying types, Des' ground attacks won't hit them, either, so if you ever came across a bird, your only shot at beating it would be his fire attacks." Incidentally, that's what had happened against every bird we'd fought so far, though more on coincidence than strategy. Nick snapped his fingers, trying to catch my attention again before I fell back into my dark daze. "I'd suggest investing in another Pokemon."

"I already tried that," I retorted morosely. So Carlita was weak against birds, and Des could only hit them with half of his attacks… If I ever came across a water and flying type, I was toast.

"It doesn't _have_ to be an electric type, though it'd go well with your team in progress… Ice Pokemon are also good against flying Pokemon."

I felt a shiver go down my spine and instinctively looked around for the Froslass. "No. No ice types." As if the Abomasnow trauma wasn't enough… I wasn't sure I could trust myself around anything that reminded me of both of those nasty Pokemon.

"Then electric it is. You know, it would also help with your hydrophobia. Gyarados is part flying and part water, so it is doubly weak to electricity. If you trained this third Pokemon up to where Des and Carlita currently are, I'd bet you money that it could take down the Gyarados in one Thunderbolt."

That definitely sounded tempting. It would also take care of Carlita's problem… "But… What if I come across another Pokemon that's doubly weak to something?"

"Go for something that specifically _isn't_. A pure electric type, or another dual type that doesn't share weaknesses… It's just bad luck that you ended up with two on your team, but chances are that you won't catch a third with that problem," Nick reassured me.

"Knowing my luck…"

"True, but I'll come along and make sure that doesn't happen. We'll also train up your team and take on Maylene and Byron. Then you'll come back to beat Crasher Wake no problem."

"I don't like your plan."

"You'll have to fight him eventually. Don't you want to get to the Elite Four?"

After much thought and debating over the pros and cons of having my long-in-coming mental breakdown now, I sighed and mumbled, "…Yes."

"Then Maylene, Byron, and then Crasher Wake. That'll give you six badges. You shouldn't have too many problems with the last two, right?" I frowned, knowing that I'd have to return to Snowpoint for one of those. I'd also have to go back to Sunyshore… As long as the leader didn't have an Electabuzz, I should be able to battle him, though. I eventually nodded, earning another smile from Nick. "Now, for a third Pokemon…"

-.-.-

"Why are we back _here_ again?" I whispered. Nick and I were both laying on our stomachs in the tall grass on Route 222, Des out beside me and his Marowak (which I decided I wanted one of), Dusty, sitting completely motionless beside us, his bone raised in his paw.

"There are Magnemite on this Route," he whispered in reply. "I think Magneton, too. Maybe we'll get lucky. They're steel and electric, so they don't share any weaknesses, and steel type have good defense, too, so it might be handy to have something that can take a hit…"

"My Pokemon can take a hit," I said pathetically, hugging Des. Nick rolled his eyes at me.

"It doesn't hurt to have a tank, that's all I'm saying…"

"…What's with your Marowak, anyway? Dusty?"

"What about him?"

"…_Dusty_?" It sounded like something a little kid would come up with.

"You know, like 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust'…?"

"That's a horrible name!" I hissed, though it was fitting for the creature with the bone mask and bone weapon.

"Says the one who named a Pokemon _Pedestal_."

"…Touché. Anyway--what is he doing? Won't he be seen?" I nodded over to where the Marowak sat, arm still raised, perfectly still.

"He's our lightning rod. Any electric attacks will immediately go to him, and electricity doesn't affect ground Pokemon." Nick grinned proudly. I could see the sense in that, and decided that if Dusty wanted to play guard Pokemon, be it far from me to complain.

"Wait… Numel are part ground, aren't they? Does that mean that electric attacks won't work?"

"Yup. Any electric Pokemon can zap away to their heart's content, and Des won't feel it in the least."

Sweet. I found out an advantage instead of a disadvantage. That usually didn't happen. "That's awe-awe-ah-_choo_!!" I found out immediately that an Electabuzz was near. And, thanks to my unfortunately timed sneeze, it found out that we were near, too. It was upwind from us and a little behind, which was why we hadn't spotted it earlier.

"Buzzzzz!" With a menacing crackle of electricity, it swung its arms and loped over toward us.

"Run!" We both scrambled to our feet, half jumping, half wading through the tall grass. Behind us, Des and Dusty stood loyally between the Electabuzz and our retreat.

Either Dusty's lightning-rod-ness attracted electric Pokemon, or we just had really bad luck, because the moment I turned around to see how far away we were, I managed to literally run _in_to a Pokemon. With a metallic clang, my head collided with something cold and hard. I immediately went down, dazed, and vaguely aware of the sensation of something warm on my lips.

There was a loud roar right overhead, and right as I was regaining my orientation, I saw what I dimly recognized as Nick's Garchomp tackling a silver, round thing out of the air. Just as suddenly as that happened, Nick was leaning over me, looking worried and yelling over the battles, "Hold on! Sit up, you have to stop that bleeding--!"

"Bl-Bleeding?" I immediately sat up, spitting out what I found to be blood from my mouth.

"It's just a bloody nose. Tilt your head back and pinch your nose, like this." He demonstrated and I soon followed.

"Does this really work?"

"I don't know, but it gives you something to do. Dusty, Bonemerang! Chase, Dragonbreath! Now come on, we better get out of here. Go, recall Des." Nick ducked as his Garchomp and its victim somersaulted through the air just over our heads. Still holding my nose, I scrambled over to where Des was spitting fire at the Electabuzz, which was angrily attempting to electrocute both he and Dusty, but to no avail.

"Des, come on back! Uh, Dusty, you better retreat, too!" Des turned and looked at me, twitching his ears. The Marowak beside him snorted and ignored me. I fished through my pockets until I found Des' pokeball, but with a sneeze, I dropped it and had to fish through the grass for it. What I grabbed squawked--it was _not_ a pokeball.

A small, white, angry bird flapped its wings a few times, trying to get me to let go of its tail. I hastily let go, but it just turned on me and soaked me with a Water Gun. I sneezed again as I wiped wet hair out of my eyes and ignored the bloody water running down my chin. I ducked under another Water Gun, looking for Des' ball, trying to stop sneezing while keeping out of the way.

Finally, something _else_ must have crashed onto the scene (or maybe Nick got tired of waiting), because he shouted, "Grab Des!" I knew better than to question that tone of voice, so I just jumped forward and latched on to my Numel's neck. Not a moment later, something grabbed the back of my shirt, there was the call of "Teleport!" and I was suddenly kneeling on carpet, safe inside the relative quiet of a Pokemon Center. Des and I looked around curiously.

Nick collapsed beside us, laughing weakly, one arm around a Magmar. Dusty let go of its tail as it burned (though he probably was). "Okay, I think your bad luck is starting to rub off on me. That's _never_ happened before."

"What, that every wild Pokemon on the Route was out for our blood, or that we were ambushed and nearly beaten to death?" I replied wryly, tilting back my head and pinching my nose once more. Nurse Joy and her Chansey just seemed to notice our arrival and was already fussing over the blood.

"Well, both. Mostly, I was surprised that everything seemed so aggressive there. Do you have to get attacked by every wild Pokemon you meet? Is it some sort of quota you're filling, or a rule I'm unaware of…?"

"You two! What are you doing? What happened to you both?!" The pink-haired nurse bustled over, bandages at the ready. I just let go of Des and flopped onto my back, ignoring the sensation of blood running down the back of my throat.

"Sorry, ma'am. Just had a bit of an… accident."

"To say the least. Just look at you two," she scolded, leaning over us with her hands planted on her hips. "You're not that trainer I've been hearing so much about… are you…?"

"Huh?" I blinked up at her.

"You _are_." She sighed, trying to smile and failing at it. I blinked again; I had a reputation? "Well, come on, both of you. Looks like you have a bloody nose, and you--! What happened to your hands?!" I raised my head to look at Nick, who was looking down at his hands with a guilty expression. They were scraped pretty badly, and I gave him a sympathy wince.

"I had to grab my Garchomp, and--"

"Both of you, on your feet. Into the examination room. You're getting blood and dirt _all_ over the lobby." We were force-marched into one of the rooms of the Center I was more familiar with, having been injured enough to recognize its white walls immediately. I stood, head still tilted back, and Nick sat down on the table. Des, Dusty and the Magmar awkwardly followed us, until we were ordered to return our Pokemon.

Then I realized that Des' pokeball was still on Route 222.


	27. Will You Keep On Trying To Prove It

I spent the rest of the night in fear that someone would find Des' pokeball and he would belong to them, then. Everyone in the Center told me that that was complete nonsense, but it made sense to me. Or maybe it was leftover trauma I had been unaware of earlier from when Des had been stolen from me.

I 'awoke' to find myself in the white world. "What do you want now?!"

There was no reply. I whirled around in a circle, looking for the Froslass, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"You're not even going to come out?! …Well, good! I don't want to have to deal with you right now, Froslass," I called, half-hoping to bait her enough for her to appear. If it was possible, it was even creepier in there alone. "I have my own problems, you know. I don't have to always look for your idiot trainer!"

"Froslass? Is that who usually appears here?"

I jumped and turned to look at who had spoken. Suddenly, I wasn't alone anymore; there was a girl standing right beside me. She was tall, with tan skin and pink hair. That was all I could see, for she was wearing a cloak that matched her hair, and it covered her body from shoulders to toes.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously. I had never seen this girl before in my life, so who was she to butt into my dreams?!

"I'm the goddess of love," she replied with a giggle.

"…What." I squinted at her, trying to see if she was being serious or not.

"You're not supposed to know who I am. That's why I don't look like myself, see?" She twirled on the spot. She then returned her stare to me. I couldn't help but notice that she did have a rather unnatural stare… "Froslass. Is she coming to you in dreams?"

"More or less."

"What has she been saying?"

"She wants me to save her trainer… I just don't know who he is. Do you know what her problem is? Or who her trainer is?" The girl seemed to know Froslass, at least. Maybe that meant she could help me in this quest I'd been blackmailed into.

"…Save… him?" Her already large eyes got impossibly larger. I took a step back, just as she burst out laughing and rocked back, thankfully closing her eyes in the process. "Save him? _That's_ what she's trying to do after all of this?"

"So you know her--him? You know them both?" I asked eagerly.

"I…" she paused, wiping a tear from her eye, "…am sympathetic to her cause, even if I don't fully believe in it myself. Tell me, has she told you the circumstances behind her _release_?" There was a certain emphasis she placed on the last word that made me uneasy.

I tilted my head, wondering just how loaded the question was. "…No. Just that she was released." In the end, I decided honesty was the best policy. I was more or less safe in the white world, but who knew if this girl could do anything to my physically. I wanted to wake up again, preferably. "Wait--how come you can get into my dream?! Froslass could only get in because she knew some move, and even then, her talking was… weird. Like I was hearing it in my mind or something."

"She was using Dream Eater. I'm not," the girl replied, scuffling her bare feet on the white floor. She turned back to me, staring at me with her large eyes. "She was released because she was weak. She wouldn't follow orders. Ask her about it if you ever see her again."

"I will," I lied. There was no way I was asking a Pokemon who could freeze me with a breath anything that would obviously set her off.

"Are you going to help her trainer?" she asked, obviously trying to stop from laughing.

"Why is that such a funny topic to you?" I demanded.

Finally, she burst out laughing once more, holding her sides. I tapped my foot as I waited for her to stop. When she did, she looked up at me with a watery smile, and replied, "Because it's too late for you to help him."

Before I could do anything else, she reached out and placed a finger against my forehead. My eyelids drooped, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

I jerked awake what felt like moments later. Something had just hit my chest, and that something rather hurt. "Ehh--" I sat up and hit my head on the bottom bunk of the bed and consequently went back down.

"I'm sorry for yesterday, but there's Des' pokeball back," Nick said from above me.

"R-Right…" I gingerly sat back up, rubbing my head, looking down at the pokeball on my stomach. "…Thank you! How did you find it?" Des looked up, woken up by the talking. I showed him his ball with a grin. He halfheartedly licked it and fell back asleep.

"I was out all night with Vasudeva and Chase. Eventually, we found it. You know, wild Pokemon don't come near me when I'm on my own. Do you attract them somehow?"

"Probably." I returned Des, setting the pokeball on my pillow, next to Carlita's.

"I'd invest in some Repels if I were you," Nick replied airily. He seemed oddly distant. Was it because he'd felt obligated to find Des' pokeball? Or was he mad at me for it?

"Sorry…" I mumbled, though unsure of what it should be for.

He either didn't hear me or decided to bypass an awkward apology session by ignoring it, because he finally smiled and said, "Ready to find an electric Pokemon?"

Just like that, things went back to normal. I bristled, glaring at him. "I'm not going out into the wild just to get mauled again!"

"You'll never make it past Crasher Wake's Gyarados without an electric Pokemon." He laced his hands behind his head, playing nonchalant. "And then you'll never make it to the Elite Four or the Champion…"

"…I'll buy another Pokemon, then. I don't trust Route 222 and I'm _not_ going back there again."

"You don't have that much money."

"I wonder whose fault _that_ is."

"Point taken. But it's so much easier to just go out and catch a Pokemon, isn't it?"

"For normal trainers." I didn't seem to fall into that category, especially lately.

"Once again, point taken." Nick sat down beside me as I sat up, grinning at my bed head. "I'll tell you what. I'll get you an electric Pokemon--"

"No thanks. I'd like to at least acquire my team on my own, thanks. And what am I, anyway? Some sort of pet project of yours?" I tried to glare at him, but I really wasn't all that angry anymore, so the attempt fell rather flat. Why _was_ he trying so hard to help me? People just didn't go out of their way to help others, especially when there was nothing in it for them. Not that I doubted Nick, personally, but I learned enough already on my journey that it wasn't wise to trust too much.

"Kind of. I'll admit I'm using you to pass the time while I try to get over my frustration with the Elite Four."

At least he was honest. I sighed happily, relieved that he wasn't along for the ride on this. "I can respect that," I replied cheerfully. It also meant that I didn't have to feel so bad for accepting his help, even if it got me injured, lost me money and dignity, and further advanced my many complexes about training.

"Well aren't you a cynical little kid." He ruffled my hair, only worsening the bed head. "Also, I was hoping to drop you off at Veilstone while I take care of some business."

"Wait--what?" I removed his hand, staring at him from beneath it. Hadn't we basically just agreed to travel together? Why was he leaving again?

"In Veilstone, that's where Maylene is. You can battle her and collect your fourth badge," Nick said simply.

"No, not that. Why am I being ditched?" I couldn't help the accusation.

"You're not! I just have to go to Route 212, and as I recall, you swore never to return to that place as long as you lived." He put his hands up defensively in front of him, speaking quickly to try to justify himself.

"I did…? When?" I didn't remember that Route.

"It's the one with the bogs."

"_Oh._" He was right in the fact that I swore never to return, and I was fully intent on doing so. Still, I didn't want to separate again so soon; we had just gotten to see each other again! And we hadn't shared nearly so many traumatic experiences as Hanna and I had on our expedition, so obviously that quota needed to be filled as well.

But Nick had a life. He was already a strong contender to become the next Champion, he was a fully-fledged trainer, and he obviously had something else he needed to do.

So, hanging my head, I mumbled, "…Can you drop me off at Jubilife instead?"

-.-.-

We walked from Jubilife, because it was easier to get dropped off there than to shout directions from the back of a Staraptor traveling faster than I'd cared for. I found out that I wasn't fond of the move Fly, too.

Curiously, Des seemed to brighten. Maybe he recognized it as a place we'd been to before, or maybe he just liked the fact that he was stronger than the wild Pokemon again. Carlita bounced around as happily as ever, but aside from some screeching in Jubilife, it looked as if she didn't remember any of this portion of the world. Maybe evolving had given her a memory block, or maybe she really was that ditzy…

Hopefully it wasn't the former.

I looked sideways at Pedestal. He hadn't evolved yet. Would he forget some of the things he learned as a Numel when he became a… whatever he'd become? Would his personality change at all? Carlita became more agile with her evolution, but I think that was because she got some real legs. She also seemed to smile more, but then again, she had been stuck with a perpetual scowl as a Shroomish… I decided I couldn't base a lot of things on her. She was a bad example.

"So… Des…" I said awkwardly. I cast about for a topic in the ensuing silence. I had just wanted some noise, but as for an actual conversation, I had no clue what to say. Actually, since I couldn't understand him, it wouldn't be much of a conversation to begin with.

It was then that I decided I failed as a trainer. I didn't know what my starter evolved into, I was allergic to the only Pokemon I'd ever caught, I had problems with favoring the two I was left with, and to top it all off, I couldn't even understand my Pokemon.

"Uh… Wait up, guys." Carlita had skipped ahead of us, and even Des was plodding along ahead of me. Both turned to look at me questioningly. "Let's go back to Jubilife. I want to see if they have something in stock…" I had seen several ads for different Pokemon translators, and maybe it was about time I invested in one.

It was late afternoon when we arrived back in Jubilife. It was even more crowded than it had been earlier in the day, which made moving around difficult, even after I returned my two Pokemon. I was also wary of everyone I passed. I had not forgotten the thief from the last time I'd been in town. By sticking to the less-crowded back streets and using my small stature (which I was suddenly thankful for) to avoid the masses, I managed to cross town to one of the larger electronic stores.

There was a man at the counter with the store clerk, so I wandered the store, searching the shelves for a Pokemon translator. There were a lot of things, new Poketches, watches, radios, even small, what I assumed was supposed to be 'portable' televisions. (I knew I didn't want to lug one of those around all day.) I couldn't find any sort of translator, however.

I peeked up over a shelf of cell phones. The man was still talking to the clerk--I did an immediate double-take. That wasn't a man; that was a Pokemon!

It stood on two legs and was even wearing what appeared to be some sort of fancy jacket, which was how I had mistaken it for human to begin with. I leaned over the shelf, listening for the first time. The store clerk was talking to it, and must have been getting answers somehow, for it seemed to be half of a conversation. "--yeah, we just got some of those in, actually! …Oh, really? That's interesting. Well, wish her a happy birthday from me too! …Hope you all enjoy Jubilife and Sinnoh then, sir!"

The Pokemon took a small box from the man and turned to leave. It stopped just as it passed me, however, and looked down at me with a flat expression, half hidden by a fringe of green. I shrunk back, holding a phone in front of me protectively. It tilted its head to one side, as if puzzled by my behavior. "…_Adieu, mesdemoiseaux,_" I heard in my mind.

_It's a psychic Pokemon!_ I realized immediately, staring at the Pokemon as it departed with a new eye. It looked pretty awesome, and was a psychic… Maybe I should just get one of those to sweep aside any watery opposition.

"A French Gallade. You don't see many of them around," the store clerk commented absently. I skittered over to the counter, having ditched the phone. If I had a psychic Pokemon, I wouldn't need a translator; I had heard of psychics translating their teammates for their trainers before, after all. Apparently it was a fairly common occurrence. "People these days are so curious about Pokemon and their language, but they just don't realize that we still have other languages in our own species. I wonder if it'd help at all if we stopped to understand each other first," he said, leaning on the counter. "So! What can I get for you today?"

"…A Pokemon translator," I said miserably, fully aware that I knew no other languages.


	28. And It's Us Who'll Have To Pay

The sun had already disappeared when I finally got out of the store with my translator. It had cost all of my money--actually, it had cost _more_ than what I had, but the store clerk was kind and let me have it for a few thousand cheaper. I vowed to take all of my electronics-related business to him from then on. So I was broke now, but at least I could speak to my Pokemon.

I was actually kind of scared of that, actually. I kept putting it off--wait until I get out of Jubilife, wait until I get to the forest, wait five more minutes… Pokemon were creepy, scary things. Froslass I could communicate with, and look how she treated me. Plus, what if Des and Carlita had been insulting me during the entire journey? I didn't know what they were saying.

Eventually, I had to stop, take a deep breath, and tell myself that I was just being stupid. I dropped the two pokeballs in my hands, blinking as my night vision was lost in the resulting flashes of light.

"_Hey!_" Carlita called at once. I could only blink in astonishment as she pointed past me and bounded over to whatever she had decided to pay attention to. The first word of Pokemon speech I ever heard--at least translated--and it's my Breloom's OCD setting in.

"_What's that?_" Des asked blankly, looking past me to where she was fawning and prancing around something on the ground. I couldn't help but laugh at their synthesized voices. The translator came with something like twenty different voices they would play for different Pokemon, so it actually sounded somewhat like _they_ were talking, not the headphones on my ears.

"_Look! It's a pokeball! I want this one. It's mine now._" She tried to pick it up in her claws, but fumbled it.

"You already have one, Carlita," I told her, walking over. Des waddled on behind me.

Carlita turned and stared at me. "…_Trainer understands me_," she whispered to Des, keeping her eyes on me.

I cringed. Trainer? Is that what they called me, _really_? "Carlita, I--" I was cut off as my Numel came up behind me and knocked my legs out from under me, just as Carlita jumped forward and hugged me around the waist.

"_Trainer knows what we're talking about now! Trainer, we can talk!_"

"_I think it's this thi--_" Des reached up and pulled the headset off, and his human voice was abruptly cut off. "…Nu? Numel, mel?"

"Bre-Breloom!" Carlita wailed.

"Hey, give that back--I don't know what you two are saying--" I made a grab for it, but just as I hooked my fingers under it (it was pretty hard to grab anything while having to try to keep upright with a Numel under you and a Breloom on top), there was a scream. It wasn't one of Carlita's shouts or screeches, either. It was one of those screams you hear in horror movies, the high-pitched, long, drawn-out ones.

All three of us froze, suddenly aware that we were alone in a dark forest at night.

I slowly took the headset back from Des, putting it over my ears again. It had been a human scream, of that I was… fairly sure. I put a finger over my mouth, telling them to be quiet, and wiggled out from between them. Carlita was instantly on her feet again, tail waving, and Des eventually rolled over onto his stubby little legs.

I crept over towards the side of the path, just in case I needed to make a dash for cover. My Pokemon stuck close by, glancing fearfully around. Des was pressed up against my leg, making it rather hard to walk without stepping on him, and Carlita wouldn't let go of my arm. If we were suddenly attacked, my best chance was that we all decided to run in the same direction. Otherwise, we would be horror film fodder.

I took a step forward. The ground under my foot rolled away from me and I fell backwards onto Des with a shout. Carlita screamed, clinging to us both. Just after that, there was an answering scream, somewhere just down the path. I clamped a hand over Carlita's mouth, looked down to make sure Des wasn't following suit, and then slowly sat up. Nothing jumped out at us, at least.

"_What was that?_" Des asked in a low voice. His quietness made the headphones crackle, and I winced.

"I don't know…" I peered into the darkness. No figures. So instead, I looked around for the thing that made me trip. It was just a few feet in front of us: the pokeball that Carlita had found earlier. I reached over and picked it up. This was a well-traveled path; why had no one picked up the item before?

I carefully stood up, or as carefully as I could, considering I still had two Pokemon clinging rather forcefully to me. I took another step, this time glancing down to make sure I would land on the ground. Yep. Then another step, and then another. It wasn't until the fourth step that I finally managed to trip over my Pokemon. I had been expecting it, at least, since they were pressed so close, and managed not to make any noises.

The pokeball fell out of my hands, however, hit the ground, and then opened with a flash of white light.

All three of us screamed when a veritable monster popped out. I hardly got a good look at it before Carlita hopped over me, stepping on my back on the process, and probably tried punching it. All I know was that it was bigger than I was, and was roaring. That alone brought back too many memories of the Abomasnow.

I was suddenly on my hands and knees, searching frantically for its pokeball. It came from it, so it could go back in, and that would save us. "Pokeball! The--The pokeball!" I shouted, trying to find it while the roaring and screeching in front of us continued on.

"_I'll find it!_" The deeper male voice told me that it was Des who spoke, and suddenly, the forest path was illuminated by a bright, warm glow. I turned around and found a spout of what appeared to be lava erupting from my Numel's back, all while he was turning his head right and left, looking for the pokeball.

Some of the lava landed on the monster, I saw as I turned back to my search. Since the scene was illuminated, I also saw it, and identified it at once (after all, it had been on my list of starters way back when)--Kangaskhan. Why a trainer's Kangaskhan was out in the middle of nowhere, I had no idea, but at least I knew what we were up against.

I also now knew that Carlita's Mach Punch would be super effective.

"Carlita! Keep punching it while we try to find the pokeball!"

"_Gotcha!_" The synthetic voice sounded all too eager to comply.

Then, the Kangaskhan's roar dropped into something more intelligible. Actually, it was still gibberish to me, but the translator picked it up nonetheless. "_Oooh ate el? Oooh 'ey cossee?!_"

The fact that it was speaking in tongues only frightened us all more. Behind me, Des' attack was finally dying off, leaving a reddish glow while we all tried to recover our night vision. Just before I went temporarily blind again, I caught a glint of reflected light. I dove for it, gratefully closing my hands over the cool metal of the pokeball.

"Return!" I called, nearly sobbing with relief. The monster vanished with a beam of red life and one final roar. I sat back and leaned against Des' warm back, hoping nothing caught on fire. Carlita, panting, plopped down beside us.

"_Trainer, what was that?_" she asked.

"A Kangaskhan. Someone else's. I don't know whose, but… What was it saying? Do either of you know?" Both of them shook their heads. I sighed; of course it couldn't be that easy. "…Well, someone obviously lost their Pokemon. And if I had a Kangaskhan, I'd definitely want it back."

"_Trainer, what about that scream from earlier?_" Des asked, twitching his ears as he craned his neck around to see me.

"…You too?" I asked dully. Why did they both feel the need to call me trainer? Had they always done that? "I have a name…--"

Just then, the bushes immediately to our right rustled. Something was coming through. Before any of us could even get to our feet, however, out came our would-be attacker: a little girl. She tumbled to the ground, looking up at us with tears and mess and a sobbed jumble of words my translator refused to hear. I gave up on it and took it off, hanging it around my neck while I tried to simultaneously get to my feet and help her up.

"Um, what's wrong?" I asked lightly. Instead of answering, she spotted Carlita for the first time, and let out a high-pitched scream that perfectly matched the one we heard before. Ears ringing, I bent down and tried to block my Breloom from her view. She immediately calmed down again and clung to my shirtfront.

After several moments of sobbed talking, I realized that she was speaking in another language. And, from the slurred sound of it plus the Gallade earlier today, I was guessing French. Putting another two and two together, I figured she must have gotten lost from her French parents on their French vacation and was now screaming French at me.

Too bad I didn't understand French.

-.-.-

It took quite awhile, but eventually I calmed the little girl down, convinced her that Carlita wasn't a monster, and started a fire with some help from Des and his new Lava Plume move. I had planned on getting to my destination that night, but plans changed. This little girl needed some help, was obviously lost (I could sympathize with that), and maybe I could get her rich French parents to give me a reward if I returned her.

"You were screaming earlier. Are you afraid of the dark?" I asked conversationally. Mostly, I was trying to get her to keep talking while I fiddled with the translator. If it could handle Pokemon to English, maybe it could be changed to French to English.

"_Je ne parle pas Anglais!_" she exclaimed. Either I was getting good at understanding her, or the whole 'I don't speak English' thing was too obvious. She stared moodily at me from a few feet away, not wanting to get any closer, but clearly not wanting to stray too far, either. I judged her to be around three or four, and was definitely one of the pampered little princess types.

"Was there a monster or something?" I asked, mostly to myself.

I was not expecting her serious, enthusiastic reply of "_Oui! Un monstre!_" The accent was thick and childish, but I could recognize the word 'monster' easily.

I looked up at her, still messing with the translator. "Huh? Really?" Somehow, I doubted she'd come across a lost Kangaskhan as well. So what had scared her so bad? "Was it a Pokemon? Um… Le Pokemon?" That was about the extent of my French.

"_Je ne sais pas!_" she whimpered, edging closer. She looked down at Des, who sat between us with his feet tucked under his stomach. "…_Je l'aime_," she added, turning towards me again.

"Uh, okay…" Boy, this was awkward. I was never more grateful for the fact that Pokemon could understand humans before--"Des, can you understand her?"

"_I don't speak that language,_" he replied simply.

"…How does _that_ work? You can understand me, and… Why can't you understand her?"

"_The humans speak English here. So I learned that._" He snorted out a plume of smoke, then turned to me with one lidded eye. "_Trainer, just because I can understand you doesn't mean I can understand all human languages._"

"No need to get so snippy…" I muttered, drawing my knees up to his chest while staring at him reproachfully. Was he always like that? "Hey, girl, what did the monster look like?"

She tilted her head to the side and stared at me in confusion.

I sighed. I then reached over and pulled on Des' ears. "Yellow? This color?"

Color seemed to be the understandable word, because she brightened and shook her head. "_Non, non! Noir! Ac__é__r__é__!_"

Yet again, the language barrier kept us separated. I set my chin on my knees and stared at the fire, trying to ignore the now-awkward silence. Instead, I tried to figure out what might be out there in the forest. Sure, wild Pokemon, but there was nothing too frightening in this area… right? It was also true that she was a little girl and those tended to scare easily, but again… what could be scary enough to produce that much screaming?

I found out when the monster crashed into our campsite, snarling and hissing. Its dark fur stood out on end and its tail lashed out violently behind it.

What was the worst part, though, was not the surprise of its arrival, or the shriek that the little girl released that made my ears ring even through the translator's headset, or the fact that I honestly thought it was frothing at the mouth. What was the worst part was that I could _understand_ it. "_There you are, you filthy, vulgar, horrendous humans! I've finally caught up with you! I'll rip your flesh from your bones and drink your blood, I'll spit on your ashes and I'll dance on your graves! I'll pluck your eyes out from your skull and rip open your throats myself, and I've finally caught up with you! Now you shall see what it means to trespass in my territory!_"


	29. I Sing To Her A Lullaby

The little girl started screaming. Carlita followed suit immediately. I also started--that was, until I realized something.

For all of the words and snarls that the monster was spitting at us - "_You worthless humans, I will rip open your pelts and drain your blood from them!_" - which still sent shivers down my spine, and for all of the screaming going on, and for the fact that it was nearing midnight in a dark forest, and for all of the stress of the night thus far, I suddenly wasn't afraid anymore.

I wasn't afraid because the monster was knee-high to me.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see if this was a trick of the flickering firelight or not. It was still speaking ("_I shall drag your carcasses out of this forest and hang them from trees!_"), and the translator was giving it a voice deeper and much more ominous than Des', but it didn't change the fact that it was _tiny_.

"Will the two of you _stop screaming_?!" I finally snapped. The minute monster's threats, mixed with two sets of screams, was starting to give me a headache, not to mention make me a little ill. It didn't help that its words were getting more colorful and descriptive.

"_I'll have your bones for my breakfast and I will pull your heart from your chest and wrap its arteries around your necks to suffocate you!_"

Now I was getting seriously creeped out again, and not even its small stature could make up for the raw venom in its voice. Finally, it shouted something, and it, combined with the two screams, overloaded the headset. I promptly got an earful of feedback until I managed to wrench it off my head. My ears rang, though, which cut out all other sounds.

Des suddenly looked up, and the little girl froze, stopping her scream (though I couldn't hear it anyway, of course). I looked around wildly for what else was probably about to kill us, and instead, I turned and saw white with a red stripe across the middle.

That, of course, scared me more than the little monster across from the fire.

"No--!" The cold got to me before anything else, cutting me off and sending me instantly into the white world. I turned immediately on the Froslass, _really_ wishing I could hit her. "What do you think you're doing?! That monster-thing could attack us at any minute, and if you hadn't noticed, I have to protect that little girl!"

What do you think _you're_ doing? You're not helping my trainer, she replied coldly, narrowing her ice blue eyes.

"I. Have. A. Life! I have a life outside of helping your stupid trainer, you know!"

Do you not care for him, even though you're of the same species? Do you want him to fall, or die, or--Why don't you care more about this? She grabbed the front of my shirt, freezing it, and lifted me off of the ground. I could feel my sweat freezing from where her forehead touched mine. Froslass exhaled lightly, and I felt the temperature around us drop several degrees.

"You're going to kill me," I deadpanned. "_Then_ what will you do?"

I won't kill you. But if you don't start trying to help, you'll wish I had, she hissed, blowing frost at me. I blinked, eyes watery, and tried my best to glare back.

"If you touching me won't do it, that monster will get me. Your trainer will be doomed to whatever fate he has in store for him. Which, I think, he deserves at this point for raising such a lousy Pokemon. Or rather--for releasing such a lousy Pokemon into the unsuspecting world. Tell me, what did you do to tick him off so bad? He _must_ hate you enough to release you, and--" The Froslass slapped me, and immediately I was awake again in reality, though admittedly with a numb cheek. She was still hovering over me, looking ready to attack again, so I did the only thing natural. "Des! Lava Plume!"

I scrambled out of the way just in time as his back erupted with magma. The Froslass shrieked and tried to run away, but he added to it with an Ember, running after her on his short little legs. I looked around for Carlita and the little girl--and the monster--but they were lost with my night vision.

"Hey! Girl! Carlita! Over here!" I shouted desperately, trying to keep an eye on Des and the Froslass as I stumbled out into the dark forest. Almost immediately I heard a wail and the little girl ran out of the darkness, latching onto my waist, gibbering away in rapid, panicked French. I figured my Pokemon could hopefully handle themselves for a few moments, and led her away from the scene, hoping to hide her somewhere out of sight and safely.

Out of nowhere, however, the small monster jumped and fastened onto my arm. It chomped straight through the sleeve and into my wrist, growling fiercely as it did so. I hoped it didn't have rabies and swung my arm around, trying to dislodge it. The little girl started screaming again, trying to hide behind me. Eventually, I managed to trip over her. The good news was that the impact made the monster let go as it tumbled off into the darkness. The bad news was that the Kangaskhan's pokeball fell out of my pocket and hit the ground hard enough to release it.

"Oh, come _on_!" I screamed as it roared. What _else_ could go wrong?! "Does anything else in this stupid forest want to kill me?! _Any_ takers?!" I shouted, flailing angrily on the ground. I half expected the Abomasnow to appear on principle at that point.

"_Ma-ma_!" the little girl cried, leaping at the Kangaskhan with open arms.

As much as I would have loved to sit there and be dumbfounded (_Why did a little girl have a Kangaskhan? Why was she calling it mama? _These were the two most prominent thoughts.), the monster had other ideas for me. I felt something chomp down on my neck, and I bolted upright, hands clamping down on fur as I tugged on it. It snarled and bit down harder, starting to cut off my air. I dug my nails into it, unable to do much else.

Then, all of a sudden, it let go--though not without dragging its teeth out of me. I stumbled back, clutching my neck, and backed into the Kangaskhan. It was glaring down in front of us, where the small monster was viciously chewing on a smaller, stuffed version of the Kangaskhan. "_Bon_!" the little girl chirped, holding onto its paw. She then turned to me and exclaimed, "_Allons-y!_"

"Does that mean heal or something? 'Cause I could use that!" I gasped, ignoring the stinging of my hands against my neck.

The Kangaskhan growled something, then picked up both the little girl and I with one paw, swinging me over its shoulder while gently depositing her in its pouch beside its baby, who looked delighted to be sharing. It turned, allowing me one last look at the monster gnawing on the doll, and then lumbered back towards the campsite.

I heard the chaos before I saw it. When I was put back down, though, I saw that it was worse than it sounded. Carlita was out cold, coated in ice. Des was approaching unconscious as well, while the Froslass hovered over him, screaming and throwing shards of ice. "Stop it! Froslass, stop!"

"_Ultimapoing!_" the little girl shouted behind me. The Kangaskhan ran past, paw glowing white.

"Punches won't work! It won't hit--" The Kangaskhan's fist collided with the Froslass, sending it straight down into the ground. I made a note to stop correcting others and try to stop being surprised by the Kangaskhan.

"Lassssss!" the Froslass hissed. She dodged the Kangaskhan's attacks from then on, and I noticed that she was trying to circle around it to get back towards me. I snorted and ran over to Carlita, fumbling the Revive as I woke her up with it. I also used my last Super Potion on Des, but at least he was a little healed, right? Plus, his Lava Plume and Ember were the only things that seemed to really deter the Froslass.

The little girl, carrying the baby Kangaskhan in her arms while its parent fought, ran over. She dug around in the pocket of her skirt, fishing out a pokeball. "_Ici!_" she said, holding it out to me.

"You have _another_ Pokemon?" I asked warily. I took it from her and dropped it between us, expecting something equally vicious as the Kangaskhan. Instead, it was small, pink, and grinning.

"Haaa!" the Pokemon squealed, hopping over to its trainer.

"_C'est Rose!_" the little girl told me, pointing at it.

"Uh, fine, but I don't think that'll help much. Return it!" It would be hard enough keeping a small child away from the danger. I didn't need to watch her baby Pokemon as well. She pouted; I cringed and looked away.

"_Donnes-le-lui_," she said to the pink Pokemon. I raised an eyebrow when it fished around in the small pouch on its stomach and eventually withdrew a Berry. It proffered it to me, and I reluctantly took it with my free hand. They obviously expected me to eat it, and I took a bite of it, surprised at how hard it actually was. Was it rotten?

Almost immediately, however, my neck stopped hurting. Well, not completely, and I could still feel the blood uncomfortably there, but it felt loads better. I ate the rest almost eagerly. "What was that?" Who knew that Berries meant for Pokemon could help humans?

I didn't get to try to break the language barrier and figure it out, however, for I felt a sudden blast of cold air at my back. I slowly turned around, unsurprised to find the Kangaskhan unconscious, the furious Froslass hovering over it. She turned to me and pointed. She immediately snatched her hand back, however, as Des hit it with an Ember. He stood loyally between us. I had never felt more attached to him, though as mad as the ghost was, it probably wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done.

"Look, Froslass, I'll help your trainer. I already said I would, wouldn't I? I just have to have a bit of time."

"Lass, lass-lass!" she snarled, throwing an icicle at me. I flinched back, but it missed anyway; it had been the warning shot.

"I don't know what you're saying--_don't freeze me!_--just let me go get my translator…" I slowly looked down, making sure she wasn't about to tear my throat out. Actually, that was a bad way to think about her attack, since that had nearly happened with the monster… _Wait, Kangaskhan fainted, so its attack would be_--

On cue, I felt the nasty little monster bite down on my ankle. I kicked my leg out and it flew off, taking part of my socks with it, but thankfully not that much skin.

Seriously. All I had ever wanted out of life was to be amazing and awesome and maybe the Champion. I did _not_ want a psychotic stalker Froslass, I did _not_ want to be repeatedly attacked and injured by Pokemon, I did _not_ want to be stuck battling a tiny monster bent on the death of all humans to be gnawing on my ankles, and I definitely did _not_ want to be stuck with all of those at once. I didn't want to be bleeding, alone with half a dozen Pokemon--only two of which belonged to me--and a foreign little girl in the middle of the night in some dark woods.

That, however, gave me an idea.

I made a dash for my backpack, which was still lying by my translator by the fire, both of them looking unharmed by the fighting. I dove for it just as I felt a rush of cold overhead. Brandishing my backpack like a shield while trying to fit the headset onto my head with one hand, I shouted, "Alright, _stop it_." I tried to be sneaky about my movements, but I had to hurry nonetheless before something really nasty happened. "You, Froslass, and you, the… little monster thing."

"_You don't command me, you vulgar excuse for a species_--"

"Yeah, and you'll flay me or something. I _get it_." Its speech was starting to grate on me, not to mention really disturb me. Weren't small Pokemon supposed to be cute and friendly? Finally, I managed to pull out what I needed from my backpack's side pocket: an ultra ball Nick had given me to catch a Pokemon with. "You both hate me, right? That's good if you do. Because if either of you do anything further to me, my Pokemon, that little girl or her Pokemon, I will catch you."

Neither the mini monster nor the Froslass made any more moves. Both were watching me warily. I circled around the fire, holding out the ultra ball and keeping the backpack between my body and them, just in case. I already knew I couldn't trust either of them as far as I could throw them.

"Both of you, leave. Froslass, I'm _still_ angry with you, and you'll be lucky if I give your trainer a second thought after this. Monster, I don't even _know_ what your problem is, but it's not my problem. Now, we'll--" I saw the movement coming towards me, and reacted on impulse, chucking the ultra ball forward while bringing my backpack up to stop whatever attack had just been launched. There was a screech, a flash of white light, and then a furiously shaking ball.

Then, nothing. I stared down over the edge of my backpack at the Pokemon I had inadvertently just caught.


	30. Thing Of Darkness I Acknowledge Mine

"_You have no moves left,_" Froslass said triumphantly, icicles glittering on her head in the firelight. I technically had more pokeballs, but none of them were of the ultra persuasion, nor could I fish another out without her turning me into an ice sculpture.

"Um, let's not be hasty now…" I backed up, trying to find out where the others were. Would I have any backup, or was I really on my own against the ghost this time?

"_You were just threatening me. Earlier, you insulted myself and my trainer. You have refused to help him time and time again, though you had opportunities to redeem yourself, and you've always been nothing but another selfish human._" She floated closer to me, raising her small hands over my head. I took another few steps backward, trying to stop from panicking now.

"I've never meant to ignore his troubles, it's just that, uh, you've been a tad bit--I'm sorry!" She was finally overtop of me, and I dropped my backpack in favor of hiding my head underneath my arms.

I felt her cold little hands on my wrist, and I flinched back, though she kept her hold on me. "_All I had wanted from you was some simple help. I had just wanted to help my trainer. Why is that such a problem?_"

I didn't know why it was such a problem, at least at face value. If she hadn't been constantly bullying and threatening me, though, maybe things would have turned out differently. I wanted to tell her this, but I was honestly too scared to; she already had a hold on me, and I could feel the cold seeping into my sleeve and arm.

"_Please… Please… I just want to help him. I can't do it alone. I just want to help my trainer…_" I opened my eyes, shocked to see her a sparse few inches from my face. I was even more surprised, however, to see the frozen tears on her white cheeks.

I had no idea what to do. Did I comfort her? Did I blindly agree (again) to help her? Or did I spurn her (again)? I stood there awkwardly instead, arms raised, shivering, still trying to catch my breath. I had honestly thought she'd carry me off and freeze me somewhere. I had thought I'd die, yet again. It was becoming too common on this journey for me to be entirely comfortable with the thought of death ever again.

"If… If you back off a bit, and if you, um, help me help him… I'll help your trainer. For real this time."

I wasn't even aware I'd spoken.

I just watched, still somewhat shaken, as the Froslass brightened and released me. "_Good… Great! I can do that. I can help. What can I do to help?_" she asked, almost eagerly.

"St-Stop coming near me, for s-starters," I replied through chattering teeth. She immediately swung away from me, hanging uncertainly in the air in front of me. I rubbed my arms, feeling numb and tired. At least the latter wasn't just from her; I was injured (I was used to that, though the neck wound was a new one), it was the middle of the night, I still had a ways to walk tomorrow (or today, depending on how late it really was), and I also still had a small girl and her Pokemon to take care of.

My own Pokemon, too, needed tending. Des and Carlita were still conscious, thankfully, albeit hurt and as tired as I was. And then there was the matter of the… new one.

I was suddenly very, _very_ tired. Froslass may be temporarily on my side, but that little monster certainly wasn't any friend of humans. It probably wouldn't like being a trainer Pokemon, either. It probably actually hated the entire situation right now. I decided I wouldn't let it out of its ball for quite awhile.

"Froslass, you go pick up that ultra ball and encase it in ice, like what you did with Des' that one time. I don't want that thing accidentally escaping…" I felt a little awkward, giving her orders, but she floated over to it obediently regardless. That, however, gave me an idea. "Actually, Froslass, don't do that. Release it--not yet! When I say so, release it." She hastily caught the ball she'd just tossed. I sighed shakily. "…I want you to convey to the little thing that I can release it, but only on the condition that it stays away from me, my Pokemon, the little girl, and her Pokemon. Actually, all humans. No more attacking humans. Convey it in _very_ clear means, understand?"

"_Understood,_" she replied, dropping the ultra ball. I took off the translating headset just in time to hear a screech as she picked it up by the scruff of the neck. What followed I could only assume was nothing short of horrifying, judging on Des and Carlita's expressions. I winced; maybe I should have returned them first…

I looked around for the little girl. She was over by her unconscious Kangaskhan, peeking over its belly with her pink Pokemon and the Kangaskhan's baby. If she told her rich French parents what happened, there went my reward. I beckoned her over, but she shook her head and ducked down lower behind her Pokemon. I was glad it was out cold, no matter how mean that made me. At least then it couldn't attack. I was definitely tired of the whole attack thing for the night.

I also tried to keep an eye on the Froslass, just because I still didn't trust her. Not that I'd tell her that, oh no. "Des, Carlita, return. At least you two can sleep," I mumbled, digging their pokeballs out of my pocket. I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep, at any rate. I was _not_ sleeping in this forest after tonight.

I turned back to the little girl. I had to get her to trust me again, somehow, because I really didn't think she'd fare very well on her own in this dodgy forest, either. I crouched down, ignoring the Froslass' abuse of my new Pokemon in the background, and held out my hand for her. She hunkered down behind her Kangaskhan. Her pink Pokemon, however, ran out to me enthusiastically, hopping by my hand and wondering what it was supposed to be symbolizing. I patted it on its pigtail, and then looked back at its trainer. "See? Your Pokemon trusts me… It's fine. I won't hurt you, really. We're just going to go somewhere safe, and then I'll find your parents, okay?"

"…_Je veux Jacques,_" she whimpered, skittering over after her Pokemon. "_Je veux dormir…_" she added sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. I could sympathize. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand. I took her hand, led her over to where the Kangaskhan's pokeball was, and returned it. I then gave her back the ball, since it _was_ hers. She also returned her pink thing. With all distractions out of the way, then, I had to address the issue of Froslass and the monster I had created in my team.

By the time I turned around, Froslass had dropped the shivering creature, looking pleased with herself. I hesitantly put the headphones back on my ears, just in time to hear, "La--_derstood?_"

"_Understood,_" the monster replied in a small voice. It then turned to me with large eyes and ears laid back, but told me, "_I am sorry for the trouble I caused Master Trainer. I hope to be forgiven one day for my rash actions._"

"Um--"

"_The fool doesn't want to be released,_" Froslass sniffed, folding her hands over the red stripe on her stomach. "_He wishes to become stronger, and he's figured out that a trainer can do that for him._"

"Wait, I--"

"_I humbly request that you train me, Master Trainer. Like the Froslass said, I'd like to become stronger, and perhaps, one day evolve. I cannot stay here, having failed to protect my territory, and I_--"

"Wait, wait!" I interrupted, holding my hands up to silence both of them. They both stared at me, mouths shut. "You," I pointed down to the monster, "just threatened to kill me and mutilate my corpse. I'm also guessing you're a human-hater. So _why_ do you want to join the team?!"

"_To become stronger,_" it--_he_, Froslass had clarified--replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Doesn't it, I don't know, go against your code of honor or something to do that?"

"_Just personal convictions, and we all know those can change._" It smiled for the first time, showing its teeth. I looked away, hoping I just imagined the blood I saw on them. "_Plus, the Froslass has said that it's against the rules for a Pokemon to attack its trainer, even after it's been released._"

"Oh really." I glanced over at the ghost, surprised that she'd thought it out that far. Surprised and extremely thankful. If I ended up keeping the beast (I had a sneaking suspicion I'd end up _having_ to, for some reason, because that's just how my luck worked), I'd like to be able to sleep with both eyes closed.

"_Yes, and since I cannot attack you, I might as well use you._" He sat down on his hind paws, swishing his tail behind him.

"I don't think I've agreed to this."

"_If you release me, I will not attack you, but I will continue to attack what other filthy humans step foot here._" He lowered his head so his golden eyes caught the firelight. The effect was more than enough.

"Fine." I had never done a Pokemon trade (or at least not a legal one) before, so I figured I could at least trade him away and maybe get that electric Pokemon the ultra ball was _supposed_ to be for. I didn't feel guilty about dumping him on someone else, either, though that might change with the morning light. I figured the sooner I got rid of him, the better. "Return, then." I zapped him back into the ultra ball, then turned on the Froslass.

"_He will not harm you. Apparently, he abides by very strict rules, and I've convinced him that it's a rule that forbids him from hurting you,_" she explained dryly.

"That's good, but we're going to need to have a serious talk about that trainer of yours later. Right now, I have to get home and get this little girl back to her parents." I looked down at her, and she looked back up at me in return.

"_Home?_"

"Yeah. I was actually headed home for a visit before all of this craziness. That reminds me--_don't_ follow me there. I don't need my parents to see you. We'll talk after I sort some of this out."

-.-.-

I ended up having to carry the little girl about half of the way, but I got to my house nonetheless. I had to kick the door to knock, but I _had_ to do it. I could only hope that mom didn't notice.

She ended up noticing.

Of course, my injuries ended up saving me, since they pretty much overshadowed a mark on the door. For once, being injured rocked.

It stopped rocking when I had to be taken to the emergency room at three in the morning. True, it was the emergency room because that was the only section open, but still. It was the _emergency room_. Even I hadn't gotten hurt enough to warrant that… I think.

It rocked significantly less when I started freaking out in the car. I didn't know why--maybe it was the blood loss (hopefully not; I didn't think I'd lost that much blood, but then again, I was bleeding from my wrist, my neck, and maybe my ankle…), or maybe it was the fact that I had been traveling for the last few months by foot and was unused to small, confined spaces.

I made the connection of what reputation I had earned with the Nurse Joys when I was carried into the emergency room, bleeding, hyperventilating, and who knew what else.

Of course, my somewhat minor panic attack had set off the little French girl, too, so she was hysterical by that time as well.

I only had a few moments to feel sorry for the poor doctors and nurses suddenly stuck with us before my pity evaporated with the first needle they stabbed me with. I was close to loathing them entirely when they announced that I had to get rabies shots as well after hearing that I'd been bitten by a feral Pokemon.

"It's not feralllll," I slurred angrily, taking a swing at the nearest nurse. I didn't know what they'd put in me, but it was making the world swim and I was none too happy for that. "It's mah Pokemonnnnn, yeeeeaaaah?"

"Hold still, kid. We're moving you." I was hardly aware that I was shifted to another bed. It could have been a bed of spikes, actually, and I was pretty sure they could have gotten away with it.

I flailed randomly, trying to locate my pokeballs so I could release my Pokemon so I could prove it wasn't feral so I wouldn't have to get another shot. "I--I have 'im here, ummmm, somewhere…"

"Wait--you still have Pokemon on you?" I was frisked faster than I could blink.

Instead of fighting them for the balls, I just pointed towards the black and yellow one. "That one's mine. They're all minnnnnne. Lessee, Dessy, Carlita, and…" Why didn't the third name come? Why couldn't I think of the name of my third Pokemon? "And…"

The constant screaming of the little girl was starting to give me a headache. I groaned. It quickly turned into a snarl, however, when one of the nurses jabbed me in the arm with another needle. "We'll have to anesthetize both of them…!"

The screaming abruptly stopped on a high note. My eyelids fluttered, and I tried to lift my head to look at my Pokemon again. Why couldn't I remember my third Pokemon's name? "And…" I tried again, but the name just wasn't coming to me. The sudden tiredness that overtook me wasn't helping things. "And Ike…" I mumbled as I finally fell asleep.


	31. God Save Your Children

"The last time I came here, it wasn't you."

Who was it, then?

"Some girl. I've never seen her before in my life, and I haven't seen her again since."

Who did she say she was?

"Ah… She didn't really have a name. She called herself something, but I can't remember what…"

Froslass and I sat together, perhaps for the first time, quite amicably. We were sitting back-to-back (she helpfully made herself tangible for that), just talking. No threats, at least not yet. I was strangely content to just sit there and do nothing.

If you remember, you ought to tell me. I'm not sure it's good to have others interfering with your dreams.

"You're one to talk…" I mumbled into my knees. "…Say, Froslass?"

Yes?

"Do you have a name?"

…Yes. At least… I had one from my trainer. I'm not sure if it's still technically my name, though.

I got the sense that she wasn't going to tell me what that name would've been. I let the matter drop, not wanting to start a fight, and instead moved on to different subjects. "Tell me about your trainer."

He's very kind, and has plans for the future. Ambitious. He's a very strong trainer by human standards as well.

"If he's so kind, then why did he…"

Release me…? She asked. I didn't fail to notice the drop in temperature.

"I'd find out eventually…" I mumbled defensively.

The Froslass was silent. I started to doubt she'd reply to me at all, when she spoke up. It… was an accident.

"He released you accidentally?" I asked rather tactlessly.

No! He was very intentional about that part, she admitted, shifting slightly. We were in that cave, though I do not know why we were. He had caught a Rhyhorn earlier on, and I think he wanted to train it up until it evolved.

"It? Didn't it have a gender?"

I never personally met it.

"…What happened to the Rhyhorn?" I asked in a tiny voice, feeling rather cold.

It died, she stated emotionlessly. A wild Rhydon killed it with an Earthquake that not only knocked it unconscious, but caused several rocks to fall on it. I assume it was crushed. My trainer was furious and devastated; it was the first Pokemon to die on our team.

Nick's recital of the three greater tragedies came back to me, unbidden and unwanted. I shook my head to try to get rid of that and pulled my knees up tighter against my chest. "…A-And how did that get you released?" I couldn't stop my voice from shaking.

I was ordered to avenge the Rhyhorn. I had just recently evolved, and this would have been one of my first battles after that, so I was still trying out my ice-type moves.

I felt sick. "You--You killed it, right? You couldn't control yourself and you--"

No!

I was so glad that there was such force invested in the word, otherwise, I wasn't sure how I could handle myself around her any longer. Having a Pokemon die from an accident was one thing, but going out and killing one was quite another. All the same, I really didn't want to hear this story anymore. I wanted to get out of the white world and go back to wherever I was supposed to be. I wanted to be hugged by my parents and hug my Pokemon and enjoy all of them, alive and well and near me.

I was ordered to kill it, she continued on ruthlessly.

"I need to get out of here. Please, let me out. I don't want to know anymore." I stood up shakily, trying to forget what she'd just told me. A trainer ordering his Pokemon to kill another? They could _do_ that? Would Pokemon obey a command like that?

What really scared me, though, was that a tiny part of me could understand where her trainer had been coming from. If I saw any of my Pokemon killed, right before my eyes, I would want revenge in the worst way.

Ignoring that too, I repeated, "I need to get out of here."

I didn't kill it, Froslass finished, floating up to look me in the eye. I was released because I didn't follow that order. He was angry and wasn't thinking straight, so he shouted at me to leave and broke my pokeball. That's why you have to help my trainer. I've seen what he could do, and I want to stop him from becoming that. I don't want him to fall.

"I-I'm not sure I can." I backed away from her, still feeling sick and desperately trying to ignore how similar I'd act if I were placed in such a situation. "I'm not a therapist. I can't help people like that."

There's nothing wrong with him! He just needs help, to _stop_ him from becoming a monster.

"I think he's already--_monster_!" I shouted, suddenly remembering the Pokemon I'd caught earlier. Unfortunately, that only solidified the whole I'm-like-this-trainer thing. I had just caught the monster Pokemon, and even if I didn't know it, even if I rather disliked it, I would still be _mad_ if it died. I had only caught it, and I was already attached. I sunk down to my knees, trying to stop the homicidal thoughts and the visions of ordering Des to kill something from entering my conscious mind. "Please, please, let me out of here. I want to be with my Pokemon. I want to get away from here."

You have to help my trainer.

"I'm not sure I can. Let me out of here. I can't help him, not if he's capable of killing Pokemon."

You have to. You've promised.

"What if--What if he kills my Pokemon for interfering? How am I supposed to stop him? How can I stop someone that horrible?"

Froslass slapped me, jerking my head to the side. I could only stare at the white world, cheek stinging but rapidly losing feeling.

This will be your _last_ warning. If you insult my trainer once more, I will freeze you where you stand and will carry your corpse off to Route 217, she hissed, the temperature around us dropping at an alarming rate.

"I'm not that strong. I can't help you," I replied as evenly as I could.

He is strong, but he's still weak enough to fall. You think you're weak, but you will still be strong enough to help. You're the only one who can.

"Why _me_?" It had been the question I'd wanted to ask her since we met. Why had it been me? There were billions of people in the world. Even her rotten trainer had to have had friends, and wouldn't they be more capable than I was? What about his parents, his family? What about the other Pokemon in his own team? Why did this have to be _my_ problem?!

Instead of an answer to my question, I was jolted awake. Everything was too bright, and there was too much movement. My neck itched uncomfortably. Sound assaulted me. Then, something physical assaulted me, sending me back into the pillow I'd just risen from. "Are you okay?!" It was just my mother for once; no more wild Pokemon beating up on this poor little trainer.

"Um, yeah," I lied. I peeked over her shoulder, unsurprised to find my dad there was well. My eyes then found what I had been looking for: two pokeballs and an ultra ball, nestled into the covers near my pillow. Had I slept with them, or were they just put there? "Where's the little girl?" I croaked, flailing a bit from when my mom's hug tightened.

"The little French girl? Two rooms down. She's completely fine, though a little distressed and prone to panic attacks," my father replied, staring hard at me. I looked away.

"Sweetie, what _happened_ to you two?" my mother asked, finally letting go of me enough so she could look at me. It was harder to avoid her gaze. She brushed back my hair from my forehead, holding her hand there. It was so warm compared to the Froslass'.

"I… Um…" Where to begin, where to begin… "…I got a third Pokemon."

"We realized that from the three balls. What _happened_?"

"Um… It… He… wasn't keen on letting me catch him?" I guessed. How much had I told them last night? I couldn't remember. How much could they handle knowing? Not much, not if I wanted to continue training. Which, I was surprised to find, I actually _wanted_, even with all of the trauma and blood and sweat and tears. (Mostly blood.)

Though it would probably be more accurate to say that since I had gone through so much, there was no _way_ I was giving up now. I expected to be pretty dang famous and awesome for all of this pain.

"It was dark, mom, and there was a lot of chaos. He just bit me a couple of times…" Remembering that they had thought he was rabid, I hastily added, "He's, uh, teething. He's very small, you see, and isn't at all used to humans yet." There. That ought to cover most of the little monster's behavior if need be.

"Oh really." Neither of my parents sounded particularly impressed with my answer. My mother continued soothingly, "We're just worried, that's all. The doctors have been asking questions, and we can't answer, and the little girl is incoherent… First the Abomasnow incident, and now this… We're worried about you."

"I'm going to be fine, aren't I?" I asked pathetically.

"Yes! You're all patched up now, and you just need to make sure that you let your injuries heal."

"You're lucky you didn't need stitches," my father added gruffly.

That was a lucky break. "…Am I still allowed to train?" I figured I might as well ask now and get whatever ensuing drama out of the way early. I could run away later. Plus, at least this way, I could cause a scene if need be and that might get my parents to make hasty promises.

My parents shared a glance. I gulped; that wasn't a good sign. My mom returned her gaze to me, smiling faintly. She brushed back my hair from my forehead again and said, "It's… Well, we are against the decision, but it's ultimately up to you. Do you _really_ want to go back out there and get hurt again?"

Oh. They were expecting _me_ to back out from fright so they wouldn't have to be the bad guys in the situation. I almost smiled at the thought. "I'll be fine!" I chirped, grinning. "I can handle a few scratches and bruises. Trainers are used to it, right? Plus, I still have to get back to actually training that new Pokemon of mine--"

"Ike."

"What?"

"Ike. The doctor said that that's what you called your third Pokemon last night," my dad clarified.

I squinted at him. _Really?_ What sort of drugs had they put me on if I came up with a stupid name like that? "…Okay then." Cursed name; I was already attached to it. Though since I didn't like the name, and I didn't particularly like the little monster, it kind of fit… "Ike."

"He was quite the unfriendly little Shinx when they released him. He had to get vaccinated, make sure he really _didn't_ have rabies, of course. Luckily he didn't, otherwise, well…" He left off rather ominously. I got the message.

I also got a species name. "Shinx?" I had seen Shinx before, of course. But what I dimly recalled from the firelit fight with the monster hadn't looked like a Shinx. Shinx were small (okay, so they had _that_ in common) and cute and friendly. "_Wait_--Shinx?!"

My parents were evidently beyond caring that I didn't know my own Pokemon's species. "Yes, Shinx."

I broke into a grin, and then into laughter. Of course, of _course_ it was a Shinx! It couldn't have been anything else. A bloodthirsty monster attacks me in the middle of the night, and I accidentally catch it--it _had_ to have turned out to be an electric Pokemon. Of course. Finally, irony paid off.

-.-.-

The little girl and I were released together, mostly because she insisted on it. My parents puzzled over this, but I calmed them with some story about how we'd shared a trauma and they readily accepted that as an explanation. It didn't solve the problem of the small child attached to my waist at all times, however.

A small child who knew nothing of the English language--who, in fact, spoke very rarely lately--and had a Kangaskhan she called her mother and a pink thing that was identified as a Happiny for me.

I knew vaguely who her parents must be, but they were back in Jubilife. True, they had to have realized she was missing and must be frantically searching, but they were still a couple hours away. Even if we got back there, I still didn't have a concrete way of finding them, either. I could stand on a random street corner and shout at random passerby about the girl I'd picked up, but that would probably end up in getting her carted off like Des had been. Not the brightest of ideas.

"I'll take her back to Jubilife," I volunteered during the first proper dinner since I'd gone to visit my parents. "Her parents are probably still there. It'll be a place to start."

"Are you up for traveling so soon?" my mom asked worriedly.

"Of course I am. Plus, we'll go tomorrow, during the _day_, so we'll both be safe. We also have several very strong, capable Pokemon between us to protect us if things get rough--_don't look at me that way they can totally protect us_," I hissed, catching the glance that my parents shared. I angrily stabbed at the corn (five minutes of being back in the house, and they ordered me to eat vegetables; figures) on my plate. They hadn't even _met_ my Pokemon, so how could they judge? Des had learned Lava Plume, Carlita had the fastest punches ever, and I could personally attest to how vicious Ike's bites were. They were an awesome, strong team, right?

"_C'est mal,_" the little girl said randomly, holding up a piece of chicken.

"Thank you, dear," my mother replied absently, still trying to stare me down. "I'm just not so sure you two should be traveling alone…"

"We aren't alone. She has two Pokemon and I have three."

"And look how you ended up the other night."

"Come on, I've been training for like, five months now! That's almost half a year! I have three badges! I'm a completely capable Pokemon trainer." Well, mostly capable, at any rate.

"Just… be careful."

And so we set off back towards Jubilife and the little girl's French parents.


	32. A Second Salvation

Jubilife City was as crowded as ever. I held on tightly to the little girl's hand with one hand, my other one even more tightly on my backpack's strap. Her two pokeballs were in there, at my insistence, as well as my three. My backpack was our only defense, be it against wild Pokemon, thieves, or the occasional mercenary out for the latter.

We were waiting for the light to change at one of the busier intersections when I saw the little girl's face across the street. I did a double-take. Her picture was on a poster, hanging on a shop's window. I nearly started walking then and there out into the traffic, but thankfully, her grip on my hand kept me safely on the sidewalk.

I was surprised at how easy it was to find something about her, however, by the time we got over there. It had her picture, name, age, a description of the dress I'd found her in (she was now wearing an old outfit of mine, her dress, having been washed by my mother, folded in my backpack), contact information if she was found, and a list of her Pokemon.

A list of her _three_ Pokemon.

"Wait, what?" I peered in closer, pressing my nose against the glass. Rose the Happiny, Manon (the whole 'mama' thing was suddenly explained as a simple nickname) the Kangaskhan, and Jacques the Gallade.

I hadn't found Jacques the Gallade with her. I had only seen him at the electronics store before I found her. So where was _he_?

"_Ah! Moi!_" she exclaimed excitedly, seeing the poster for the first time.

"Yeah," I replied without hearing her, still thinking about the missing Gallade. Still, I could think about that later. First I better get hold of her parents and figure out the situation at hand.

Unfortunately, all that the contact information consisted of was a phone number.

My cell phone had been one of the casualties of the Pokemon battle royale, frozen and shattered by the Froslass. I was also still broke from buying the translator, so I had no change for a payphone.

"…This kinda sucks," I remarked to no one in particular. I herded the little girl against the wall and crouched down beside her, digging around in my backpack. I wrote down the phone number, Jacques, and her name--Cossette Beaumanoir. "Okay, Cossette, we're going to have to find your parents the old-fashioned way. Either that or somehow get enough money for a payphone."

She was positively delighted with the sound of her name and just nodded happily, repeating, "_Oui, oui_!"

"Let's go then."

-.-.-

After trying various methods of raising enough money to use the payphone, none of them working but getting increasingly elaborate (and kind of fun) nonetheless, we had to give up on the generosity of strangers. I began to roam the streets looking for a hapless trainer to challenge, but that, too, seemed to be much easier said than done.

"Hmm… We could try having Carlita dance on _this_ street corner…" I mumbled to myself. It wouldn't work, though, and I knew that. Carlita had been dancing on every street corner and had yet to get any money at all. I tilted my head to the side, chin in hand, thinking. I could always threaten people for money. Des could set them on fire… No, he wouldn't agree to that. Well, Ike would be more than willing to help attack humans, even if he couldn't set them on fire.

"_Je veux Jacques_," the little girl said by my waist. I looked down at her. She probably wouldn't like it very much if she had to watch as I roughed up some locals for pocket change.

"Uh, yeah." We still had to find Jacques the Gallade, too, and that search was going just about as well as our quest for money for the payphone.

I pulled her out of the sidewalk traffic to sit against the nearest building. It was getting on towards evening. We had wasted the entire day. Luckily Jubilife had a Center, otherwise we probably would've had to camp outside.

"Pokemon Centers have phones!" I realized aloud, jumping to my feet. Cossette stared at me flatly. I sniffed at the look, wondering just how much she actually understood, and how much she assumed. I helped her up, and thus we started marching across town to the Pokemon Center, where we could not only get a room, but where I would hopefully contact her parents.

Then she would be on her merry way (trauma aside), and I would hopefully get some sort of reward for my protection of her. Then I would be on _my_ merry way, though where exactly that would be, I didn't know. Nick had said that his errand wouldn't take too long, and already a couple of days had passed, so did that mean he would be back sometime soon? Or did it--

I felt a sudden spike of anger, an anger strong enough that I really could _feel_ it. I hadn't even turned around before I felt a blast of freezing air and frost. A chunk of ice hit me in the back of the head, and I wasn't too intent on turning around anymore. I just reached over and grabbed Cossette's hand, dragging her down to be a smaller target.

How could I have trusted that Froslass?! She had hurt me, threatened me, threatened my _Pokemon_, and I knew that she had almost killed in the past, too. I shouldn't have trusted that traitorous ghost, I should have--

I then looked up to find said ghost floating in front of us, a wall of ice separating us three and a blurry, green and white form that was madly hacking away at the shield.

"Lass!" she shouted at me, glancing down at us.

I didn't know what she said, but I did know enough to see that she had _saved_ us. From what, I didn't know, but as I wasn't too keen on getting attacked by yet another Pokemon out for my head, I wasn't going to stick around to find out.

Unfortunately, several things happened then. The first was that the attacking Pokemon vanished and suddenly reappeared, stepping out of a shadow that was suddenly on the wall beside us. Froslass snarled and tried to stab it with an icicle, but it just grabbed Cossette (who was still attached to me) and Teleported away.

We had barely reappeared in some other place before I was wrenched away from her. I had a green blade at my neck before I could do so much as blink. "_Pourquoi?! Pourquoi avez-vous Mademoiselle Cossette emmener?!_"

"Wh-What? I don't know what you're talking about--!" I squeaked, looking down at the blade and back up at the fringe of green. It was the Gallade--it was Jacques. He was speaking in my mind again, but unfortunately it was still in French. So how did I explain to him that I wasn't the bad guy here?

"_Ne parlez pas Fran__ç__ais?_" There was something like overly loud, obnoxious static in my mind. I winced as I tried to get it out, but it ended soon enough. "_English? Do you speak English?_"

"Ye-Yes!" I gasped out.

"_Why did you take Lady Cossette?!_" Jacques demanded angrily, pressing his blade of an arm harder against my neck. It wasn't sharp enough to cut (at least not yet), but it still hurt. Especially since it was uncomfortably pressing against Ike's bite.

"I didn't take her! I-I just found her!"

The Gallade studied me, and I could feel him poking around in my mind. I tried not to scowl and let him figure out on his own that I was telling the truth. I couldn't have done much against him anyway, at least not how we were currently. "…" I could tell he had been about to say something, but as to what, I had no idea; maybe he had no idea how to react to our night?

"_Jacques! Non!_" Cossette piped up behind him. His red eyes looked toward her for a brief moment, then locked onto mine again. Reluctantly, he let me go, and I slid back down to the ground, hands flying up to my neck.

"_In that case, I deeply apologize for my rashness and seek the forgiveness of this kind stranger,_" Jacques said, sinking to one knee, crossing his arm over his chest. I twitched, aware of how similar his formal speech was to that of Ike's. "_Thank you for rescuing Lady Cossette and bringing her back to this town._"

"Yeah, uh, no problem," I lied, and I could see that he knew I was lying, too. Maybe having a psychic Pokemon wasn't all it's cracked up to be… The Gallade stood bad up with a flourish and turned to pick up Cossette. She was grinning ear to ear by that point and threw her arms around his neck. Jacques turned to spare me an unreadable look.

"_Lady Cossette's parents would be glad to meet their daughter's savior, I'm sure,_" he said at last. I blushed a little. Savior? Hardly. Still, it was nice to be valued. He held out his free arm, the other holding Cossette, and it took me a few moments to realize that I was supposed to take it. The second my hand landed on his arm, we Teleported again. I stumbled away from him once we arrived, dizzy from yet another jump to… wherever we went to Teleport and wherever we landed this time.

Oh wait. Froslass had been left behind from _two_ places now. I immediately felt guilty and wanted to go back--then reason took back over. _Why_ would I have to go back to get her, after all? She wasn't my Pokemon. We hardly even liked each other. I simply had my hands tied when it came to her. She could find me again on her own. …Even if she had risked her life to defend Cossette and I from Jacques… No time to feel guilty now, though! I took a deep breath, clenched my fists a few times, and then turned to look at the grand lobby we were in.

Beside me, Jacques gently let Cossette down onto the plush carpet while I was busy gaping. Everything was gold and rich and shiny and expensive. Even if I hadn't been broke, I would've felt pathetically poor and peasant-ish. I'm pretty sure a square foot (_any_ square foot) of this place would have been worth more than what I made in a month.

I wondered if I should take one of the flower vases and run for it.

"_This way_," Jacques said, probably reading my mind. I looked away sheepishly and followed him, Cossette gibbering away in fast French once more. Her Gallade answered with nods or the occasional soft reply, so I was left in silence to trail behind them, wowed by the luxury of the place. The inside of the elevator, even, was all shiny and rich and probably solid gold. We went up to the top floor (don't the richest stay there?) and he marched down the hallway while I was left to wade through the opulence and thick carpeting.

By the time I made it up to them, Jacques had opened one of the doors and Cossette had already been grabbed up by a stylish, middle-aged woman who was obviously her mother. "_Ma cherie! Ma b__é__b__é__! Ah, Jacques, merci, merci beaucoup! Cossette, ma b__é__b__é_!" she gushed, picking the little girl up and twirling her around.

I hid behind one of the doorways, feeling awkward and culturally ignorant.

Jacques stepped forward and must have said something with telepathy, because I didn't hear anything, but the next moment, the woman had spotted me and was beckoning me over. I shuffled a few feet closer, but still she beckoned, so I took a few more steps. Jacques sighed, walked over, picked me up with one arm like he did Cossette, carried me over, and deposited me in front of her and Cossette.

"You are the one who saved my dear Cossette?" the woman asked in English, nothing but a pleasantly slight accent to give away her French-ness. Without waiting for a reply, she bent down and kissed me on both cheeks before enveloping me in a surprisingly strong hug. "Thank you, thank you! Robert and I have been worried sick over our missing daughter! These past few days have been a nightmare to go through. Thank you so much, _merci beaucoup_!"

"Um--you're welcome--" I wheezed; she was doing a pretty good job of forcing all of the air out of my lungs.

"_Papa!_" Cossette cheered suddenly, and then there was a man towering over us all as well. I was moved bodily into the hotel room, turned around so that I faced him, and introduced with more French that I didn't understand. If I had thought Cossette's French was hard to hear, I wasn't prepared at _all_ for her parents. It sounded like nothing more than lots of slurring and soft consonants.

"You saved Cossette then? _Merci_. We must repay you for this. It is already late out; we shall immediately arrange for a room for the night. Tomorrow we will discuss more, _oui_?" Cossette's father said with a thicker accent than his wife. He looked up at the Gallade still standing politely behind us. "Jacques, go arrange for the room next to ours."

Jacques nodded and vanished with another Teleport.

"Um--" True, I had been hoping for a reward, and this sounded like I was definitely getting something like that. But a hotel room for the night at this place? That had to cost a fortune, and they were _still_ going to give me more? Now I was going to feel guilty for it. It's not like I had saved Cossette from a wild Pokemon or anything--oh yeah. "I'm not sure if all of this is really necessary--"

"Nonsense!" her mother said cheerfully, finally releasing the hold she had on my shoulders. "You simply must let us repay you. It is the least we could do."

So that was how I found myself in the largest, grandest, most expensive hotel room in the world.


	33. But I Can Pretend

I had never really spent a night in a hotel alone by myself, since I could never afford it in my journey (and hey--Centers have free rooms!), and I had never gone on vacation without either of my parents before. So before I could start feeling lonely or small in the large room, I let out my Pokemon.

Actually, I let Des and Carlita out without a second thought. I naturally had some reservations about Ike. I actually hadn't (knowingly) released him since that night in the forest, and without the Froslass breathing frost down his neck, he might not be too keen on listening to me.

Then again, he was an itty bitty Shinx and Des had a type advantage on him, so I figured I could swing it. Who knew? Maybe he'd turn out to be an alright Pokemon.

It turned out that Des and Carlita were also not terribly fond of Ike. He looked in confusion at the two of them as they sniffed and turned their backs on him. Though I felt like doing the same, I was also the trainer, and I had to promote unity in the team, right? "Come on, you two. Ike's not all that bad. See?" I reached over to pat him on the head. The Shinx didn't exactly nuzzle up to my hand and start purring, but he didn't look angry, either.

"Loom," Carlita replied offhandedly. I rolled my eyes and went to fish around for my translator. After finding it and asking her to repeat herself, she said, "_I don't trust him._"

"_He hurt Trainer_," Des added.

"_I apologized…_" Ike mumbled, laying his ears back while looking down at his tiny paws.

"Yeah, he did apologize." How was I supposed to keep the peace? I wasn't overly enthused with Ike and his appearance, but he was a) an electric Pokemon we desperately needed, b) my Pokemon and part of this team, and c) outnumbered. I don't know why I felt so attached or defensive, but I did. I felt just as attached to him as I was to Des or Carlita. I just happened to know them better (and they'd never attacked me). "He's part of the team now. Make nice."

"_The Electabuzz was part of our team_," Carlita replied.

I opened my mouth to reply, but I found I couldn't. I hadn't known that she (was Des, too?) was that… I didn't even know. That she was that snarky? Or was it an innocent remark that happened to rub me the wrong way? What _had_ my other two thought about me releasing the Electabuzz?

"_Master Trainer decides what the team is and who belongs on it_," Ike said after it was clear that I was not capable of replying to that. It probably wasn't the best thing to say, since I really _wasn't_ 'master trainer' who ruled with an iron fist, but it wasn't the worst thing to say, either. And the fact that my newest Pokemon was coming to my rescue wasn't lost on me.

I ran a hand through my hair, wondering what else I had accidentally done to alienate my Pokemon from me. "Look, guys… The Electabuzz had to leave. We have Ike now. That's life, and that's how it's probably going to stay for awhile. He _has_ apologized, and we need him to take on Crasher Wake. We just all… got off on the wrong foot, right? He's not that bad of a Shinx." I reached over Des and Carlita to pick Ike up, setting him down in between the two. He obviously didn't approve of that placement but didn't dare move.

Des moved, edging away from Ike, and set his front paws on my knee. He butted his head against my neck, the fringe of fur on his forehead rubbing against the bandages there. "_Until this heals, I'm not going to approve of the Shinx on this team_."

I didn't know whether to be touched that he was so loyal or aggravated that it would take that long before I could make this team a _team_ again. "Will you afterward?" I asked instead.

"_If he proves himself._"

"_Is there an aptitude test for a position on Master Trainer's team?_" Ike asked, ears perking up.

"_No_, no there's _not_," I said firmly as Carlita opened her mouth to speak. "We all just need to get along. Des, you've set me on fire. Several times. Carlita, you've hit me and paralyzed me that one time. Ike bit me a couple of times. You're all even, you're all on this team. Now be nice and accept each other." I couldn't wait for my neck to heal if my Numel and Breloom were going to continue acting as they were.

"_Do we have to_?" Carlita asked plaintively.

"Yes."

"…_Fine_." She stuck out her clawed paw for a hand--er, paw--shake. Ike eyed the sharp claws before carefully shaking it with his own tiny paw. He then turned expectantly to Des. The fire Pokemon looked down at him for a brief time, before leaning down and licking him on the head, mussing the fur there even worse than it already was. Ike growled but didn't attack him, which I took as a good sign.

"Okay, now that we're all friends, here's the _real_ reason I released you. Cossette's finally back with her parents, and now I'm in this giant hotel room with only you three for company. What do we do now?"

Soon, we were all jumping on the bed, laughing, pushing, ducking, and trying to touch the high ceiling while simultaneously trying not to make _too_ much noise and/or break the bed.

-.-.-

A couple hours later, we had jumped ourselves to exhaustion. As fun as it was, you could only jump for so long before your legs wanted to murder you for it. We halfheartedly tried a wrestling match, but as Carlita was a fighting-type and Ike was tiny to begin with, it wouldn't have been very fair. So instead we laid in a heap on the king size bed, just talking.

Or rather, I was talking, and I had a sneaking suspicion my Pokemon were either asleep or falling asleep.

"Pokeballs are like heartstrings," I proclaimed philosophically. It had been something I'd been thinking about for awhile. "The second you catch something, you're attached. As a trainer, you care about the Pokemon. And as a Pokemon… uh, I don't know, but I suppose there's some caring there," I expanded delicately, aware that Ike may still be listening. I wasn't sure his position yet, aside from his careful and forced loyalty.

"Nu," Des mumbled in his sleep. I had long since lost my translator, since it was quite hard to bounce while keeping it in place.

"Truthfully, I wasn't too enthused with any of you to begin with. But because you're my Pokemon, because you're _mine_, well… I don't know. You guys are just awesome." How many other Pokemon would jump on a bed with you? "I'm glad I got you all," I murmured, finally drifting off to sleep.

I awoke sometime later by a rather rough tongue on my face. "Go 'way, Des…" I flailed randomly.

"Shinx, shii!" The rather high-pitched, insistent mewing grated on my ears until I finally sat up. Ike, who had been sitting on my chest, leapt off and landed on the floor below. Athletic little monster, I noted sleepily. He reached the door just as it knocked. "Shinx!" Ike called, and, rather than opening the door, Jacques Teleported in.

"_You are requested at breakfast_," he told me telepathically with a small bow. Ike was busy watching him with nothing short of awe, tail lashing back and forth behind him excitedly. "_…I suggest you change out of your bedclothes and brush your hair before, however._" Jacques eyed my rumpled outfit with obvious disapproval, probably because I hadn't bothered changing into my pajamas and just slept in shorts and my shirt.

"Right." I made sure he'd vanished again before jumping out of bed and rummaging around for a clean outfit in my backpack. (Thankfully I'd left home just yesterday, otherwise, such a thing would've been rarer than a legendary Pokemon.)

"Shinx, shi-shinx?" Ike asked curiously, jumping up onto the bed to wake up Des and Carlita as well.

"You know that headset I wear? I can't understand you without it," I replied without looking at him, trying to pull off my socks while still standing. It was harder than it sounded, really. I fell over before I finally pulled one off, and decided that I could take care of the other while sitting.

Ike came over, the translator held delicately in his mouth. He sat down and stuck it out for me. To say I was surprised by his gesture--let alone the helpfulness of it and the wake-up call--would be an understatement.

"Um, since I'm kind of busy, how about you ask me that question later? I have to go meet Cossette's parents…" I said awkwardly, pulling off my other sock. Ike bobbed his head, set the translator down, and grabbed both socks in his teeth before running off with them. "Hey, wait--!"

I was even more surprised when he deposited them in my backpack and came back with the clean pair I'd pulled out earlier.

"…Thank you?" I replied cautiously, wary of his friendliness. It was obvious he was trying to get on the team's collective good side, but I still didn't know to what length he'd go, or what he'd do when he got there. Des and Carlita were just waking up when I returned all three of them to head down to breakfast. Didn't the fact that he and I were practically alone mean he didn't mean any harm? Maybe the Froslass had actually done a good job of convincing him not to hurt anyone.

I was met in the lobby (and as I passed the flower vases, again I wondered how much they'd be worth on the black market) by Cossette and her parents. I glanced around before asking, "Where's Jacques?" The Gallade had been eerily ever-present, so it was a bit odd not to have him around, potentially reading my mind.

"In his pokeball. He's Cossette's bodyguard and butler, and since she is safe with us now, there is no need for him to be out," her mother replied kindly.

"Her… butler?" I asked, looking down at the little girl.

"As you have seen, Cossette has a tendency of wandering off sometimes. That's why she has Jacques and Manon, to protect her and bring her home when that happens. Only… Something must have separated them the last time this happened…"

"And you're hoping I can answer that," I finished. It made sense. If something was up with their daughter, they'd want to know, right?

"Come, let us to go breakfast first. We may talk after our meal," Robert said firmly, gesturing towards the hotel's restaurant. I nodded nervously. A room and a meal and then more? Now I was definitely getting too much out of this. Hanna hadn't been that free with her money, so why couldn't they…?

I then realized that this would be the second meal in three days that I hadn't shared with my Pokemon. Before that, we had been together nearly all the time, even sharing food. (Quite often sharing food, in fact.) That, together with the almost-fight last night, made me wonder if I was drifting away from my Pokemon.

I halfheartedly ate my omelet. It was delicious, to be sure, but I was aware of the fact that Des and Carlita would've very much liked it. What were Ike's tastes in food? Cossette and her parents chatted happily in both French and English, trying to draw me into the conversation. I didn't want to be rude, but I already felt uncomfortable with the richness of them and the hotel, and that was without my present Pokemon problems. I kind of wanted to just leave and go back to adventuring for awhile by myself.

"So. Where did you find our Cossette?" I blinked, realizing that her father was talking to me.

"It was in the forest, an hour or two of walking out of Jubilife. I found her Kangaskhan's pokeball just before her, and she had the pink thing--Rose--with her." Beside me, Cossette nodded eagerly, though she couldn't have a clue as to what I was saying. "I wasn't sure how they got separated, especially from Jacques, since we didn't find him until we got back to Jubilife."

"That's troubling," Robert said quietly, scratching his beard. His wife nodded solemnly in agreement. "We 'ave asked Cossette about this, but she does not have much more information than you. Jacques, of course, was not there, so we cannot find out anything more than him, either."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled awkwardly, "But I only heard her screaming at first. I then found her Kangaskhan and accidentally let it out, and it scared us, so we started screaming--and then she found us with that. It was later on that the Shinx that had been--_Ike_!"

"_Excusez-moi?_" her father asked flatly, raising an eyebrow.

"That night, I caught a Shinx, the Pokemon that had been scaring her. He might know something more."

"Then let's hear what this Shinx has to say," her mother said with a smile.


	34. Suspended Like Spirits

"_I'm afraid I don't have much information to offer_," Ike said coolly, at least having the sense to _look_ apologetic. "_I found the little girl when I was in an already rotten mood, so I may have scared her and caused her to scream._"

It was an understatement, but it was probably a good idea that her parents didn't know how vicious the little monster had been that night. He _was_ being unhelpful, though, so I nudged him with my toe. "He says he doesn't know anything we don't already know. He just scared her because he was in a bad mood that night," I translated for her parents.

"_Not every human who comes across me has been frightened in the past, so I suppose it was a bit gratifying that she was terrified of me. I pursued her--until I caught sight of the Kangaskhan. I hid myself in the undergrowth until I was sure she had been recalled into her pokeball and would not come back out. Then I came out into the open, and the rest you already know,_" Ike elaborated. I had a feeling he was trying to apologize this time, so I decided he wasn't just being spiteful.

"He was just wanting to scare her, since not everyone is scared of a Shinx. That was his only intention in pursuing Cossette," I told them, glancing down at Ike to make sure he didn't try to contradict me.

"_Don't forget the fact that I was frustrated_," he added with a smile.

I rolled my eyes. "He also says he was frustrated. _Why_ were you frustrated?"

"_The man I had come across earlier wasn't afraid at all of me and only tried to step on me_."

"What man?!"

"There was a man?!" Cossette's parents echoed with equal parts nervousness and anger.

"_Oh yes,_" Ike said with what I swore was a purr. "_I had met a man a little while prior to the young girl. Roughly a half hour, I would guess?_"

"What did he look like?"

"_Tall, for humans. He had dark hair that was long, held back in one of those tail-like things you humans are fond of, and light eyes. He wore a light shirt and dark pants._"

"Colors, colors!" I snapped, mostly because I was much too tired of Froslass' dark-haired trainer. I wanted specifics before going on another chase.

"_I cannot see colors like you humans can._" There was a measured amount of annoyance in his tone. I felt a little sheepish, though, because he really appeared to be doing the best he could. And some description was better than nothing. (He was already light years ahead of the Froslass in descriptive skills, too.)

"Thanks," I told him, genuinely thankful. I then recounted to the others the vague description, but as none of them really lit up with immediate recognition, I was guessing we weren't dealing with some old rival who had a habit of kidnapping Cossette. So then who were we dealing with? …Or was it a coincidence? "Um, do you think this man is related?" I asked her parents.

"We cannot overlook the possibility at this time. Ask your Shinx if he noticed anything else about the man," her mother responded, looking down at Ike while keeping Cossette close to her.

"Ike, was the man looking for anything? Or anyone? Did he have Pokemon with him? Anything else you noticed about him, anything at all?"

"_Hmm. I believe he had Pokemon, because he smelled like canine, but no one else was with him when I ran into him. That's all I know of him. I only growled a few warnings to him before he kicked me and I decided to leave._"

"He says he smelled like canine, so he might have some sort of canine Pokemon? But it wasn't out with him at the time. That's it, sorry."

"No need to apologize. You're already helping us very much," her mother said gently, smiling. "We'll look into this mysterious man and see if it was related to Cossette's disappearance and separation from her Pokemon."

"Wasn't Jacques out and about? Could he have seen anything?" I asked, earning confused looks. Backpedaling, I hastily explained, "I saw him in a store I went to that evening, before I found Cossette."

"It could be worth looking into," her father admitted. The Gallade subsequently came out, and after hearing the description of the man, could offer no further insight.

I was very surprised when it turned out to be Ike who suggested, "_You can read minds, can't you? See if you can recognize the man from my memories_." For Jacques to be digging around in his memories, that sounded a little… dangerous, as well as sacrificial. There was a slight chance that the psychic Pokemon hadn't figured out that Ike was a human-hater from what he'd gleaned from me alone, but he'd really be putting himself out there if he surrendered himself like that. As if sensing this, Ike fixed me with one golden eye and said quietly, "_Anything for Master Trainer,_" complete with a small, sharp-toothed smile.

I was a little unnerved by that and looked away while Jacques turned to Ike and presumably read his mind. If Ike wanted to get into trouble, that was his own call, wasn't it? I could only be held accountable for what happened _after_ I caught him, after all. …Right?

"…_This man. I recognize him,_" Jacques announced, releasing his hold on my Shinx.

"So it sounds like we have our suspect. How will we find him in Jubilife City, though?" Cossette's mother asked worriedly, maintaining a protective hold on her daughter.

"You stay here with Cossette and her Pokemon, save Jacques. He will come with us to search for the man. We will split into two groups: I will go with Jacques and you will go with your Shinx, _oui_?" I nodded my affirmative. "I will go to the police station first and see if they can be of any help. Are you up to helping us search?"

"Of course!" I had to do _some_ work for all of the money they spent on me, after all.

-.-.-

After borrowing a new cell phone from them and getting the numbers of both Robert and the hotel, I was out and about in Jubilife City with Ike at my side. We were looking for a tall man with long, dark hair and light eyes. That couldn't be _that_ difficult, right? Plus, Ike would undoubtedly recognize him if he saw him again, and Jacques was out searching, too…

And who knew? Maybe the police would get involved after hearing Robert's story, too. That would sure be helpful. (As long as Officer Jenny didn't recognize me.)

"Can you sniff him out or something?" I asked my Shinx as we stood on a street corner, scanning the crowd.

"_If we get close, I may be able to track him. But I would not be able to rely on that._" Of course it wouldn't be that easy. I stooped to pick up Ike, since I was totally against the idea of my tiny monster alone in a sea of feet that could step on him. I then realized that it was the first time I'd really held him.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I stood on my tiptoes to try to see more people. "Well, uh, tell me if you spot him."

An hour of awkward small talk with Ike and a couple false alarms later, I felt we were getting nowhere fast. We had switched street corners a couple times, too, but that hadn't gotten us much progress. Neither had climbing a street sign to see better. In fact, I was just about to give up and try to find some way out of helping when I saw another man that matched the description.

Funny thing was, he walked right by us. Ike perked up, sniffing the air; that's how I knew it had to be him. He passed a couple of teenage girls, momentarily obscuring himself from our sight, and then _vanished_. It was as if he'd Teleported. He simply wasn't there anymore, although it was the middle of the sidewalk in a crowd. He couldn't have gotten out of our sight that easily.

"Ike, was that--?"

"_Yes! He smelled like canine!_"

For the second time in my life, I was chasing after a stranger through Jubilife. It was weird how things worked that way sometimes. I made it to the spot where he'd disappeared, and caught a glimpse of the man's light blue shirt just down the street. So he _hadn't_ disappeared, he'd just managed to duck out of sight. I darted after him, Ike held tight in my arms, weaving through the crowd with a practiced precision.

We continually caught only hints of his back through several streets. Just when I'd thought we'd lost him, we would see him again, just a little ways away. Thankfully, we were getting out of the busier districts and into less crowded ones, so it was getting progressively easier to keep track of him. Plus, with less people in the way, I was rapidly closing the gap between us.

He was practically within arm's reach when he rounded a corner and vanished again. This time, he didn't reappear. I stood on the corner, chest heaving, looking around for him. Ike sniffed the air, trying to locate the target.

"Where did he go?" I asked the empty air.

I heard a giggle and two white arms reached over my shoulders and picked Ike up. I barely had time to process this before the arms and my Shinx blinked out of existence.

"I-Ike--"

I was pushed roughly against the building in front of me, scraping against the rough concrete. I heard a growl and an answering grunt. Then, "Who are you and why are you following me?!"

-.-.-

I was taken--Teleported, I had a sneaking suspicion--somewhere. I was tied to a chair and blindfolded. Clearly, this man wasn't playing games. I swallowed nervously, trying to keep calm. I had been in tougher situations than this, right?

I heard the giggle that had taken Ike from me, and then I was suddenly blinded as the blindfold was taken off. I blinked, trying to adjust to the light, and noted that I was in a rather spacious room with concrete walls and one, solitary window which was boarded over. We weren't any place I could identify. Great. In addition to being arrested, being attacked, and generally being a target for bad luck and physical abuse, now I'd been kidnapped.

"Hey!" Suddenly, my captor was leaning over me upside-down, his black hair falling away from his face. "You're that punk with the Numel!"

It took a few moments for me to recognize him. "…Oh my--You're the mercenary who took down that thief!" It was the very same man who'd stopped Des' taker. The man who'd stopped said taker by tackling him and breaking a wrist and a few fingers, if I remembered correctly.

"He was a conman, and had quite the bounty on his head. If it weren't for you, I would have gotten that money, too." He leaned back out of my view. I pursed my lips, wondering if he'd kill me for that. Or maim me. Or break my fingers, more specifically. "So why are you butting into my work again, huh? Who sent you?"

"No one did. I-I was just…" Oh jeez. Now it sounded stupid and overly complicated. Why, _why_ couldn't I have just been on my merry way? Why had I felt the need to help? I took a breath to try to calm myself down. I'd have to get out of this situation somehow, probably on my own, too. "What do you have to do with Cossette Beaumanoir?" I asked quietly, voice at odds with my racing heart.

"…Ah. So it's _that_." He left it at that. I could hear him pacing behind me. I blinked nervously, trying to wiggle my arms, but to no avail. What was _that_?

"What did you do with my Shinx?" I asked anxiously. Then I remembered the two pokeballs hopefully still in my pocket. I furtively patted my shorts, hopes crashing and burning when I realized that they weren't there. "What did you do with my Pokemon?!"

"They're unharmed and in the next room with _my_ Pokemon," he replied shortly.

I ground my teeth in frustration. So I really was on my own then. I couldn't even use my Pokemon, or my arms, for that matter. "Why are you doing this?"

"Excuse me, but _you_ were the one tailing _me_. I think I'll be asking the questions."

"I was tailing you because you're a suspect in the kidnapping of Cossette Beaumanoir." Honesty usually wasn't the best policy when dealing with these types of people, but it was the only thing I had at the moment. "My Shinx _saw_ you."

"I thought it was the same little mongrel." With an obnoxiously loud scraping sound, the man dragged a chair out from behind me, placed it a few feet in front of me, and sat down. He rolled his shoulders and relaxed, draping an arm over the back of it. "So what if I kidnapped her? She's fine, isn't she?"

"So you admit it?" I hadn't thought it'd be that easy to get a confession. Of course, said confession was totally useless unless I could somehow get out of here and tell the police or something.

"I don't see how it matters to you. Why are you sticking their nose into this business?" He fixed me with a level glare. I looked away; I wasn't going to get intimidated and do something stupid.

"I sort of got roped in. Against my will! So I would totally not snitch or anything if you let me go right now--"

"You could at least make an effort," he interrupted. I bowed my head sheepishly. "If you're worried I'm going to kill you or something, relax. You're worthless and it'd be too much of a mess to clean up. I'm just interested in what you think you're doing."

"I'm helping Cossette's parents. They were worried about their little girl. Is that so wrong?"

"Is it so wrong to try to make some money?"

"So you admit that you were going to ransom her?"

"Perhaps. You've met Robert Beaumanoir; he dotes on his daughter and he's ridiculously wealthy. Would it be a bad way to make money?"

"Yeah, it would be! You kidnapped a little girl."

"I wouldn't have hurt her. I thought we established that." He sighed and leaned back in the chair, running a hand through his black hair. Looking at the wall behind me, he continued, "I'm just looking for a bit of security before things go south."

"…What do you mean by that?"

He then glanced at me and broke out into a sharp grin. "If you had yourself a psychic Pokemon you'd know." I shivered from the ominous, if vague, remark. What did _that_ mean?

I never got to find out, because at that precise moment, I felt the ropes binding me to the chair freeze and shatter. Froslass floated through me and faced the man stoically. "Lass, lass lass, _lass_," she told him venomously. He just laughed.

"We'll see, ghost."


	35. No Fellow In The Firmament

"I wouldn't suggest letting her attack me," the man told me, looking completely at ease despite the fact that the Froslass was working at freezing him to the chair. "You might want to stop her."

"Why? It seems like I'm the one holding the cards now," I replied with a bravado I really didn't feel. Why was he so calm? Even I was nervous with the Froslass in the room, and she was kind of on my side.

"I still have a few of those cards of yours." He tilted his head, staring at me through his bangs. When I didn't reply, he elaborated, "Where are your Pokemon?"

"Wha--give them back! Where are they?!" I jumped to my feet and crossed the distance with too few steps, grabbing him by the collar of the shirt. The intimidation angle I'd been going for was lost, however, primarily because he was still as tall as I was, even sitting.

"I told you. They're in the next room with my Pokemon, who are incidentally under orders to attack if I tell them to."

"Tell them to? You can't talk to them," I growled, letting go of his shirt to stalk back over to my chair.

"I have a psychic Pokemon. Who happens to be listening in on this telepathically. The only reason nothing's happened yet is because I told her not to do anything."

I swallowed thickly. Froslass halted in making him an ice sculpture, looking at me. What did I do now? I thought I'd had the upper hand--but I really didn't. I couldn't take the chance that he was bluffing, because even if he was, my Pokemon had to be _somewhere_ and that was still some place I didn't know. "…Froslass, don't freeze him to the chair. Come back over here."

"Good job. You're not a dumb kid, after all--"

"Shut up. Even if your Pokemon have mine cornered, I still have _you_ cornered, remember?" I snapped with a glare. The Froslass sniffed and floated over to me, hovering between me and the door. I looked at her, suddenly realizing that she was a ghost. A ghost that could fly through walls, right? "Froslass! Go see if my Pokemon are somewhere nearby, and if they're with any other Pokemon."

She reluctantly left, floating through the nearest wall.

"Stupid move, kid." With that, the man had me pinned against the wall, holding me several inches off the ground by my throat. I scrabbled at his arm, but he didn't seem to mind. "Skittle, come in here with everyone."

I had no idea who he was talking to, at least not until several Pokemon Teleported into the room. My first reaction was that it was Jacques--but no, that Pokemon was not a Gallade, though it looked alarmingly like one. (Well, minus the whole fighting angle and plus a dress.) The white-dressed Pokemon giggled, holding Ike in its arms and keeping Carlita floating, immobilized, in the air with a Psychic. Des was busy growling with a black canine with horns. I noticed that the Froslass was not with them.

"This kid has ceased to amuse me, and furthermore, Beaumanoir might be aware of our movements. We're finishing this tonight and going back for the girl," he told his Pokemon, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. "Skittle, keep the brat's Pokemon immobile. We're going to give them all a proper _sendoff_ before going after the Beaumanoir girl again."

"Hey! Wait--let me go!" I started kicking, as well I could, at least until I noticed the background had changed. We were outside now. Where, I had no idea, but outside. We had to have been pretty high up, because I could see a forest spread out below us. I was set back down, and for a moment, I was too astonished to try to run for it.

"Good, that Froslass didn't come with us," the man muttered, looking around. "Okay, here's the deal, kid. If you survive, you'll be too far away to do anything, especially without a bird or psychic. If you don't, it'll be months before anyone will find your body, and by then, it'll be too late, anyway."

I was forcefully turned around. Grass and flowers surrounded us, except for where the ground abruptly dropped off in front of us. The man pushed me forward, and I suddenly had an idea of what was going on now. I just hoped I was wrong.

"Wa-Wait, wait. What about my Pokemon?"

"Hey, I'm not a bad guy. Return them if you'd like." He spread his arms wide. "I'd suggest you do."

"But--"

"Here are their pokeballs." He dug in his pocket and withdrew the three minimized balls. This was accompanied by another shove forward. I noticed that there was a wooden dock leading off into space in front of us. That's where he was herding us. His psychic Pokemon moved Carlita and Ike towards the dock, while the black canine, still trading growls with Des and both of them dripping flames from their mouths, snapped at my Numel until he backed onto the wood, too.

"You're going to kill us?" I asked shakily, digging my heels in even as I was pushed onto the dock as well.

"You could survive," the man replied offhandedly. I reached towards the pokeballs (and one ultra ball), but he held them up out of reach. "I just want you out of the way while I take care of my business with Beaumanoir."

"I-I'd stay out of your way," I pleaded. I was forced back another few steps. My Pokemon and I were now halfway down the dock, cut off by the man and his two Pokemon. Where was Froslass when I actually really needed her?! Below us, _far_ below us, there was water, barely visible through all of the fog. Even if we survived the fall, the water would surely drown us--especially Des…

"Let's see how loyal of a trainer you are. You will be pushed off of this dock. Or you can jump."

"Why would I jump?"

"Let's see how loyal you are to your Pokemon," the man repeated, and threw the pokeballs over our heads and off the dock. Horrified, I turned and followed their arc with my eyes, even as I was running forward, jumping over Des and Ike, trying to catch them.

I rapidly ran out of dock, however.

Behind me, I heard the man laughing--not cruelly, but genuinely laughing--as Carlita and Ike screeched. I was falling, though, too intent on catching up to the pokeballs to save Des with. My fingertips brushed one, and I managed to take it into my hand. Half-turning, I screamed, "Return!" Carlita disappeared in a beam of red light. I growled in frustration and tried to catch the _other_ pokeball.

"Shii!" Ike yowled above me. I didn't know what he was saying, since my translator had long since been confiscated. Frankly, Des was my priority, anyway.

I managed to latch onto the other pokeball and nearly sobbed in relief as I could finally return Des over my shoulder. I didn't miss his look of worry as he vanished, however. Ike's ultra ball was much easier to catch, since it wasn't perfectly round and I could grab it more easily. I turned around back upward, holding out the ultra ball.

Then I hit the water.

-.-.-

I awoke to darkness, cold, and a shivering, wet, furry thing pressing against my face, repeating, "Shii! Shii!"

"Ugh… Ike?" I lifted my head, wincing as pain shot up through my arm. It hadn't felt that bad since I had broken it… Now worried, I carefully sat up, breath catching as I realized how much I hurt. Ike crawled into my lap, soaked and walking with a severe limp. He mewled pathetically, looking nothing like the monster I had met just a sparse few days ago.

"Shii shinx shinx!" he cried, trying to burrow his way into my shirt. I picked him up as best I could with one hand, alarmed at how cold he was.

"Don't worry, Ike," I told him, putting him in my shirt even though I was probably as cold and wet as he was. I didn't know why I told him not to worry, though. I didn't know where we were, how much time had elapsed since we fell, or how we were supposed to get back to civilization. "Wh-Where's…?" Of course I didn't see Des or Carlita; I had managed to return them in time. I had almost saved Ike, too, but I just wasn't fast enough. I looked around me for the two pokeballs. At least Des could start a fire to dry us off…

They were no where in sight. Not even Ike's ultra ball. I cringed as I clambered to my feet, still looking around for my other two Pokemon. Of course they were lost; it couldn't be easy for me to do anything, not with my luck.

Thunder rumbled overhead, the only warning before the downpour started.

"Of _course_," I snarled, holding my good arm over my head.

"Shinx shii," Ike muttered angrily.

"Yeah, but let's try to get out of the rain first," I replied without having a clue as to what he'd just said. Okay, plan of action. First: find a shelter of some sort. Second: find Des and Carlita. Third: get out of there. I had no hope of catching back up with Cossette or her parents before that mercenary did. They would have to deal on their own while I did the same.

I squinted through the rain. There wasn't much shore, and what there was, was rocky and flat. A sheer wall rose up in front of us, back up to where I assumed we had been before our little swim. Where _was_ I? Still, there had to be an outcropping or a cave or _something_ somewhere… What would happen if we didn't find one didn't even cross my mind. We simply had to find one, and that was it.

"Shii!" Ike piped up, wiggling in my shirt, pointing out into the rain. I could only make out a hazy dark patch on the rock wall that could have been a cave. Better than nothing. I picked my way carefully through the rocks and half-dead patches of grass, losing a soggy shoe in the process. I ignored the loss and stumbled the rest of the way to the could-be cave, which, miraculously, turned out to be just that: a cave.

At least, I thought it was, until we ran in and came across smooth, cut stones for a floor, a dim pillar in the middle of the room, and thick fog blurring everything else.

"This… This isn't a cave, Ike," I whispered, backing up towards the outside world again. The air felt stale and heavy and humid. The last could be blamed on the mist, but there was something else that made everything seem… off. Very off.

Outside, thunder rumbled, its lightning briefly illuminating a bit of the temple-like inside. Ike's tail frizzed up and I could feel him wiggling in my shirt. I felt like doing the same. There were figures, shadows, in the fog, towards the other side of the room, moving slowly and silently.

As the lightning's glare faded, one of the figures turned towards me with a single, bright red dot of light.

"Come here, child. Come over here." Contrary to its dark appearance--that is, before it vanished with the darkness and fog in the room--its voice was soothing and airy. It was also completely persuasive and possessive. "Come here, child," the voice repeated softly, and I could practically see the hand attached to it beckoning.

I was halfway to the pillar in the middle of the room before I noticed I had moved.

I was dimly aware that Ike was saying something, but the more he spoke, the fainter his voice got. I could hardly hear him as I walked blindly through the fog towards the kind voice. "We're lost," I called out, just so I could hear a voice. "We're lost, and hurt, and I can't find anyone to help us…"

"You poor thing. Come here, and I'll help you," the voice said sympathetically, directly ahead of me. I could vaguely make out a figure in the fog, and I broke into a stumbling run. Help! Finally! We could get out of this crazy place, get somewhere safe again, find Des and Carlita…

Ike was screeching and yowling in my shirt, but I didn't hear him. I was concentrated solely on the voice and the help it offered.

Finally, I could see a solid shape with soft, large, oh so helpful hands reaching out towards me. I broke into a run, arms outstretched as best as I could. The voice's owner offered safety and comfort and something that reminded me irresistibly of my mom. I was cold, wet, lost, hurt, and wanted nothing more than the voice and the sanctuary in its words.

"You poor thing, I'll help you," the voice murmured, wrapping its arms around me as I jumped into its waiting embrace.

Ike chomped down on the space between my neck and shoulder. The pain was as if a light had been turned on; I could see everything in annoyingly clear clarity. And it just so happened that I was currently in the grey arms of something whose fingers were slowly wrapping around my upper arms to keep me still. I tried to jump back, and instead ended up merely staring up into a single red eye.


	36. If Life Isn't Never Ending

"Le-Let me go!"

"Shinx! Shinx!"

"Dusk?"

Ike and I both froze when another Pokemon suddenly appeared right next to my head. All I could see is a similar-looking red eye, shifting lazily between two otherwise empty eye sockets in a skull. I wheezed mutely, too scared to even scream properly.

"Clops!" rumbled the thing holding me.

"Duskull, skull," the thing beside me--it was floating, and the name Duskull rang a bell as well--said in a high, amused voice. My captor growled and set the top of its mouth (or what I assume was its mouth, though it looked kind of more like a mustache) on the top of my head. I wheezed again, and this time, Ike joined in with a screech. The Duskull beside me screeched in response, floating back away, glaring suspiciously at Ike, apparently just noticing him.

"Dussss…"

"Dus_kull_!"

"Dussss…!" It tightened its hold on me to the point of pain. I grit my teeth and tried not to cry out as to try to avoid their attention for just a little bit longer.

"Duskull dusk!"

"_Clops_!" It tightened its fingers again and this time, I couldn't help but bite back a scream. It _hurt_. My shoulder was already messed up, and I didn't need this creature crushing me to remind me of that. Unfortunately, the noise drew both Pokemon's attentions back towards me. Ike ducked down in my shirt, growling threateningly as he peeked out.

"Dusk," the Duskull said softly, hovering over my uninjured shoulder, glaring at the thing holding me. What was going on between these two?! And why couldn't they do it without squishing me?

"…Fine, you win," the Pokemon(? Pokemon don't talk in English though!) holding me said, sighing in defeat. I wheezed some more in fright. The maybe-Pokemon took its mouth off of me and set me gently back down on the stone, where I promptly sunk to my knees and continued wheezing weakly.

"Are you okay?" the thing above me asked. The Duskull floated down towards me worriedly, shaking. From what, I didn't know, nor did I care to find out.

"NoI'm_not_," I snapped. "Wh-Why are you speaking?!"

"Hau hau hau! Haunter, haaaauuuuun?" All coherencies once again went out the window as another ghost sidled up to our little group. I highly doubted Ike could get any more fluffed up, but he was trying, apparently. I simply bent over, covering the back of my head with my good hand, and hoped dearly that they all left.

"Dusclops!"

"Duskull, skull-duss!"

"Haunter, haun?"

"Duskull!"

"Hau hau hau!"

It was becoming rapidly obvious that they weren't going to leave. So instead I shifted until I could move better, and began crawling out while they argued above me.

That only lasted about two steps before I was hauled into the air by a purple hand and was held in front of the Haunter's jagged grin. "Haunter!"

Ike couldn't run on his hurt paw, otherwise I would've tossed him and told him to head for the hills (and hopefully help).

"Dusclops!" I was pulled in another direction by the largest of the three ghosts and set gently back down on the ground, where I collapsed and wheezed again. "Stay behind me. We'll take care of the Haunter."

"Wh-Why are you t-talking to me." Still, I followed the orders and skittered around to the other side of the Dusclops. "Ike, do you know anything about this?" I whispered, hoping they wouldn't hear as they continued arguing. Ike shook his head, ears still pinned to the back of his skull.

Things just got better when a pair of Gastly floated on over and decided to pick on us as well. Ike finally managed to wiggle out of my shirt and stood valiantly on my knee, snarling at them both. They laughed and stuck out their tongues at him. He took a swipe at them, but predictably, his paw went right through them and they laughed even harder.

One of them floated closer, glaring down at Ike with wide eyes and an even wider smile. It did _something_ with its eyes, and suddenly, my Shinx fell onto my lap, asleep. "I-Ike!" I shouted in a voice much higher than I would have otherwise liked.

"Dusclops!" Above me, the Dusclops turned around and swung at the two Gastly. It missed, but the pair fled, giggling nervously. I was picked up again. The Duskull hastily flew over. "Dussss!"

"Duskull!"

"What's going _on_?!" I demanded shrilly. Wild Pokemon often attacked me without warning or provocation, I got that. But this was the first time they'd _argued_ about doing so.

"You smell like cold ghost. It's very rude to steal someone else's target."

"…_What_." The Froslass wasn't even _here_ and she was spiting me?!

The Dusclops' lone eye flicked down towards me. "…That, and the fact that Katerina wants to speak to you."

"Who is that? And _why are you talking to me_?!"

"How else am I supposed to get children's attention?" the Dusclops asked dryly, smacking the Haunter that had floated back over out of the air like one would a fly. It then turned and lumbered deeper into the fog, the Duskull following us mutely.

"Um."

"I am Ivan and this is Konstantin. I am the chief of the Duskull and Dusclops in this area."

"I am just a trainer, and I was looking for a place out of the rain--"

"Obviously."

"We're injured, and I can't find my other two Pokemon--"

"Again, I can see as much."

"…You're a very snippy ghost," I told him shrewdly.

"I can give you back to the Haunter, if you'd like."

I crossed my arms beneath my sleeping Shinx and let myself be carried as far as he wanted. I couldn't do anything, anyway. It was obviously just my time to go. I had dodged death from the Froslass several times, the Abomasnow, Ike, and most recently, my first would-be human murderer. Now I was simply to die, probably eaten by these ghosts in this forsaken place, lost, cold, injured, and I'd never find Des or Carlita…

I was dropped in front of another room's middle pillar. I didn't bother getting back up. "So are you all going to eat me?" I asked sullenly.

Ivan laughed, but it was not a pleasant or happy laugh. "That had been the plan, until Kostya pointed out that Katerina has been looking for trainers."

I gulped. So I was going to be fed to this Katerina? Was that another ghost, or something even worse? If I had Ike's ultra ball, I could at least return him, or if he was awake, he could do _something_… But it seemed as if we were both toast in this situation. Ghost food. (It wouldn't be for the ghost I would have guessed, though. Irony.)

"Here is Katerina. You may ask her any more questions if you feel them necessary," the Dusclops beside me rumbled, bowing to the whiteness. I turned and saw the smallest, weakest, greyest Duskull _ever_ float through the fog, followed by another Dusclops, one that seemed to be even larger than Ivan. What really struck me as odd, however, was that the Duskull's red eye wasn't red; it was grey, switching sightlessly between eye sockets.

So an old, _blind_ Duskull was going to eat me. At least outside I could have died of pneumonia or something, and that would look _so_ much better on an autopsy report. …If they ever found the body.

"Dussssssssskull?" Katerina rasped, her voice low and even older than how old she looked.

"Yes, this is the trainer. Trainer, this is Katerina and her aide, Vladimir. He will translate her words for you."

"Why not you?"

"I am not her aide."

I squinted at Ivan, trying to figure out if he was really going to ditch me after trying to eat me. Apparently so. He lumbered off and sat down when he was just a hazy silhouette, red eye fixed on Katerina.

"Dusssssssss?" My face was yanked rudely to the side as the ancient Duskull grabbed me. Her sightless eye continued roaming, but I still felt unnervingly like she was staring at me.

"Katerina asks if you came here for Giratina, like the others," Vladimir dutifully translated, hands clasped behind his back.

The name rang a bell, but I couldn't quite place it. Even if I had, I wasn't here for anything. "No… I was dumped here."

"Skull?"

"Clarify."

"A man wanted to kill me, and he threw me off of the dock to try that. I… survived," I replied, unable to help the bitterness that seeped into my words.

"Dusssssssskull, dussssssssss!" Katerina breathed, leaning forward until her skull touched mine. I flinched back instinctively from it. She giggled softly. "Skull?"

"First, Katerina proclaims that he was unable to kill you because you were meant to be here. Secondly, Katerina asks if you are afraid of ghosts," Vladimir deadpanned, red eye swerving down to stare at me.

"Of _course_ I'm scared! I'm scared out of my _mind_!" I snarled, trying to jerk free from the Duskull's grasp, but to no avail. Her grip was like iron. So instead, I defended myself with my anger and words. "I'm lost, I'm injured, I'm cold, I'm surrounded by ghosts who have _admitted_ that they want to eat me! Not to mention the fact that I've already been strung along and threatened by a Froslass for several months now!"

Katerina and the other Pokemon all stayed silent.

So I continued fuming and ranting. Maybe they'd actually feel sorry for me and snap my neck quickly. "Then there was that _man_, that stupid, awful man who tried to kill me! He's probably carted Cossette off again by now, too! I can't find Des or Carlita because of him, and Ike is hurt because of him! Plus, I just can't seem to _get a break_, can I?! I've been attacked by Pokemon, lost more times than I can count, and beaten throughout this entire journey!"

I was glaring daggers at Vladimir the Dusclops, mostly because he seemed to be slightly amused by my continued outburst. What I did not see what Katerina's sightless grey eye stop moving and fix itself on me.

"I could stand the rest, usually, because there are other people around to help, you know? But the second I get on my own, _this_ happens! And it's all that man's fault! I hate him! He's dumped me here to be devoured by ghosts and so no one will ever find the body! An-And it's Froslass' fault, because she couldn't stop him, because he was too calm and just kept going on and on about that psychic of his, who could see the future and he probably used that to win! That stupid, stupid psychic Pokemon!" I realized that I really did hate him and that psychic Pokemon of his, the one that looked like a female Jacques.

The second thing I realized was that I suddenly understood the Froslass. She wanted to save her trainer before he became something like that man. I felt sympathetic and worried at the same time; how could I stop something like that?

The third thing I realized was that Katerina was laughing at me.


	37. Golden Light Means Nothing More To Me

"What are you laughing at?!"

"Skull!"

"Katerina says that she is laughing at you."

It wasn't just Katerina, however. I could hear dozens of other Duskull cackling in the fog all around me.

For once, Vladimir spoke without Katerina speaking first. "You must excuse the Duskull, especially Katerina, comrade. They do not mean to be rude. It's just that they delight in the misery of small children."

"I am _not_ a comrade of yours, and I'm not a small child! I'm already eleven!" I snarled. Since Katerina was laughing so hard, I managed to get out of her grip. I marched over to Vladimir and glowered up at him.

"Eleven is very young, even for humans."

"No it's _not_!"

"Dussssssskull?"

"Katerina asks you to return to her."

"No! I'm leaving this place and all of you ghosts!" The Dusclops picked me up by the back of the shirt, and I fumbled to keep hold of Ike. Vladimir deposited me back in front of Katerina and she quickly put her paws back on either side of my face. I growled at her. I was in _no_ mood to get eaten anymore. I wanted out of here, so I could track down that man and his stupid psychic and--I don't know, report them to the police or something.

I tried to ignore the little voice in my head telling me that it wanted to do much, much more.

"Dusssssssss," Katerina snickered, touching our foreheads together once more.

"Katerina says that you have much anger in your heart. You are naïve. You are just realizing the injustices of the world."

"I'll say," I muttered darkly. Injustices was putting it lightly. Injustices was traveling through an entire Route just to have the next Center closed. Injustices was waiting in line for four hours for the newest Pokemon figurine just to have them sell the last one to the person in front of you. What had happened to me was _not_ an injustice. It was a healthy dose of bad luck mixed in with some higher powers who must hate me, along with a dash of cruelty on the world's part.

"Dussssssss, skull-dussssss."

"Katerina says that you will have to endure much more, if you are the trainer she has foreseen."

It took a few moments to snap myself out of my dark thoughts. "…_What_? Foreseen? Wait--like Future Sight?" What had that black-haired man said? He wanted security before things went south, and then said something about if I had had a psychic, I'd know…

"Dusssssskull."

"Katerina says 'naturally'."

I was torn between exclaiming "you're all ghosts!" and "what's so bad that psychics are freaking out?". I _was_ a little peeved that ghost Pokemon could apparently now see the future--and who _knew_ what they did with that information--but I was more worried about things heading south. "…What has she foreseen?"

"Dusssssss, dussssssss dussssss-skull?" Katerina asked with a small, hoarse chuckle.

"Katerina asks if you actually want to know or are asking on impulse."

"…O-Of course I want to know." Did I _really_, though? Even if I didn't, I wasn't going to back down. The ghosts all already thought I was just a weak little human, so maybe I could show them that I wasn't if I showed a bit of courage.

"Dusssssssss…"

"Katerina says 'excellent'."

"Skull! Dusssssssssskull, skull-skull, dusssssss."

"Katerina says 'But you shall have to wait until a later time, after we have discussed it among ourselves'. It is against the law for any psychic to reveal information like this to humans, trainer or not."

"…You're not psychics," I pointed out flatly.

"And that is why we might disclose the future to you," Vladimir replied impassively. "You are welcome to spend the night with us. Other wild Pokemon will not bother you if you choose to."

"Hold on. Let me just spare you the trouble. If it's going to take this much effort, I'll just leave." I wasn't fond of the idea of spending the night with a bunch of Duskull and Dusclops for company in a sea of fog.

"Where will you go?"

"I need to find my other Pokemon, and then I'm leaving."

"You are injured."

"I've been injured before."

"Dussssss," Katerina interjected with a high-pitched cackle.

"Katerina says that Haunter will get you. They are very curious about why we did not eat you and want to find out."

"I can take care of a couple of ghosts."

"With only an injured Shinx to protect you?"

"Shut up, okay?! I can handle this on my own!" I snarled, stepping backwards until my back was pressed against the stone pillar, Ike clutched tightly in my arms. "I am a trainer, and I can deal with my own problems. I will find my Pokemon, and then I will leave, and I don't care what you ghosts have to say about the future!"

Then I turned and ran. I managed to make it to a wall before I looked back. There were a few pinpricks of red, and I could have sworn I saw a grey one, but none of them seemed to be following me. Just to be sure, I followed the wall until I reached a door and went through. There were no red eyes (at least none that I saw) in this room, so I deemed it safe enough. I followed the wall again until I reached a corner and sat down, leaning against it, knees drawn to my chest. Ike moved uncomfortably in my lap, growling in his sleep.

At least one of us would be getting some sleep tonight.

-.-.-

I awoke sometime later from a vicious pull on my injured arm. I snarled and lashed out at whoever it was, nearly dropping Ike in the process. My hand passed harmlessly through the purple body of a grinning Haunter. "Hau hau hau," it laughed, tugging on my arm again.

"Let go," I said through grit teeth. Not only did its pulling hurt, but I really didn't want to deal with any more ghosts right then.

"Haun!" it sang, yanking again.

"Let go!" My shout woke up Ike (finally), and he blearily looked around until finally spotting the Haunter. With a yowl, he climbed up onto my knee and took a swipe at it, but like my attack before it, his paw just went through it. "Ike--attack! Don't you know any electric moves yet?"

"Shinx shii…" he muttered sheepishly, laying his ears back. I took that as a no. If only I had Des, or even Carlita…

"Just--let--go--" I tried pulling my arm back, but the Haunter took this as a game of tug-of-war and just pulled back even harder, laughing again. Ike hopped up onto my arm and used it as a bridge to get closer to the Haunter. He fluffed up and growled, but intimidation didn't work. It just earned me another yank, and they were getting progressively more painful. I was beginning to worry for the safety of my arm. "Help! Ivan! Katerina!" I shouted helplessly, still trying to pull my arm out of the Haunter's grasp.

Suddenly, the Haunter was flung to the side. The good news was that it let go of my arm and seemed to take some serious damage. The bad news was that it didn't let go of my arm until I felt something snap or crack or _something_ that caused a lot more pain. My arm dropped limply to the side and I found myself unable to move it any more.

"_Oh. That wasn't supposed to happen_." I turned and glared, watery-eyed, at a large blue Pokemon with red eyes. It looked vaguely distressed.

"Get away from me."

"_I meant to get rid of the Haunter, not to hurt you further_," the Pokemon said sympathetically, coming a bit closer. I recognized its speech as the telepathic kind, so it had to be a psychic. Which was totally not what I needed right then.

"I said get away!" Ike stood protectively in front of me, tail lashing behind him angrily. Haunter were ghosts, so he couldn't do much to them, but this Pokemon seemed very solid. And large, but at least solid.

"_I can help you_," the Pokemon persisted, coming a bit closer. I noticed that it was levitating, which meant that it definitely was a psychic. Though couldn't anything _walk_ in this place?!

"Come any closer and my Shinx will attack," I warned, backing up until I could feel the stone behind me once more.

The blue Pokemon responded by picking up Ike with some sort of psychic attack. Ike flailed and tried attacking, but couldn't move.

"_The Duskull and Dusclops have already seen to you, I see. Well, I am no ghost and I can help you. I can help your shoulder._" While that sounded very tempting, I was not about to trust any more wild Pokemon.

"I can help myself, thank you. Now drop my Shinx and leave me alone!" I didn't even have anything to throw, not even a stick to try stabbing it with.

The Pokemon paused, thinking. Finally, it floated on over until it was practically above me. "_I'm afraid that I can't allow you to stay in here without supervision._" With that, it picked me up with that same psychic move, which my shoulder definitely didn't like. I blinked back tears and tried to think of a way out of this that didn't involve even more injury. Such a feat seemed like a far-off dream.

"Dusssssss!"

"Let the human go!"

Oh great. The cavalry arrived.

"Can't all of you let me go?"

"_I am helping the human-trainer. You ghosts are the ones responsible for this, anyway._" The blue psychic holding us turned, and I at once recognized Katerina and Vladimir at the edge of visibility in the fog.

"We are not the ones responsible. The Haunter is!"

"_You ghosts are all the same._"

"You Pokemon are all the same!" I exclaimed, but was ignored. Maybe I should invest in a psychic, just so I could Teleport out of situations like this.

"_I cannot allow you to hurt the human-trainer any more. It needs to be taken care of and then set free._" I didn't know what bothered me more. The fact that it was apparently referring to me as an 'it', or the fact that it was treating me like a Starly with a broken wing. "_Humans, especially human-trainers, have no place here. Even you ghosts should know that._"

"Dusssssskull," Katerina replied challengingly, her blind eye wandering from empty socket to empty socket.

"We will take care of the trainer. Ivan started this, so we will finish it."

"_You want to tell the human-trainer about the future. Don't think we psychics haven't realized that._"

Katerina flew in a great circle, cackling madly. Vladimir watched her for a moment before returning his stare to us. "We are not psychic Pokemon, so we don't have to follow your rules. We just want to warn--"

"_No one should be warned of the future! Now leave!_"

"You all seem _so_ worried about me, but might I remind you that I'm kind of hurting a _lot_ right now?! If this blue thing wants to help, then let it! You two can bicker about it later!" I interrupted. All three turned to me, surprised that I would speak up in my own defense.

"We will accompany you. Do you intend to go to Furat for this?" Vladimir asked stiffly. He must have gotten some sort of nonverbal response, because he continued. "We will accompany you and then deal with the trainer once you are done _helping_."

I was entirely unimpressed with the lot of them as they marched out, carrying Ike and I with that psychic move, back out of the cave-temple-thing. It was still raining and storming, unfortunately--at least it was until the psychic Pokemon did something that immediately made the dark clouds disappear and sunshine rain down instead. We went to the water's edge, where the Dusclops stepped forward and shouted, "Furat!"

Immediately, the water splashed in front of us, and another blue Pokemon I recognized as another psychic climbed up onto the rocky shore. The Golduck shook off its hands and tail, smoothing out the feathers on its head, before turning to us with a hint of irritation. The water Pokemon's gaze dropped to me before returning to the other Pokemon.

"_I see you have brought me another pet to heal, Bronzong. Or is this Dusclops'_?" the duck said in a feminine voice, smoothing out her feathers flirtatiously as she eyed the ghost.

"The trainer needs a shoulder fixed."

"_We also need to consult you because the ghosts want to inform it of the future_," the Bronzong holding me insisted, setting Ike and I down gently on the ground. I instantly was back on my feet, but only managed the first two steps on my escape attempt before I was arrested again with telekinesis.

"_Hmm, hmm. What's in it for me if I help the little human_?"

"This human is an important one. We need this healing, Furat."

"_Fine, Dusclops. But I will not be the one to hold it still. The shoulder is dislocated, and I will need to put it back into place. Bronzong, you will hold it still. And if the Duskull starts laughing, I will leave._"

"Uh, what--?!" I was picked up again after the Golduck's rather alarming words. I knew what a dislocated shoulder was, and I knew how it was fixed--the shoulder was rammed back into the socket. "I'll take the injury, I'll be fine--"

"_This will hurt, little human_," Furat said as she sauntered over and grabbed hold of my arm.


	38. That She Did Pity Them

Katerina started laughing hysterically after I started shouting (and, I'll admit, maybe crying), and true to her word, Furat disappeared back into the water. The Bronzong and Vladimir both stood on the shore, begging her to come back, even as Katerina continued cackling in the background.

After the pain started to fade and the sunny skies overhead started to fade into a sunset, the two at the shore gave up on the Golduck. I had tried getting away from them three more times during that period, only to be stopped by either a psychic move or Katerina.

"…She was not even a real psychic type," Vladimir muttered.

"_It still knows Future Sight and Psychic, so we value its opinion._"

"The Dusclops and Duskull do not."

"_You will still follow the psychic's rules, and we believe Furat is part of our group._"

"Even if we do not tell the trainer, we still need to do something."

"_Like what? Take care of it?_"

"What else can we do?"

"I can hear you two!" I shouted fiercely, glaring at them over my attempted fire. Katerina was hovering close by, curious and fascinated by the process. It was a lot harder to do without Des' help. The Duskull set the small pile of grasses and sticks on fire, laughing at my astonished face. Unfortunately, due to the lack of fuel, it died out just moments later.

"We are discussing your future," Vladimir called back. Katerina snickered at the unintended joke.

"Dussssss!"

"Katerina says we must tell you to stop the tyrant trainer."

"_Don't say anything about the future!_" Bronzong said harshly.

"Are you going to stop us?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored the battle as the two started grappling with each other. Katerina lost interest in me and went to cheer on her Dusclops translator, which was fine with me. "Ike, what should we do?" I asked quietly.

"Shinx-shii-shinx, shii."

"I don't know why I bothered asking." I stood up, gingerly moving my shoulder to see how much it still hurt, and walked over to the water's edge. I was thirsty and hungry, and while I was content to drink the lake water, it didn't solve my hunger issue. It had been over a day since I'd last eaten--Ike, too, must be hungry. I had several times debated over the possibility of asking either the ghosts or the Bronzong for help with the food issue, but I was frightened by what they might bring me. I figured that Dusclops ate children, and who _knew_ what the bell-like Pokemon ate…

"_Do you eat fish?_" I looked around in surprise for Furat's voice. She was nowhere to be seen, however, and judging on the fact that the two brawling hadn't stopped, I gathered that she was only speaking to me.

"Yeah--" I flopped back as a Magikarp was thrown out of the water into my face. Furat came out of the water, resting her forearms on the shore, smiling cheekily. I glared at her as I dropped the flailing Magikarp.

Then I realized the problem I had just been presented with. Magikarp were fish, yes, but they were also Pokemon. Moreover, this was a live one. I gently picked up the Magikarp again and placed it back in the water. The Golduck flung it back onto the shore with her tail. "_You are already thin, little human. You should eat._"

"But… it's alive," I replied weakly.

"_How is this a problem?_"

"I can't kill a Pokemon--"

"_Not even for food? Not even if it saves your own life?_" Furat challenged, the red jewel on her forehead glinting in the twilight. There was a gasp behind me, and we both turned to see Ike biting down on the Magikarp's throat (as best he could, considering the size different). "_Your Shinx is not so reserved when it comes to survival._"

I had eaten Magikarp before, of course, but that was before I had become a trainer, and they had always been dead and cooked. Before I became a trainer, I had eaten a lot of Pokemon, I supposed. But they had always been dead and cooked. After I started, I had mostly eaten Berries and vegetables with my team. Occasionally we'd bought easily preserved meats and things when we passed through a city, or just buy meals at restaurants, but I never had to see anything get killed in front of me. I didn't even have to think about what I was eating.

Now I did.

The Magikarp finally died in Ike's teeth. My Shinx then carried it over to the remains of our fire, turning to me expectantly.

I didn't notice him, since I was busy throwing up in the water.

Furat made a very disgusted sound and hastily got out of the water, running her webbed hands all along the spikes on the top of her head. "_I have always believed that humans are a singularly weak species, but I never knew to this extent._ _Also, now you will have to eat, as there's absolutely nothing else in your stomach._"

"I-I'd rather starve," I shot back feebly, leaning against the rock wall beside me for support.

"_Then you shall_," she replied simply. "_That will solve all of our problems, won't it?_"

-.-.-

Eventually, Ike's insistent (and constant) yowling, mixed in with the smell of cooked Magikarp (after Katerina started another fire for us), got the better of me. Furat had captured another Magikarp, killing it herself this time, and was sharing it amicably with Ike and I. I had demanded a blindfold before eating any of it, and once Vladimir and the Bronzong realized what was going on, they readily complied. I wasn't too sure about tying a bandage from the Dusclops around my head, though.

"_What are your other two Pokemon_?" Furat asked. She seemed very curious about the life of a trainer and asked Ike and I endless questions about it.

"A Numel and a Breloom."

"_And you name them? What if they already have names?_"

I never really thought about that before. "I… don't know. They answer to the names I call them…"

"_Of course they would_," the Golduck replied with a smirk in her voice. "_What do you eat out in the wilderness if you're so afraid to kill Pokemon?_"

"Plants and stuff."

"_There are plant Pokemon._"

"_Other_ plants and stuff. And human food."

"_What are your personal feelings about knowing the future? Since Bronzong and Dusclops are so interested in you…_ _I wonder what they're so worked up about. I know Future Sight too, and I've seen the future. As long as we all stay wild, we'll be fine._"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, echoed by an annoyed growl from Ike. I wordlessly handed him another part of my Magikarp, which he devoured at once, nearly taking my finger with it. I wouldn't have thought that such a little Pokemon could have eaten so much, but as far as I could tell, he had eaten as much as I had so far.

"_The Pokemon world is in an uproar because of an upcoming disaster. That's all._" Her smile was too loud to ignore, however.

"Why does being wild have anything to do with it?" I hesitantly lifted the bandage from my eyes, blinking as I adjusted to the firelight.

"Dusssss-skull!" Katerina intoned gravely.

"Katerina says that we cannot say anything more until we come to a conclusion about the trainer," Vladimir translated warningly. "I would thank you to stay quiet now, Furat."

"_Of course I will_," she replied, spitting a bone in his direction.

"Um… So why did you guys have to take me to her?" I asked quietly. I still wasn't sure how to treat the others. I wasn't so angry anymore, but I still didn't trust any of them as far as I could throw them, and I was very wary of why they were doing what they were doing.

"Ghosts do not know how to treat physical injuries. Neither do bells, apparently," the Dusclops replied, glancing at the Bronzong. "Moreover, Furat is another psychic, and we would have to consult her eventually."

"_Oh, no, don't forget, Dusclops. I'm not a psychic. I'm merely a water being that's been gifted with an extraordinary mind_," Furat said, batting her eyes at him.

"_We still must consult all of the psychics in the area, and you are still one,_" the Bronzong replied evenly.

"_Are you going to ask the Haunter?_"

"No, we are not. They only know a few psychic moves, and none of them are Future Sight, so they don't need to know!" Vladimir exclaimed.

"What's so bad about this future that you need to freak out this much?" I couldn't help but ask. This entire unintentional trip had been nothing but torture so far, but it didn't mean I couldn't get _something_ out of it. And hey, knowing the future could be handy, right? Especially if it was as bad as they were making it out to be…

"_Many will die_."

"It's a problem for the trainers."

"_It won't affect us wild Pokemon._"

"Dusssssssss skull-dussss!"

They all talked at once, giving me the distinct impression that they hadn't planned on that. So I got four (okay, three, as Vladimir wasn't translating Katerina's after his slip) tidbits of information. "Why will it only affect humans?"

This time, all three of them stayed silent, annoyed that they had talked at all in the first place.

I huffed and crossed my arms. I was done eating, though Ike was still gnawing on a few of the larger bones rather lazily. So they probably wouldn't tell me much else without deciding it in their little psychic meeting. I did get a little information. It would only affect humans… That ruled out most natural disasters, like earthquakes or floods or forest fires, since those would also affect any wild Pokemon in the area. What was it, then? A disease? A mass murderer? Unsurprisingly, that brought to mind the man who'd put me in this situation to start with…

"…I'm going to sleep. If any of you feel the need to kill me and put me out of my misery, don't wake me up before you do so," I informed them, scooping up Ike and marching off into the darkness. I heard Furat snicker and mutter something to Katerina, who likewise giggled. Probably plotting my demise, which really didn't bother me at all anymore. The Pokemon world and one murderous mercenary were out to get me, and eventually, they would.

I drifted off to sleep, using my good arm as a pillow, Ike nestled up against my chest.

And, what felt like seconds later, I was being shaken awake. I blinked blearily and tried not to feel sick as whoever it was kept shaking me. "Wh-What is it…?"

"_You are missing two other Pokemon, little human? Are they in those little balls you carry around?_" Furat asked excitedly, voice much too loud in my head, especially as I noticed that the sun hadn't even made it over the edge of the cliffs around us yet.

"Y-Yeah… Stop shaking me!"

"_This! This is one?_" She stopped, though more so she could show me the item she found and less because I told her to. I blinked a few more times, then gasped as I realized she was proudly holding up Ike's ultra ball.

"Where did you find it?!"

"_In the water, down at the bottom. You have one more to find, right?_"

"No, that one's Ike's, it's just empty. The other two have my Pokemon in them." I made a grab for it but she held it out of range. "Give it to me!"

"_I will not hand over such things without payment, little human_," she said, forehead jewel sparkling.

"I really don't have anything. Not money or items or food or anything. That water of yours is holding everything I own."

"_I do not require material items!_" the Golduck scoffed, turning her bill up at the very thought. "_I want you… to do me a favor_."

"…What kind of favor?" I asked suspiciously.

"_I want to speak to Dusclops, only without Duskull and Bronzong around. I want you to distract them somewhere else. Like in the cave. Can you do that for me?_"

"…Yeah, I guess. How long do I need to keep them occupied?"

"_Oh, not long. Let's say… ten minutes?_"

I grimaced. "O-Okay…" How was I supposed to keep a Bronzong and blind Duskull busy for ten minutes? I'd have to figure it out if Ike ever wanted a proper rest, and the fact that she found the ultra ball in the water made me wonder if two pokeballs were down there, too, somewhere…

I turned and marched over to where the two ghosts and psychic were discussing things in low tones. They immediately stopped once I got within earshot and looked up at me expectantly. How _was_ I supposed to separate them without getting myself attacked? I glanced back over my shoulder at Furat. She was just watching in amusement. That figured.

"…You're it," I told the Bronzong and I tapped it lightly on the arm. It stared at me with wide, red eyes.

"…_Excuse me?_" it asked uncomfortably, shying away from me.

"Tag. Don't Pokemon play it?"

"_Of course we do._"

"Well, you're it. You're the chaser. You have to catch us," I explained impatiently, tapping my foot. I had gestured vaguely to Ike when I said 'us', but I was hoping that Katerina would join in, too. Vladimir… I had no idea what to do about him. Hopefully he'd be too much of a stick in the mud to play.

"_I don't have time for this…_"

"Oh, okay then. _Well_ to entertain myself, I'll just have to go over and talk to Furat some more. I'm sure she'll tell me all about this apocalyptic future of ours. That'll be good entertainment--"

"Has she been telling you about the future?" Vladimir asked.

"…Yes." This was working out better than I would have hoped. The Dusclops got up and trudged over to Furat, leaving me alone with the Bronzong and Katerina, who I had to get out of here. For ten minutes. Could I handle a ten-minute game of tag with a psychic and ghost? "Well? You're it, Bronzong."

With that, Ike and I ran off to the cave's opening, hoping that the other two would follow.


	39. And I Don't Deserve To

Thankfully, the Bronzong decided that it had better entertain me, lest I find out more about that disastrous future of theirs. Katerina joined in without much asking, cackling with glee every time she found me and made me shriek. Of course, with all of the noise, it was only a matter of time before the other Pokemon of the cave came to investigate.

So the next half hour basically turned into a giant, cave-wide game of tag. This was completely unintentional, and actually more than a little annoying, because I'd have random ghosts or psychics or I didn't even know what appearing to tag me when I didn't even know they were playing, let alone it.

To make matters worse, Ike and I got separated after a flock of Haunter came to tag/carry me off. I had to spend much of the game trying to track him back down. I occasionally caught glimpses of him, usually chasing or being chased some wild Pokemon, but could never catch up to him, what with the fog and dozens of other Pokemon running about.

Eventually, I managed to not be it long enough to get myself lost and separated from the group. One thing I learned quickly in the cave was that I couldn't just go back the way I came, either. So instead, I wandered, trying not to trip over rocks in the fog, calling, "Ike! Ike?!"

I found another doorway and decided that the steps leading up to it would be high ground, which might give me some sort of advantage. As if I hadn't tried that a million times already. Surprisingly, this door was blocked. Blocked by a very angry Dusclops.

"You said you weren't here for Giratina!" the ghost barked, and I recognized him at once as Ivan. (How could I forget the mouth that nearly ate me?)

"I-I'm not." I still didn't know what a Giratina was, and I definitely wasn't here for anything! "We're playing tag, and I got lost--"

"Then why did you wind up here?"

"I told you, I'm lost."

His red eye scrutinized me for a few moments. I could only stand there, shaking and sweating, worried he'd try to eat me again. "…Fine then. Konstantin will guide you back to the first room. Kostya!" Ivan called, and almost immediately, the Duskull burst out of the fog. "Guide the trainer back to the first room. Make sure there is no dawdling."

"Duskull!" He bobbed in agreement and floated back a bit into the fog, turning around to make sure I was following. I did, albeit grumpily, because no one around there was telling me anything. They dropped all of these hints and told me rules I had to follow, but I wasn't getting any reward (aside from staying alive) for it. "…Skull?" Konstantin asked, breaking me out of my angry thoughts.

"I can't understand you." I crossed my arms, wondering why I had been so angry lately. Yeah, I had been almost killed again and there _was_ the matter of all of the crazy Pokemon, but still… I normally wasn't this mad, was I? Had recent events changed me?

"Duskull," he sighed, drooping in the air.

I ignored him. I hadn't really been mad after the Abomasnow thing, nor had I been when I had to release my Electabuzz. That had been more sad. I hadn't been angry after the second luckless trip to Route 222. True, I had been a bit peeved when I had been chewed up and spit out by Crasher Wake thanks to Nick, but that hadn't lasted long. I had also been a little bitter and angry when I was attacked by Ike and subsequently caught him, but that hadn't lasted because my parents and the ensuing drama dismissed most of it. Was I only angry because this time, the annoyances and misfortunes only built up? Or because I had time to reflect upon them?

"Dus, skull…" my Duskull guide mumbled, and I found myself back in the first room.

"Thanks," I told him absently, standing on my tiptoes in the doorway to see if I could spot Ike. My Shinx was being tossed between a couple of Haunter. Without another word to Konstantin, I ran down the steps and began my verbal assault. "Hey! Ghosts! Stop throwing Ike, or--Hey!"

Instead of stopping, one of them picked me up and tried to fling me over to the other as well. It didn't work out so well, as I was much heavier and fell flat on my face halfway there.

"I hope you're both happy," I growled, holding my nose and hoping it wasn't bleeding or broken. For once, it seemed like neither. The Haunter laughed at me regardless, and laughed even more after they threw Ike at my head and he attached himself to my face with rather sharp claws. "…I hate ghosts."

"Shii-shinx," Ike shakily agreed as I tugged him away from me. I kept him protectively in my arms, making sure neither Haunter made another grab at him. Safe, he growled at them both, "Shiiiiiiinx…!"

"Hau hau hau!" they laughed, floating off.

Ike and I snorted at them in unison. I then turned and tried to find the cave entrance through the fog. It was actually easy for once, since the daylight was showing through even the dense haze, guiding us through it all until we were outside again. I shifted Ike so I could shield my eyes with my arm. Furat had gotten much more than her ten minutes, so I had better get something extra for it. I spotted the Golduck sitting near the water's edge, kicking at it with her webbed feet. She beamed at me in the way that only she, with her bill, could.

"_Here's the ball_," she spoke before I did, tossing me the ultra ball. I sighed in relief, glad to have at least one, and pressed it against Ike's fur. He looked surprised as he disappeared, weirdly enough.

"I stalled for longer than your ten minutes. I want something extra," I told her, trying to ignore my Shinx's look.

"_Normally, I would do nothing of the sort, giving you anything extra. But… I suppose I could give you a bit of information… A or B?_"

"What?"

"_Pick A or B. Different rewards, but you only get one_," she replied cheerfully, kicking at the water to try to splash me. Luckily it didn't work, otherwise I would be even more irritated.

"Fine. A." I pocketed Ike's ultra ball and crossed my arms over my chest.

"_I'm fairly certain that the other two balls you're looking for are at the bottom of the lake, little human. Along with your bag, which has been bothering the Pokemon because it's inedible._"

I wasn't about to correct her about the inedible, for I had some nonperishable (unfortunately, not waterproof) food in it… "Thanks." It was a lucky break, and the first major step to getting out of here. I didn't even care what the future might be, so long as I didn't die down in the cave or the sunken lake.

"_I can get them for you, if you do me another favor--what are you doing?_" Furat asked curiously, leaning forward as I kicked off my shoe and pulled off my socks.

"I'm going in to get them, of course. I'm a pretty good swimmer and it can't be that deep, right?"

"_The depth isn't what you should be worried about. There are wild Pokemon in this lake!_" she warned with narrowed eyes. "_You can't go in here safely._"

"I can't do anything safely, so that's a moot point," I replied as I pulled my shirt over my head. "Plus, what's a few Magikarp?" I added, trying not to think of what I'd been eating lately. I tugged off my shorts as well, leaving on my underwear, and hopped into the water. It was cold, but hopefully I wouldn't be in it too long.

"_It's not--_" I didn't hear the rest of her warning since I had dunked my head to get all of my body used to the temperature. While under the water, I tried to spot any of my things, but no luck. I resurfaced to find the Golduck in the water next to me. "_It's unsafe you stupid human!_" she screeched, trying to herd me back onto the land.

"I can swim fine and I need those things," I replied shortly.

"_There are more than Magikarp in these waters! There are Goldeen and Seaking and--_"

"More small fry. I don't care. I need my Pokemon and I guess my backpack too, considering all it's been through… I'm going for it. You can either help or watch." I swam out towards the middle of the lake, ducking underwater a few more times to see if I could find anything. A couple of the mentioned Pokemon, who usually swam away in fright, but nothing else. The bottom was barely visible; I was starting to doubt I could hold my breath that long.

"_I can get them for you safely, if you just do me a couple more favors in return,_" Furat said hurriedly, swimming circles around me, trying to force me back.

"I don't have time for that and I don't think I have the sanity, either. Everyone here is crazy and I'm afraid it's contagious."

"_I will ignore the implied insult and will again warn you: it's dangerous this far out!_"

"I'll be fine. I always am."

"_Get back onto the land!_"

"No! I need my stuff!" I snapped, diving down again. There--finally! I saw something red lying on the bottom, which had to be a pokeball. I didn't care whose it was, because either Des or Carlita would be a welcome reprieve from all of the Pokemon here. I took a deep breath of air, then went back down for it.

My lungs started to hurt when I guessed I was halfway down. It was a lot deeper than I'd originally thought. I tried going down a bit further, but I was really worried I'd drown, so I decided to head back up and try thinking up a new plan.

Furat met me up above with a flat, but smug, glare. "_…You can't make it._"

"I'll manage. I'll just take a deeper breath this time," I shot back.

"_You won't make it!_" she sang. I just splashed her and went down for another try. I got a little bit farther this time, but still not nearly close enough. Furat was flat-out laughing when I came back up for air. "_You can't make it, you can't make it!_"

"I'll make it!" I decided. Even if I drowned this time, I would get that pokeball and I would not let her laugh any more at me. I took the deepest breath possible and went down once more. Halfway down, again, my lungs started hurting, but I ignored their plea for oxygen. Three quarters of the way down and I had to blow out some bubbles, otherwise I felt I'd explode.

When I touched the pokeball, I finally couldn't take it anymore and had to exhale. Of course, my body immediately demanded a subsequent inhale, which really didn't work well, considering the situation. I kept my hands clamped on the pokeball as I kicked off of the bottom, trying to head back up while ignoring the rather painful underwater coughing.

I clawed at the water in vain, trying to go upward, but it was too hard. I wasn't moving anywhere, and I could _feel_ my lungs full of water. Just as the water was starting to fade to black, two surprisingly strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me upward. I resurfaced in surprisingly little time, which was thankfully before I passed out completely, and immediately began the painful process of literally coughing my lungs up.

"_I told you it was too dangerous!_" Furat scolded, watching impassively.

I mutely held up the pokeball. It was a win for me, regardless of whether or not she'd admit it.

"_There is still the other and your bag, if you've forgotten!_"

"Y-You didn't have to sa-save me. Let me drown if you w-want me to fail that badly," I responded between coughs and water.

"_It ruins the water, having a body in it,_" she grumbled, looking away. I laughed. Definitely my win. "_Get out of the water now. You have proven your point, human, and I'll fetch the other two items for you._"

"For a pr-price, right?"

"_Of course. You'll die on your next dive, because I won't rescue you. It's in your best interest to get out of the water now._"

"I've proven that I can handle it. Plus this water doesn't seem all that dangerous. All of the fish swam away when they saw me."

"_It's not the fish I'm worried about,_" she confessed.

Behind her, the water erupted and rained down as a Gyarados reared up out of it, letting out a fearsome roar.

"_It's the Gyarados._"


	40. Everyone’s Caught Onto Everything You Do

"I'll go back to the shore now."

"_Oh, really?_" Furat snapped sarcastically. The Gyarados towering above us roared again and I had to cover my ears, otherwise I'd go deaf.

"Yeah! Let's go!" I latched onto her arm, trying to stay behind her. "Can't you Teleport or something?"

"_No, I can't._"

"What?! You're a psychic! I thought that was required!"

"_I am not a psychic! I'm just a water Pokemon!_"

"Some help you are!"

Apparently, listening to us argue wasn't very entertaining for the Gyarados. It had sunk back down in the water until only its head was visible, and was watching us with a very bored expression. It growled, and Furat snorted in reply. "_No, the human isn't mine. Dusclops and Bronzong are still fighting over custody._"

"You're talking to it?" I whispered in amazement.

"_Of course I am,_" she replied matter-of-factly.

"Gyaaaaaa…?" the Gyarados asked, rising up out of the water a little more.

"_We weren't hunting in your half of the lake, are you kidding me? Human, tell the nice Gyarados you weren't hunting here_."

"We weren't! Really, of course we weren't!" I hastily agreed. Maybe we could still get out of this without getting mauled or eaten. That would be a lucky break. Furat had a way with words, so hopefully she could get us both out of this.

Though, if that were to happen, we would just have to go back to the shore and I had only gotten back one pokeball. I didn't even know whose it was, but I was still missing one regardless. I could live without my backpack, sure, but I'd rather have it back if given the opportunity…

"Dossssss!" it hissed, splashing us both with water with its tail. "Gyaaaaaa!"

"_We're not lying! Does this little human look capable of killing any of your food?_" Furat asked, holding up one of my arms. "_You know as well as I do that humans aren't made for power like that._"

I decided not to be annoyed at the not-so-implied insult since she was probably saving my life.

"_When I tell you to go, start swimming back to shore. Do not reply to me in any way; I am using my psychic powers to communicate with only you right now._" If I wasn't supposed to reply, how did she know I got the message? Oh well. I figured I'd just follow the half-baked plan and hope for the best, since there was nothing else to do except get eaten. (That seemed to be happening a lot lately.)

"Gyaaaaaraaaaa!" the Gyarados roared, gnashing its teeth together angrily. It curled its lip as it eyed me, then turned back to the Golduck beside me. "Gyaaa!"

"_Once the psychics reach an agreement--you know how they are--the human will leave, I promise, Gyarados. It's just--_" Furat shrieked as the massive water Pokemon lunged at her, jaws open wide. She scrambled out of the way, pulling me along with her. "_Go! Go!_" she shouted, kicking me in the direction of land while she turned back to the Gyarados. I nearly lost my grip on the pokeball as I started swimming away from the fight. I only looked back once, to see Furat lifting the Gyarados clean out of the water with some sort of psychic move.

Vladimir and Katerina were both waiting anxiously on the shore, having seen the commotion from across the lake. "What happened?!" the Dusclops demanded. I ignored him and tried to shake myself dry. The cold water had taken its toll. I was shivering and felt very waterlogged, if it was possible to feel such a thing.

"Dussssss?" the blind Duskull asked curiously.

"Katerina asks why you were out in the water."

"This," I replied, showing them the pokeball. Both ghosts stared at it in confusion. I sighed. "I told you I have other Pokemon, right? This is one of them. The other one and the rest of my stuff is still at the bottom of the lake; I was out looking for it all."

Katerina and Vladimir looked at each other, then back at me. "Dus… Duskull…?"

"Katerina asks if that was your idea or Furat's."

"It was mine… mostly."

"Meaning?"

"It was my idea…" I mumbled thoughtfully. It had been my idea, but I never would have come up with it if it hadn't been for the information Furat gave me. Why were they being so suspicious? It was making me wary of the Golduck, too, and I shouldn't be, especially when I was going to have to do whatever she wanted in order to get my last Pokemon and backpack. That reminded me. I still had to see who I'd rescued and if they were hurt. I tossed the pokeball, and out came Pedestal.

I immediately fell down on my knees and wrapped my arms around him. I'll admit that I did so not only because I was happy to see him and glad he was seemingly unharmed; I was also grateful that I now had a Pokemon that could combat ghosts and was hopefully in their level range as well. "Nu?" Des asked, surprised by the hug.

"Oh, Des…" I breathed into his short fur, unable to say much else. I no longer disliked Ike, not after he tried (and failed, admittedly) to protect me several times from the ghosts, but the Shinx still couldn't compare to my starter. Des was still up on a mental pedestal. It was just a little shorter than it had been originally.

"Nu?" he repeated cluelessly.

-.-.-

When Furat made it back to land, she was immediately verbally assaulted by Katerina (translated by Vladimir) and the Bronzong both. They had heard what little of the story I told them and made assumptions past that, assumptions that seemed to make the Golduck very nervous. I hardly understood any of it, except that the Bronzong floated out and psychically retrieved Carlita's pokeball and the remnants of my backpack from the water. Carlita was unharmed, if frantic about what was happening and the surplus of ghosts around, but my backpack really couldn't be salvaged. None of the items could be.

Which meant that I really had lost everything I owned, saved the rather tattered outfit I was wearing. No translator, no PokeDex, no pokeballs, no map, no Poketch, no phone, no food or clothes or anything.

Somehow, I doubted my trainer's insurance would cover everything. (It was designed with the occasional mishap in mind. Not me.)

At any rate, I had my team again. Ike may have been tired and injured, but Des and Carlita were still very capable of fighting, and demonstrated a couple of times when a Gastly or Duskull got too close. Konstantin was the single Duskull allowed near me, in fact, and that was only after a very long and seemingly in-depth conversation with both my Numel and Breloom. Katerina tried to get close several times, but each time was chased off with a growl or two, making her rather grumpy.

After the Gyarados incident, things seemed unusually calm. Furat wasn't allowed near me without supervision, which I didn't quite understand the purpose of, and for that reason, it made me nervous around her. The fact that I had my Pokemon back, too, set me off kilter; wasn't my next step getting out of the sunken lake-cave-temple place? I had tried climbing out, but could never get far, even with assistance from my team. The others weren't too keen on helping me out, either; they were all still arguing over their psychic-ness, which I had had enough of and was completely tired of. I didn't even want to know the future anymore. They were dragging their feet about it, no one wanted to give any ground, and they couldn't decide on anything past the fact that they should be deciding on something.

"Carlita, can you get up there?" I asked, leaning back and shading my eyes against the sunlight. We were standing in front of the rock face, in front of the spot I had deemed as 'easiest to climb', though I still couldn't manage to get more than ten feet or so off the ground.

"Loo," she replied with a shake of her head. I hadn't really thought she could, having only given her the vague hope that fighters were good climbers. Ike couldn't climb either, and I hadn't even _thought_ Des could manage it. Nor could he melt the rock, since that barely worked and smoothed it, anyway. I wanted it to be craggy so there were more hand- and footholds.

"Skull?" Konstantin floated over curiously.

"We're trying to get up," I said, guessing at his question.

"Dus," he replied with a bob. I raised an eyebrow and watched as he effortlessly floated all the way to the top.

"Yeah, that doesn't _work_ for still-alive things." _Were_ ghosts actually dead? I didn't know, but I did know that I couldn't fly like he could. Konstantin came back down, red eye shifting thoughtfully between his otherwise empty eye sockets. I looked away. I still couldn't get used to that.

"Kostya was saying that you could float up if you had some help, comrade," Ivan called helpfully. I turned and saw that my wild Pokemon entourage were all watching me, seemingly enthralled with my escape attempts.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be arguing?" I snapped, turning irritably back to the rocks. Curiosity soon got the better of me, however, and I peeked back over my shoulder. "…How can _I_ float up there?"

"_We are psychics, aren't we? Well, I am a psychic, but Furat has some psychic powers. It could aid me in floating you up to the top_," Bronzong intoned, red eyes fixed on me.

"_I have enough power to help with that,_" Furat added, her eyes fixed on the other blue psychic.

"…And _why_ haven't you guys told me about that sooner?! What are you waiting for?! Help me out of here!" I burst out angrily.

Ivan and Vladimir shared a perplexed look. The former then turned back to me, asking, "We are not yet done with our discussions of the use of our Future Sight. We--"

"I don't _care_ about the stupid future! I'll die eventually, and I'd rather it be _out_ of this hole in the ground."

"_But it greatly--_"

"No, I really don't _care_. Do you guys understand that? You were probably right that humans shouldn't know the future. Heck, Pokemon probably shouldn't have access to that either. But the fact is--I don't want to know. I get into enough trouble as it is, and I don't want to live with paranoia the rest of my life." Never mind the fact that I was still paranoid about the Froslass, Crasher Wake, the other Gym leaders, that Abomasnow, what would happen if I didn't find Froslass' trainer in time, what would happen if I met that man who put me here in a dark alley, what would happen if Ike ever figured out that he can hurt me…

The Pokemon all glanced uneasily at one another. I stared them down, as well as I could, and they all stayed silent. It was a long, awkward silence before Ivan spoke up. "…We will respect your wishes."

"Dusssssssssss!" Katerina interjected quickly.

"Katerina says 'however, we will leave you with a warning'."

The Bronzong shifted in the air uncomfortably, and a few of the Duskull also giggled nervously. Ivan and Vladimir looked at each other again. I crossed my arms, tapping my foot (the one that hadn't lost a shoe) on the ground. Ivan was the one to finally break the silence. "…You must not die."

I narrowed my eyes, ignoring how chilly I suddenly felt. What kind of a warning was _that_? Of course, the question that immediately sprang to mind after hearing the rather morbid warning was _am I going to die soon?_

I couldn't bring myself to ask that, though.

"You will face many trials. Do not let yourself become dark. Do not get sidetracked with the injustices of the world; do not become angry and bitter. And, when the time comes, let go of h--"

"_That is enough!_" Bronzong interrupted furiously, smacking Ivan in the head. I pressed a hand to my chest, making sure my heart was still beating while I tried to figure out how I could possibly be happy constantly or _die_. (At least, that's what I got out of the ominous piece of future news.) "_We will let it go now. Furat will help me. Even so, I doubt we could get you all the way to the top…_"

"_Probably a little over halfway,_" Furat agreed, eyeing the cliff calculatingly. "_You will have to climb the rest, little human. Can you do that?_"

"O-Of course I can," I lied. So what if I hadn't been able to get that far in my climbing? I'd get a boost, and I would just have to go the rest of the way to the top, and then I would be out of here. Hopefully. Unfortunately, my luck was generally bad luck, and slipping and falling seemed all too likely. And if it were from that far up… I looked apprehensively up at the rock face. I wouldn't have to worry about their future predictions if I fell, at least.


	41. More Things In Heaven And Earth

It wasn't like I had much (or anything) to pack, so I simply returned my Pokemon, put the pokeballs and ultra ball in my pocket, and faced the rocks in front of me. I tried to ignore my racing heart and what would happen if this didn't work. It wasn't like I had any other way out of here, anyway.

A couple smaller, rounder versions of Bronzong came out of the cave to watch and hopefully help. They chimed excitedly to one another, probably wondering if the human was going to fall and go splat.

To try to ignore the impending doom, I ran over the 'warning' Ivan had given me. Face many trials--check. Don't die--check so far. Don't let self become dark--check, I think. Not getting sidetracked with injustices--check, I guess, even though I was still angry about the whole leaving me down here to rot thing. Do not become angry and bitter--well, four out of five wasn't too bad.

There had been something else. I took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on that instead of listening to Bronzong and Furat discuss ways to get me up the cliff. What had it been? It had been what Bronzong had interrupted--_what had it been?_ Do not… let go of something. Or wait--no-- "Let _go_ of something," I murmured. Hopefully not the rocks I was about to climb. What was I supposed to let go of? Something told me I wasn't supposed to physically let go of something… which made me nervous.

What made me even more nervous is when I felt myself lifted into the air. I looked down frantically at where Furat and Bronzong were both raising their arms, the Golduck's eyes closed in concentration. Katerina floated circles around them, grey eye fixed solely on me, probably hoping I'd fall and die so she could laugh about it.

Konstantin flew up to me, hovering over my shoulder, accompanying me up. I felt a little relieved and even more grateful. And, if all else failed, I could grab onto him if I fell and hope he stayed tangible.

It was a relatively quick way up, which was good, considering I _really_ did not like the sensation of being suspended in midair that high up. I was surprised to find that they passed the halfway mark, though; maybe some of the little blue things I suspected of being Bronzong's pre-evolution were helping, or maybe Furat and Bronzong just really worked well together, but I was exceeding their prediction. I was far from complaining. It meant I had less to climb.

Around the three-quarter mark, I slipped.

I have no idea how I slipped, since I wasn't even holding on to anything, but it suddenly felt like something supporting me had given way. I dropped a couple feet before being righted again. I was fairly certain I had had a heart attack during that time. "Dus?!" Konstantin asked worriedly, zooming back down again to pat my shoulder.

"_I'm sorry,_" I heard Furat's voice telepathically tell me, "_But that's as far as I can help. Bronzong says it might be able to lift you up a little bit farther, but if you want to be put stably on the rocks, you might want to try that now._"

"Uh, thanks?" I called back down, unsure if they could hear me from that height. I reached out vainly for the nearest rocks, but they were just out of my range. I growled in frustration and flailed. "I need to move closer!" I shouted downward.

Naturally, I was pushed rather roughly into the rocks. I scrabbled for purchase before the psychic powers shut off while trying very hard to ignore the bruises and scrapes I'd just collected. I felt the psychic wear off--too soon. I slid down a little bit before managing to cling securely to the cliff face.

"You did that on purpose!" I snarled at the specks below, not caring if they heard or not.

"Duskull," Konstantin said sympathetically beside me.

"_Human, can you still hear me?_" Furat's voice sounded faint, even in my mind. I tried to think back 'yes' as loudly as I could. "_Good. You don't have that far to climb now. Leader-Dusclops says that the Duskull with you will help you._" Well _that_ was reassuring. "_…Don't forget the warning. Don't die, don't get distracted by wrongs, don't let them warp you. And also, when the time comes, let go._"

"Let go of what?" I asked angrily.

Furat continued like she hadn't heard me, which she probably hadn't. "_You may have to come back here one day, and if you do, the ghosts and I have agreed to aid you. Bronzong would rather prefer it if you didn't come back, of course. You will have to climb back down on the other side on your own, but going down is always the easy part, isn't it?_"

I resisted the urge to bang my head against the rocks and instead reached for a new handhold. Furat didn't say anything else, so I supposed that was supposed to be goodbye. It wasn't like I had much attachment to any of them, not after the way I was treated, but they had, more or less, helped me… Even so, I wasn't about to burst out crying. I was definitely glad to get out of the sunken lake with its crazy Pokemon.

The climbing turned out to be difficult, but still easier than I would have imagined. All I had to do was concentrate on the next step up. I definitely didn't dare look down, which probably helped, too. Konstantin floated slowly around me, silently encouraging me, occasionally adding a random "Dus".

Don't die. One step up.

Face many trials. Grab the next handhold.

Don't become dark. Another step up.

Don't get distracted by injustices and wrongs in the world. Another reach for a handhold.

Don't become angry and bitter. Yet another step upwards towards freedom.

When the time comes, let go. Another handhold.

Don't die, step.

Face many trials, grab.

Don't become dark, step.

Don't get distracted, grab.

Don't become bitter, step.

Let go--air. I looked up in surprise. Just above my head, there was nothing but open air. The ground leveled off. I shuffled upward, peeking over the edge. Grass, flowers even, and no wild Pokemon waiting to ambush me. More than I could have hoped for. I scrambled up, Konstantin occasionally helping by pulling on my arm (or hair, annoyingly). I shakily stood at the edge of the cliff I'd just climbed, looking down at the specks below. "Hey! I made it!" I hollered, waving. There were a couple waves back, but no responses that I could hear.

"Duskull!" Konstantin said happily, wiggling in the air.

"Thanks, Konstantin," I told him with a grin. I was finally free again.

-.-.-

I had to walk around the entire lake before I could find a place that lead down fairly easily. Konstantin continued following me. He scared away any wild Pokemon before I even had the chance to release any of my own Pokemon, which made me wonder just how strong he really was.

The climb down was pretty easy, all things considered. It was true that I fell and skidded quite a ways, but I managed not to break any bones and I wasn't bleeding too badly by the time I reached the bottom, so I considered it a job well done. I just wiped my scraped hands on my shorts, ignoring the red smears. The trees were now towering above us, instead of greenish-black specks seen from above, and there was a pleasant little field at the bottom of the cliff-mountain-thing, and I could see an equally pleasant, wide path leading off from it. As any good trainer knew, a path would lead somewhere, and usually that was to a city.

The only thing was, I still had a ghost following me. "Um… Konstantin? You can go back now," I said, a little unnerved by the fact that he hadn't left yet.

"Dus?" he asked, clearly taken aback.

"You did your job. I'm safe on the ground, see?" I hopped a few times in the short grass to demonstrate.

"Duskull, dus-dus, skull."

After having my translator (for an admittedly brief time) and having psychics and Dusclops abound back on the other side of the mountain, I was unused to having no way of communicating with a Pokemon. I took a few steps out into the grass, and Konstantin followed along behind me. "You can go home now," I told him forcefully, walking backwards so I could keep an eye on him.

"Dus?" he asked, a hint of a challenge in his tone.

"…You do what you want, then," I backed down, both verbally and physically, shrinking away from him. It wasn't as if he was _that_ threatening; I just knew what it was like to fight with ghosts. It was mostly reflex by now.

I scampered across the field, wary of wild Pokemon, even if Konstantin repelled them pretty effectively. Though there were no outright attacks, I did see silhouettes and movement, so I knew they were there. Just, for once, they didn't feel to announce their presence with a more often than not literal slap to the face.

The path was more clear of grass (and Pokemon, as far as I could tell), though it still had the odd patch or two. What I immediately spotted, though, with no small amount of joy, were _trainers_. There were _people_ here, real, live human beings!

Unfortunately, no one seemed keen on letting me get close to them with Konstantin lazily circling around me. "Wait! He's not my Pokemon--!"

"You got a _wild_ Pokemon followin' you? An' a _ghost_! Get outta here!" the man called back, ducking down behind a fence.

"Superstitious jerk…" I muttered, trudging along and trying to ignore it as he fished what I assumed was holy water out of his backpack and flung it at us. Konstantin and I watched mutely as it splashed to the ground several feet short. "…Why do you even _have_ that?"

"In case some o' them ghosts come out from the path! That's why! Ghosts don't bring nothin' but trouble!" he exclaimed, pointing in a very exaggerated fashion at Konstantin. I looked casually at the Duskull, then back at the man.

"You're telling me," I deadpanned and continued walking.

It was like that all the way to the post which signified the southern border of a city. I had never been so glad to see one before. Konstantin could hardly keep up (I wasn't complaining) as I managed to sprint the last little bit to the building, throw open the door, and collapse onto the carpet. It was soft and wonderful after sleeping so long on rocks. Moreover, the building was air-conditioned, and that was worth whatever weird looks the guard was giving me.

"What city is this?" I asked dreamily, rolling around on the carpet. Konstantin floated in through the wall behind me, watching my odd behavior as intently as the guard.

"Veilstone City. Are you alright…?" he asked, partly suspicious, partly worried.

"I'm fine, now." I could only grin.

-.-.-

Much to my annoyance, Konstantin followed me all the way to the Pokemon Center, watched as I handed over my Pokemon to get healed (with an explanation to the Nurse Joy about Ike's leg and general condition), waited with me while I ordered a room, and shadowed me even as I headed to the video phones.

I decided to check my voicemail before calling anyone. I could only stare at the screen when I saw that I had ninety-three messages--all in roughly a week's time. "_What._"

"Dus?" Konstantin asked curiously.

I scrolled through the numbers before listening to any of them. Most of them--in fact, about _eighty _of them--seemed to be from the same number. I didn't actually recognize the number, since I'm generally bad with memorizing numbers (parents' aside), but I had a hunch who they were all from.

Just as I was about to click on one of them, a new one popped up from the same number and started playing. "Fine, you idiot! I _won't_ bring you along! Just ignore me for how long now, you're off on your _big trainer adventure_, aren't you?! Well, I couldn't care less! Y-You could be _dead_ for all I know! I'll just go to Johto on my _own_ and hog all of the rare Pokemon! You can't have any! And for the record, I'm never speaking to you again!" Hanna exclaimed furiously, sounding close to tears.

Even as she was continuing on with her rant, ignoring her vow, I was dialing her number. The message cut off with an "--oh?" as she hung up on that line and picked up on her new incoming call. She probably only picked up because she didn't recognize the number, too.

"Hanna! I _really really_ didn't mean to ignore your calls or messages or anything! I lost my phone!"

When she realized it was me, she made a couple angry sounds and sniffed once or twice but otherwise stayed silent. Since she didn't hang up, however, I took it as a good sign.

"My phone is actually at the bottom of a lake right now," I continued breathlessly, hoping she forgave me. "It's a long story, and I promise I'll tell you later. I'm sorry that I didn't answer you, but look, you're the first person I called since I got back to civilization, okay?"

"…" Her silence still sounded rather angry.

"Do you have video phone?" I asked in exasperation.

"…Yeah," she replied, and with a click, her face appeared on the monitor. All at once, she recoiled, staring in horror at me. "Ew! You look _horrible_! Are you okay?"

"Eh, kind of…"

"Okay, I believe you now," Hanna mumbled, looking away from the camera.

"That's a relief."

"Sarcasm?"

"A little."

"_Any_way, all my messages to your KIA phone were kind of important, you know." She kept up her irritated tone, but I could see her softening. I tried not to outright grin, lest I incur her wrath once more and never find out what she meant by her eighty-some messages.

"Well?"

"Well, how fast can you get packed? Where are you, anyway?" Hanna was trying and failing to stay serious, and, in trying to stop from smiling or giggling or both, kept playing with her hair.

"I _am_ packed; I don't have anything. I'm at Veilstone."

"I'll be there in an hour." With that and a click, she hung up.


	42. Unbalanced Minds Always Tip The Scales

"You have an hour before she comes?" Nick had thankfully left a couple messages, so I was able to steal his number as well and give him a call. I wasn't procrastinating calling my parents. It was just that the last time I saw them, I had been in the hospital… So yeah. I wasn't procrastinating; I was coming up with an excuse as to why I was missing in action for a week.

"Yeah. That's all she said. In one of her messages, she mentioned Johto…" Was it another expedition of hers? At first, I had been excited, but that had soon melted into apprehension. I still _clearly_ remembered the last expedition.

"That sounds really cool. I took a trip to Hoenn a few years ago, and it was really fun. You should go if you get the chance," Nick replied, voice crackly. He didn't have the luxury of an amazing cell phone like Hanna, nor did he have the luxury of an area where reception was good, apparently.

"Yeah, but… I'm kind of reluctant now. I mean, she's not one to really think things through, and this is another _region_… Plus, I just got to Veilstone. I _just_ got back to civilization."

"Dus," Konstantin, who was still with me, added casually.

"What--was that?" Nick asked, temporarily broken up by a fierce bout of static.

"It's a long story." I had been saying that a lot today, and I had only talked to three people, including Nurse Joy.

"Did you--another Pokemon?" he asked, this time barely audible.

"Yeah, I caught another. But Nick, where _are_ you? I can barely hear you."

"I just--one of those--city posts."

"What?"

"I'm in--building by--" There was a click and a couple beeps, the screen in front of me unhelpfully telling me that the signal was lost. I dialed the number again, but either he didn't pick up or it just plain didn't get through. I sighed. Who knew if he could accept overseas calls…

It was about time to call my parents, then. I sighed again, then looked over my shoulder at Konstantin. "Can you go see if Nurse Joy is done with the others yet?"

"Skull!" he said cheerily and floated back over to the counter. I returned to the video phone and went through a couple messages, trying to figure out if my parents had heard anything from Cossette's parents about the fact that I'd been kidnapped, or if they just assumed something vague and terrible happened. If it were the latter, I could tell them I got lost and dropped my phone… Which technically wasn't a lie, anyway.

Two pokeballs clattered onto the desk in front of me, unfortunately opening and spilling a Numel and Breloom onto my lap. The chair tipped over, both of them on top of me. Konstantin hovered over us, worryingly wringing his paws. "Dus…?" he mumbled apologetically.

I could only flail in response, since having both Des and Carlita on my chest were rapidly cutting off my oxygen supply.

After they got off and everything was sorted out, I realized that Ike wasn't among them, and we all traipsed back over to the main counter. "Excuse me…?" I asked, ringing the bell with relish--after all, it wasn't often that someone wasn't there to guard it. "Is my Shinx done?"

"Oh! Your Pokemon--_there_ they are!" Nurse Joy popped her head out from the swinging doors behind the counter, looking tremendously relieved. I looked down at Carlita, who could barely peek over the counter, and Des, who seemed grumpy because he couldn't. "They had been missing…"

I glared at Konstantin, who looked between the pink-haired woman and I in alarm. "Dus! Duskull-skull!"

"I'm sorry… I think this Duskull took them without notifying you…" I mumbled, still glaring at the ghost. "Are they both healed, though?"

"Oh yes; they weren't very hurt to begin with, anyway! They were just a bit thin, so we gave them some snacks. Hope you don't mind!" Nurse Joy said with a bright smile and chuckle. "Your Shinx, I'm afraid, is in a bit worse condition… He has a broken leg, a bit of a cold, and is also pretty undernourished. Did you have a rough time on the Route from the last city?"

"To say the least… Is Ike going to be okay?"

"Of course! We've given him some medicine and antibiotics, so his cold should go away in a matter of days, but make sure he keeps getting fluids. We also put a cast on the broken leg, so in a week or so he should be fine! It's designed so you can take it off yourself…" She continued to ramble on about how I should make sure he exercises but doesn't overexert himself, how I should be more careful out in the wilderness, always pack lots of food, and all the while, I could only wonder why Ike got two weeks in a cast while I got six. Carlita giggled every time the cast was mentioned, and it took me a couple times before I realized that she was laughing at the fact that he had a cast. I gave her a rather rough pat on the head, pushing her down onto the floor beside Des.

"Bre," she mumbled mutinously, crossing her arms.

"Shush."

Suddenly, I was picked up. I flailed wildly and rather gracelessly, reaching out for something to hold on to. The last few times I had been picked up, it had been by a mercenary who tried to kill me and ghosts who'd wanted to kill me; my would-be kidnapper was lucky not to get an elbow to the face. I was carried over and dropped on the couch. I tried to kick, but my foot was grabbed and set back down. Nick jumped over the back of the couch and landed beside me, grinning.

"Are you a stalker?" I asked, though I was glad it was him and not a certain black-haired man.

"Nope, this was entirely a coincidence. Which kind of makes it awesome. _And_ it means that I can be your moral support, which you seem to need for reasons I cannot comprehend," he replied easily, picking at my socks. "You look horrible, by the way."

"Thanks. Why are you so cheerful?" I asked suspiciously. Normally he wasn't this happy or talkative.

"I haven't seen my little buddy in how long now? A couple weeks? Plus, knowing you, you got into a huge amount of trouble, so I want to know about that."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Nick chattered on, reminding me a bit of Hanna. Apparently he really _was_ glad to see me. "I see you got a Duskull, nice. No double weaknesses, either, so you should be happy about that. What'd you name it? Did you ever catch that electric Pokemon you needed? Where did you even _find_ a Duskull? Didn't I drop you off in Jubilife, anyway? How'd you get all the way over here in that time?"

During the barrage of questions, Des, Carlita and Konstantin wandered over, watching our slightly one-sided conversation from the back of the couch. I tried to reach Des so I could scratch him behind the ears, but since Nick still had my feet pinned, I couldn't get into a position where I could get hold of him. My Numel snorted, which might have been a laugh, and managed to crawl over the back of the couch and land on me. I wheezed, Konstantin bit back a chuckle, and I wiggled over so Des was wedged in between the cushion and my body, since he _was_ getting fatter and it hurt more and more every time he did that.

"Hi, Des. Say, you're looking bigger. Ready to evolve yet?" Nick asked, scratching Des since I couldn't, not even in our new position.

"Wh-What? Evolve?"

"Nu?"

"You can tell when a Pokemon is about to evolve," the older trainer said casually, though it was obvious he hadn't meant to clue me in on a possible evolution. "Most Pokemon get bigger, put on some weight. Some reptilian Pokemon start shedding their skin, and birds start loosing feathers. You just need to learn to look for the signs. Going to answer any of my questions now?" he asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

"Uh, yeah," I said absently, staring at Pedestal. He was going to evolve? And _soon_? How soon was soon? A week? A month? …Today? "Um… What were the questions again?"

"Your Shinx is ready!" Nurse Joy called, interrupting what would no doubt be a long and drawn out explanation of the latest string of unfortunate events in my life.

"Konstantin?" I asked, and the Duskull floated off helpfully to retrieve Ike.

"Shinx? Konstantin?" Nick asked dubiously.

I took a deep breath and wondered where to start. "…First off, Konstantin--I guess you could call him Kostya?--isn't mine. He's following me, and I'm a little scared to try to chase him away. I _did_ catch another Pokemon, though! An electric!"

"Your Shinx. Did you catch it near Jubilife…?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You know they're kind of _really_ weak in that area, right?"

"…" I had _not_ known that. But Ike didn't seem terribly weak… Although he didn't know any electric attacks and hadn't done much more than a couple attempted tackles and biting… I sighed as Konstantin dropped the ultra ball (thankfully, I caught it this time). "…_Right_. I knew that." All it would take was a bit of extra training then, right?

"Well, it's a good thing we still have about forty-five minutes. Gym leaders are really good for raising Pokemon, and--"

"What?!" I interrupted, blinking.

"Maylene, the Gym leader here. Oh, no, don't start that again. You are _definitely_ strong enough to challenge her. She's supposed to be the third leader, remember?" Nick pointed out in a low voice. He sat up and leaned forward, eyes narrowed, looking rather intimidating. Then again, he couldn't stand up to Dusclops and the mercenary. I glared right back at him. "You are fighting Maylene. If you don't beat her by the time your friend gets here, then…"

"Then _what_?" I challenged.

"Then you'll have to pay me back the five grand you owe me."

"That wasn't an official bet. I don't have to pay you back a cent."

"Okay, fine, if you want to play by _official_ rules--" I suddenly didn't like where this was going, "--you have to battle me."

"No thanks."

"Your Pokemon are all in great health, our eyes met, and I challenged you. You can't back down without paying me half your money," Nick said, happily evil.

"I don't have any money. I don't have to pay you." I was getting nervous about this, though. I still legally had to battle him if he pressed the issue, and I would get thrashed. Not good for my self-esteem.

"Then I'll challenge you when you're rich. I can challenge you any time I want," he taunted triumphantly. "Your choice: battle Maylene, the third Gym leader, or battle _me_, who's challenged the Elite Four several times now and has a variety of teams to play on your weaknesses and--"

"Okay, okay! Fine! I'll challenge her!" I snarled. Nick looked taken aback at my sudden display of anger. I didn't notice. I just jerked my feet out of his grasp, got up, and marched out towards the door. Who cared if I hadn't eaten in about a day now, who cared if I was still dirty and hurt and missing a shoe, who cared if I was supposed to level up a Shinx with a broken leg.

Konstantin raced over to the door and floated between it and me. It looked as if he were glaring at me, his red eye fixed in one socket. "Dus_kull_!" he said warningly, holding out his paws, as if to stop me.

"Konstantin, get out of the way."

"Duskull!"

"You're not even supposed to be here! Go back to the other ghosts."

"_Duskull_!" he insisted, shaking his head.

"Move--"

"_Well aren't you an angry little trainer!_" a high voice with an eerily familiar chuckle declared telepathically. Two thin arms wrapped themselves around me from behind and a pink hat-looking thing was suddenly leaning on my shoulder. "_The poor little Duskull is just trying to tell you that you're messing up the warning. He's only trying to help._"

"Wh-What--Who--"

"_Calm down, my trainer is starting to worry about you_," the telepathic, female voice said with what sounded disturbingly like a purr.

I looked over my other shoulder at Nick. He shrugged. "Calm down."

"I'll be calm once I can beat Maylene and get out of here," I growled, lip curling.

"Duskull!" Konstantin cried frantically.

"_Ooh, he's really starting to worry about you and that warning!_" I ignored them all and tried to walk forward, but the arms held me still. "_You're not battling in this mood, oh no you're not. I've seen what trainers who battle angry do. You're going to calm down._" Along with her voice, which was high enough to grate on my nerves, she sent a rather soothing telepathic image of a snowy little cottage with a fireplace and hot chocolate.

"What are you doing?" I asked dully.

"_Humans associate warmth with happiness and cold with bitter feelings. By showing you both, I'm trying to calm you down to a happy medium_."

"Okay, Kamala, that's enough. Good job." Nick had walked up behind us at some point. Kamala, if that was who was invading my mind, let go of me. "You okay?"

"I guess."

"What's with that? You're still tense, and you've been tense this entire time." I let myself be turned around like a rag doll, flopping limply in his grasp. He leaned down so that he was eye level. "Your eyes are darker again. What happened?"

Beside him, his Pokemon watched us with a smile, her unnaturally large and round eyes fixated on mine. I found it easier to stare back at her instead of looking at Nick. "Just… a lot of stuff. Let's go face Maylene now."

I got another mental picture of the snowy little cottage for trying to pull away from him. "You're not battling in this shape. You really scared me back there. Something's wrong, and I'm not allowing you to battle until it's resolved."

I don't really know what happened next. Nick was reaching down to take Ike's ultra ball from my hand, I think, and maybe it was the fact that I could only see his black hair, or maybe it was the fact that my Pokemon were being taken away again. All I know was that I reacted on reflex. The hand that was holding the ball went behind my back to keep it from him, while my other reached out to shove him. He was on the floor, surprised, and Kamala was holding me a foot off the ground by the front of the shirt, next thing I knew.

"_Don't you ever touch my trainer again_," she hissed. I was too shocked to reply. I looked away from her, and instead found Des and Carlita, staring at me. They looked _afraid_.


	43. A Third Salvation

"What's wrong with me?"

Konstantin led me out of the center, one paw on each of my shoulders. He had done something to Kamala to make her let go, which obviously hadn't pleased her, since she had been lunging at him next thing I knew. Nick had returned her just before she caught the Duskull. Konstantin hadn't appeared to notice, since he was busy whispering nonsense to me and trying to get me to look at him.

"Dus, dus, skull," he murmured sympathetically.

"I-I just… I attacked him. I really attacked Nick," I said blankly. Sure, I hadn't hurt him, at least not physically. But what was _wrong_ with me? I knew he was just looking out for me, he always was, but why had I overreacted like that? Why had I gotten angry at all? Was it because he wanted me to fight a battle I didn't want--but no, I _did_ want to challenge Maylene, just on my own terms. It was true that his pressure in the past had gotten me through Gardenia, but it had backfired with Crasher Wake. Was I acting on that?

"Duskull, dus," Konstantin soothed, patting my shoulders.

I had really overdone it when he went to take Ike's ultra ball from me, though. I'd had no problem handing him and my other two over to Nurse Joy, so why did I do that when Nick had tried it? Was it because of the momentary recognition with the black hair, or was it because he was trying to _take_ him whereas I handed him over willingly to Nurse Joy, or was it simply because I didn't trust anyone save pink-haired women anymore?

"Duskull, dus-skull."

What had Des and Carlita thought of that? They were at the very least alarmed by my behavior, which they ought to be--but then again, they hadn't been through any of the trials Ike and I had faced in that cave with those ghosts and other crazy wild Pokemon.

"I'm not supposed to be angry or bitter. So why am I…?" I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

I knew why, though. I had been attacked by Pokemon--so I learned that I couldn't trust any Pokemon but my own team. I had been attacked by a man--so I learned that I couldn't trust humans, either. I had lost my blind, complete faith in trainers and humanity in general.

"I-I need to go apologize. I need to say sorry to Nick," I told Konstantin, looking around for the first time. He had been leading me since the Pokemon Center. I was equal parts surprised and unsurprised to find that he had led me to the Gym. "Konstantin, I can't. I really can't, not right now."

"Dus, dus skull." He pointed down to the ultra ball in my hands.

"Ike is hurt and still young. He can't fight against a Gym leader…"

"Skull!" Konstantin proclaimed, throwing out his arms. I could only stare at him.

"…I'm crazy already, so whatever."

-.-.-

Ike hobbled across the arena, looking mighty pathetic with the cast on his back leg. Maylene looked torn about fighting something already injured like that, but eventually got past that, since she called out her Meditite (which I only knew the name of because she introduced it as such).

"Return, Ike." My Shinx looked at me in confusion, but limped back towards me regardless. I sighed. "Go… Konstantin."

Maylene looked appropriately chagrined as the ghost floated out onto the arena. Ike stayed out beside me, watching the fight with evident interest, golden eyes gleaming. The Meditite went down rather quickly, since it couldn't touch Konstantin, giving the ghost free reign of the battle. "Return, Meditite," she mumbled, and then called, "Go, Machoke!" A much larger and more muscular Pokemon appeared, flexing.

"Return, Kostya. Go back out, Ike."

Ike looked at me curiously, but decided to trust my judgment, because he hobbled right back out to the middle. The Machoke looked down at him, then back at its trainer. Maylene, again, looked a little disturbed by the move. "Um, are you _sure_ you want to do that…?" she asked uncertainly.

"Leer, Ike." Because of her indecision, Ike got to glare at the Machoke, who actually flinched back and looked rather frightened. Ike tended to have that effect when he wanted to. Before Maylene could offer a counterattack, which was rather cheap but I didn't want Ike fainting, I added, "Return. Konstantin, you're back out."

Machoke had similar problems with the ghost, not being able to touch him. Maylene was fuming with frustration by the time she called out her third Pokemon, a Lucario (which I actually knew without the introduction, since I had wanted one once upon a time).

Ike went back out at the beginning. I could see his fur crackling with electricity, for the first time, and decided to take advantage of that. "Ike, use your electricity." I didn't know which attack he actually _knew_, but hopefully it would work and do some damage.

"Lucario, use Detect!" Maylene exclaimed, a little worried about my sudden change in strategy.

We both waited with bated breath, but nothing happened. Ike just continued to crackle and spark, but it didn't seem to be _doing_ anything. He sat down and yawned, which convinced me that he wasn't going to do anything more. Maylene and Lucario had matching expressions of incredibility. "Ike, come on back. Kostya, you're up again."

Lucario growled as it was robbed of an easy, if static-y, target and instead had to fight the intangible opponent. Maylene, however, was smiling. "Lucario, Dark Pulse."

A shadow burst forth from the fighting Pokemon's paws, aimed right at Konstantin. He didn't try to dodge, apparently thinking that it would go right through him, but instead, it sent him flying back into a wall. When he reappeared, he looked a little dazed and was holding his head. "…Dus," he spat, glowering at the Lucario.

"Dark Pulse again, before it can get near you!"

"Konstantin, dodge--" The Duskull instead sunk into the ground and reappeared immediately behind the Lucario, floating up out of its shadow. I decided to let him do his own thing, then, since he was doing a good job at it. The Lucario snarled after the attack and lashed out, but its paw went right through Konstantin, who giggled and had free reign once more, since he was keeping the Lucario too busy for it to fire off another Dark Pulse.

By the end of five minutes, the Lucario had fainted and I was receiving a badge from Maylene. She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "That thing with your Shinx really threw me off, I guess…" she admitted.

"I only wanted him to get some experience," I replied dully, examining the shiny new badge.

"I guess I can understand that. Your Duskull is really strong. You know how to come prepared for a Gym match, don't you?" She chuckled awkwardly, apparently unused to having to deal with trainers like me.

"Oh, he's not mine," I replied as I left.

Ike in the crook of my arm, I held up the badge against the sunlight. It was my fourth badge. Thankfully, one of the few salvageable things from my backpack had been my badge case, so I didn't have to start the circuit all over again. I fished it out of my pocket and managed to fit it into the next empty slot. Four badges. I was half way done with gathering badges, and next, it was the Elite Four. (Actually, next was Victory Road, and after having heard numerous horror stories about it from Nick, I wasn't too keen on remembering that fact.) After the Elite Four, then… the Champion herself.

"Shii?" Ike asked curiously, looking up at me.

"What was that electric attack, huh?" I asked in response.

Ike just grinned up at me, displaying his sharp little teeth. I looked away, which he probably intended, and instead said, "Thanks, Kostya."

"Dus," he replied with a bob that might've been a nod.

It was then that I realized I had just won a Gym match with a weak and injured Shinx and a Duskull that wasn't mine. What really worried me, though, was the fact that I _wasn't_ worried about the potentially illegal part. I was more worried about how the rest of my team would react--how Nick would react. I had gone off on my own with a Shinx that neither Des nor Carlita particularly liked or trusted, and that was after pushing Nick on a reflex I really wish I didn't have. Who had I betrayed there? Who _hadn't_ I betrayed there?

"_There you are!_"

"Kamala, don't--!!"

I nearly dropped Ike as I was pushed into the nearest brick wall by telekinesis while Nick's psychic Pokemon was viciously trying to sink her fingers into the Duskull's eye sockets. Ike and I were pressed against the wall, completely immobile.

"Kamala, stop it! Return!" Nick shouted, running onto the scene. His Pokemon danced away from the pokeball's red beam of light, even using Konstantin as a shield once. "Return! _Return_, Kamala!"

"Dus-dus!" Konstantin exclaimed, sounding panicked.

"_I'll teach you to--_"

"Stop it!"

Everyone on the scene froze when a jet of fire effectively separated Nick from Kamala and Konstantin. Nick took a couple steps back, the first one to move, and raised his arm to shield his eyes from the brightness. He raised the pokeball once more, pointed at his still-shocked psychic, and repeated the return command once more. She vanished, and Ike and I were suddenly released. This time I accidentally did drop him as I fell forward onto my hands and knees, gasping for breath.

Des waddled calmly through the flames until he was standing beside me. I didn't see Carlita anywhere. "Numel," he said simply, sounding as if he'd passed judgment on something. I could only hope it wasn't me.

"…Des, I'm--"

"I really hope you didn't do what I thought you did," Nick interrupted coldly, sidestepping the dying flames as he strode over. As we were all still in front of the Gym, I had a feeling he knew exactly what I'd just done. "I _told_ you not to battle."

"I'm sorry." I wasn't sorry for battling, though. I needed the badge and I needed to do something on my own that meant I could still do something _right_.

Nick squatted down beside me, glaring. Des watched him warily, shuffling closer to me protectively. "You might think I'm just a bully and maybe even a know-it-all, but believe it or not, I _do_ know what I'm doing when it comes to training. I've been training for years now, and you're still a newbie with a couple of badges--_half of them I forced you into_."

"I don't think you're a know-it-all, or-or a bully," I said softly, hanging my head in shame. What was _wrong_ with me…?

"That's nice to know," Nick replied sarcastically. I could hear Ike growl beside me in warning. "Well, let's see what you've done wrong so far today. First off, you didn't battle with your team."

"I battled with Ike--"

"Des is your starter and you know Carlita would have enjoyed a fighting match. Ike is still too young and small to battle a Gym leader, and he's _injured_, my god. Did you _really_ battle with a Shinx with a broken leg?!"

Ike's growl turned into a full snarl, his blue fur crackling with static again. Des leaned down and snorted a plume of smoke at him, quieting him.

Nick ran a hand through his dark hair. "You _did_. I can't believe you." He sighed and sat down, resting an elbow on his knee.

"Are you telling me you've never made mistakes?!" I asked without thinking. I immediately wished I could take it back, especially when I saw the look on his face. I couldn't help but remember his interview after coming out of Victory Road, with the tear tracks on his dirty cheeks and the grin that looked like it could break at any moment. Three greater tragedies of training, huh. "Nick, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that--"

"No, you did. And I have made mistakes. Lots. That's why I don't want you to make them."

"I didn't mean to push you. I-I just reacted, and I didn't think at all about what I was doing."

"Don't sweat it. I shouldn't have tried to take your Pokemon from you, anyway. Sorry about Kamala--she's had some issues lately, especially when it comes to protecting me. She's very proud, too." I knew he was trying to pass it all of nonchalantly, now that he was sure I'd learned my lesson, but I still felt horrible. Moreover, I was still angry, and I felt even more horrible for that. "Just… don't mess up like that again. _Don't_ battle in that mindset. It's not healthy."

"I won't, I promise."

"What have you _done_?" All of us looked up, Des and I recognizing Hanna immediately. Ike and Nick, however, just stared cluelessly at the girl who was standing over us with her fists on her hips. I noticed Carlita was peeking around her legs, watching me cautiously. I knew I'd have to apologize to my Pokemon as well later if I wanted to try to make things some semblance of right.

Hanna pulled me to my feet and into a hug before any of us could reply. I was uncomfortably aware of the fact that she was glaring at Nick over my shoulder. "Hanna--?"

"What have you done?! Huh, Mr. Bigshot? I don't care if you're next in line for the Championship or whatever, but you have no right to be admonishing this trainer about _anything_ right now!" she snapped at Nick, hugging me tighter. I felt cold and tried to push her away, but she kept me firmly in her grasp.

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked.

"Kidnapped! Left for dead! Probably starved and abused, too!" I definitely felt cold after that; _how did she know_? Hanna held me out at arm's length and looked up and down appraisingly. "You _do_ look horrible, but nothing much is broken this time. Come on, we're leaving."

"What?!" Nick and I asked in unison.

Hanna turned and glared at Nick again. "Do you know _nothing_? Obviously you're not very well-connected, not if you haven't heard about that terrible man and what he's done--"

"What do you know about that man?!" I asked sharply, anger returning in full throttle. Hanna turned to me and blinked.

"He's been arrested now. Mr. Beaumanoir realized you were missing after that, so they threw the man in jail for attempted kidnapping, for-real kidnapping, and after you didn't turn up for awhile, attempted murder. Actually, murder, since you _hadn't_ turned up, but--oh gosh--_did he try to kill you?_" Through her explanation, she got more and more frantic, until, at the end, her voice broke and she was clearly struggling not to cry.

Nick was staring at me so hard I was surprised there weren't holes in my skull. I looked down at my feet, still missing a shoe, and didn't reply. They could surmise what they wanted from that, but I wasn't going to discuss this with them. Especially since Hanna seemed to be so well-informed already.

With a tremendous sniff, she calmed herself, and declared, "That's it. I'm getting you out of this country. Grab Des and Carlita and let's go."


	44. Perchance To Dream

After some intense debate that I apparently wasn't allowed to hear, it was agreed that Nick was coming along with us on this 'vacation'. I was really starting to doubt that that's what it was. Hanna kept fretting over me, picking at my hair and clothes, occasionally giving Nick the evil eye as well. He stayed quiet, probably mulling over what Hanna had explained.

I was entirely unsurprised to find that Hanna's father owned a private jet. "Yeah, Daddy has some business in Goldenrod, so we're going along. I think we'll stop in Olivine, though--the beaches there are _so_ much better than Sunyshore's, and I have an acquaintance there who I need to get something from…"

"Why are we being dragged along?" I asked dully. I regretted it at once as _both_ Hanna and Nick turned on me. I shrank back in alarm.

"_You_ need a vacation. Some place where you won't get into trouble and you can have fun." It was funny, because I used to consider training fun. When had that changed?

"…I'm only agreeing to this if I get some explanations," I muttered as we were herded along the tarmac to the plane's stairs. Hanna was apparently already packed, and Nick had his backpack full of stuff, but I was still pretty much possession-less and missing a shoe, no less. I was kind of selfishly hoping for another Hanna-sponsored clothes shopping trip.

"What do you want to know?" Hanna asked casually, feigning innocence, as we walked down the aisle. She pointed out our seats, checked on her baggage overhead, and then sat down beside me.

"How do you know what happened in Jubilife?" I was aware that Nick was listening intently, but I could hardly tell him to go away.

"Daddy has been doing business with Mr. Beaumanoir for years now. We visit them sometimes, too, so I guess they're family friends. He told us what had happened and told us a trainer had gone missing after they captured the man, and I knew it _had_ to be you from the description."

"How did they catch him?"

"The Gallade spotted him going into the hotel lobby and acted accordingly."

"So Cossette is okay?"

"Worried about you, but otherwise, she and her family are fine--do they know you're alive?!" Hanna exclaimed suddenly.

"Between you two, I haven't had _any_ free time--" I was cut off as Hanna screamed. Nick and I both clapped our hands over our ears, wincing. She cowered down behind me, pointing frantically. I turned and saw that Konstantin had floated through the wall of the plane and was watching her with evident amusement. "Hanna, calm down. It's just Kostya."

"I-Is it yours?" she asked shakily, still hiding behind me.

"…Not really."

"Legally speaking, any Pokemon is yours if it willingly works with you," Nick remarked. "Pokeballs are just for convenience and record keeping."

"He's not mine," I insisted, slightly annoyed and with ears still ringing. He seemed to sense that and backed off. I moodily shifted so that my back was more to Hanna and crossed my arms. "How long is this flight going to take?"

"About eight hours to Goldenrod, and then another hour and a half to Olivine. We'll have a layover in Goldenrod, though." Hanna sounded a little put-off by my behavior. I couldn't blame her, but I couldn't help but wish to be alone, too.

"I'm going to sleep, then." I shut my eyes tight and tried to ignore it, when just a few minutes later, they began talking about me in low tones.

For the first time in a long time, I dreamed. There were no white worlds, no ghosts of any sort, no 'look at how much you've grown', no monsters or anything unpleasant. I laid in a field of flowers and simply sunbathed and watched clouds lazily float by. It was complete contentment. I was aware of something watching me, however, but it didn't bother me as much as it should have; it was not a malevolent force, but more of a protective one. I couldn't help but smile in my dream when I realized that someone must finally be looking out for me.

-.-.-

I awoke as I was jostled. I blinked blearily, trying to orient myself. I was moving? Why? _How_? Then I realized I was being carried. I nearly snapped and started kicking and screaming, but then logic took over.

Okay, logic didn't kick in until later; instead of kicking and screaming, I tried not to throw up. My stomach was fighting against me, though, and I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. "Ugh--um--let me down."

It was _then_ that logic kicked in, actually. It was Nick who had been carrying me, and he carefully set me down on rather soft carpet. I looked up at him to solidify the fact that it was a friend helping me, not an enemy kidnapping me.

Then I had to rush to the nearest door. It thankfully turned out to be a bathroom. Unfortunately, while my stomach wanted dearly to rebel and come up my esophagus, there wasn't much in there, so I only ended up dry heaving. I had heard the term before, sometimes associated with various illnesses or even training in general, but what I hadn't known was that it hurt.

"Are you sick?" Nick asked meekly from the doorway, hand on the knob. He seemed ready to bolt if needed. I didn't blame him.

"Yeah," I mumbled, silently telling my stomach to shove off and leave me alone. I rested my head on my arm, still leaning over the toilet, closing my eyes. I didn't realize Nick had left until he reappeared with Hanna, who was immediately kneeling down beside me, feeling my forehead.

"You have a bit of a fever," she remarked, hauling me up to my feet again. "You're going back to bed. Now."

"I just woke up. Where are we?" I asked blearily, trying to dig my feet in as she tried just as hard to get me out of the bathroom. Nick watched us, not too keen on getting near me again now that I was conscious.

"Goldenrod. You slept the entire flight, and Nick had to carry you to your room," Hanna replied, pulling on my arm. I let go of the counter, worried for my shoulder when I felt a twinge of pain.

"My room--?"

"Hotel room."

"I'm tired of hotel rooms. Give me a sleeping bag," I ordered. She sniffed in response and pushed me over to the bed. "I'll sleep somewhere else."

"Are you saying you want to sleep outside after your little ordeal?"

I didn't mention the fact that I hadn't slept outside for most of it. "I just don't want to sleep in a hotel." I also didn't mention how my last stay in a hotel room was the last time I'd been happy with my team. Or rather, the last time we were all happy together. What was _wrong_ with me? I allowed her to push me onto the bed and halfheartedly pull some covers over me.

"I'll have someone send up some soup and medicine later on. If you're up for it, a hot bath, too. Until then, sleep," Hanna commanded while Nick went and wordlessly retrieved a glass of water and set it on the bedside table.

"Why're you so motherly all of a sudden?" I asked, half grumpy, half sleepy. I _did_ want to sleep, but I didn't want it to be here, and I didn't want it to be anywhere where Nick and Hanna were undoubtedly fussing over me. "You're both very…" I didn't know the word for it. Suddenly protective? Acting like my parents? Not acting like they were trainers? Not acting like _I_ was a trainer? Why did I want so dearly to be left alone so suddenly? …Why was I asking myself all of these questions when I obviously had no idea what the answer would be?

Both of them left without answering me. I hardly noticed. I closed my eyes tight and tried to fall asleep, but no matter how tired I was, I couldn't. I was too hot, so I kicked off the covers, but then I was too cold. I tried to pull them back up over me but it ended up just turning into more or less a pile of blankets that I was partially under. I rolled over, trying to wiggle under them a bit more, and came face-to-face with a skull mask and a single red eye.

"…Kostya, find me my Pokemon," I mumbled, unsurprised that he was still with me. All in all, I actually preferred him to the Froslass, since he didn't regularly freeze me or try to kill me. He was also pretty helpful.

The ghost nodded and floated down through the bed. He reappeared at the foot of the bed, cradling my two pokeballs and one ultra ball in his arms. He carefully deposited them beside me, and I fumbled to try to release them. Konstantin helped with that, too, tapping each of the buttons while I tried not to yawn.

Ike immediately set about to inspecting the room, sniffing things and occasionally growling when he tripped over his cast. Des and Carlita, however, were more concerned with their trainer. Des licked my forehead--his tongue was rather hot and dry--and said something to Carlita, who likewise licked me. "Guys--"

"Nu," Des interrupted, butting my cheek gently with the top of his head. He then curled up beside me, tucked his paws under his body, and leaned his head against my chest. Carlita made a fussy noise and looked around for a place she could lay down on. She was about to snuggle up on my other side, but Ike returned from his examination of the room and claimed the spot. He curled up into a tight little ball and settled in in the space between my neck and shoulder, purring faintly.

I didn't miss the glare Carlita sent him for it, either.

Eventually, she stretched herself out along my legs and used my thigh as a pillow. Since I was pretty much locked into my position, I could only watch as Konstantin floated around overhead. I didn't know if he was going to try napping with me, too, or just circle. I hoped it was the former, because watching him was making me dizzy.

Unfortunately, he didn't. I continued to watch him, stomach churning, until I fell asleep. It was an uncomfortable sleep--I was still too hot and Ike was starting to give me a crick in the neck--but it was sleep all the same.

-.-.-

"I am glad to finally get the chance to speak with you, comrade," the Duskull said. I looked around curiously. It appeared as if I was back in the stone temple, only minus the fog and ghost population.

"Kostya?" I asked, still looking around. I didn't know if it was supposed to be him or not. All Duskull looked the same to me (Katerina exempt) and it was only the Dusclops that could talk. "Wait--"

"This is a dream I've created for you. It's why I can communicate with you in this form," he replied.

Suddenly, how the Froslass communicated with me made more sense. Though apparently she didn't have very much creativity if all she could come up with was a white world… "Why?" If I was suspicious, I had a right to be. I had no idea what his motives might be, or if he might have a trainer that was stuck in a cave that needed saving.

"Because I cannot communicate with you when you are awake?" he replied in confusion. "I don't understand the question."

"Why do I need to communicate with you? Why are you even still with me? I mean--thanks for the gym battle, but… You're not mine. You're just a Pokemon I met under some weird circumstances. Aren't you not allowed to be with me? Don't I smell like the Froslass?" I knew I was rambling, but I hadn't expected to get to talk to him or get a chance to get some _answers_.

He didn't seem to mind. If anything, he seemed amused. "I would personally like to have a way to communicate with you on a somewhat regular basis, comrade, or in case of an emergency." I didn't _dare_ ask what an emergency might mean to him. "Plus, this will be the only way we can ever communicate--"

"Liar. Dusclops can talk with humans," I deadpanned. Why did he think I didn't know that?

Konstantin shifted, wringing his paws. "Well, you see, about that… Dusclops can't just speak to humans… They can't talk to whoever they want… There are certain, um, regulations…" I stared at him until he felt uncomfortable enough to give me a clear answer. (I also made a mental note to try that with a certain other ghost--if I ever saw her again.) It seemed to work, because he continued in a fast voice, "Dusclops can only communicate with beings they wish to eat."

It took a couple moments for what he said to sink in. Ivan and Vladimir had both spoken to me. "_Wait_, what?!" I burst, hoping to everything dear I had misheard him or something.

Konstantin's eye shifted away from me nervously. "…Well, they didn't eat you, did they? I only said they must _wish_ to eat you--it's part of our hunting strategy, you see--"

I knew Ivan had chewed on me a bit when we first met, but I hadn't thought he was _that_ serious. And what about Vladimir?! "D-Do Dusclops regularly eat trainers?"

"Humans are considered a delicacy, but we will eat other--"

"_You eat them too?!_"

The Duskull finally looked at me again, only this time he seemed annoyed. "I'm not judging humans, comrade, but may I point out that you eat many more species than what we eat?"

I swallowed thickly, feeling sick again. Great, I was sick even in my dreams. "Point taken…" Of course, there was then the obvious question hanging in the air between us. I didn't want to ask it, however, especially in case I didn't like the answer. "Um, wh-what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked instead, looking away.

"I am not returning to the colony," Konstantin informed me curtly.

I had gathered as much, though I was hoping that it wasn't so. "…Why?"

"I have become fond of you, comrade, and I do not want you to have to suffer unduly because of what the psychics said. Moreover, I am going to break our law." The fact that he was going to commit a crime didn't seem to bother him much. Konstantin floated closer, holding up one hand. "I was Ivan's right-hand ghost. I am fairly strong for my rung in the evolutionary chain. In fact, lately, I have been restraining myself from evolving."

"Why?" I didn't know Pokemon could even _do_ that. I had heard of them not evolving, but usually, it was partly due to their trainer's interference.

"Only one Duskull is allowed to do this at a time, and Katerina, while old, is still with us." I noticed that he didn't say 'alive', which _really_ made me wonder about how far down ghost Pokemon were on the mortal coil. "I am much younger than her, anyway, and I would not be allowed to learn the skill if I had stayed."

"So you ran away."

"No!" Konstantin floated closer. I could hear the smile in his words. "Don't you see, comrade? I didn't do anything of the sort. Ivan told me to help you, and that is what I am doing!"

"You're using me as an excuse!" I accused, leaning back to try to gain back a bit of personal space. A ghost in the face tended to have that effect. "What's so important that you want to run away with me?"

"I am going to help you," he reiterated, wringing his hands together excitedly. "I am going to stay a Duskull and learn Future Sight."


	45. My Words Fly Up

"No," I replied flatly. Konstantin reeled back, surprised.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm already not impressed with that warning from the future or whatever. What was _up_ with that, anyway?! 'Don't die'?"

"I can't tell you anything more until I see it for myself," he whimpered, sounding downright pathetic. I rolled my eyes and sighed in exasperation. "I am just trying to help you, comrade."

"I _don't want to know_, though. I just wanted--want--to be a trainer, that's all. I have enough on my hands right now, what with Des still a Numel, Carlita and Ike not getting along, having to train Ike up… Plus, I'm kind of dealing with those other two humans. They seem to think something's wrong with me."

"Is there?" Konstantin asked mildly. I glared at him. He backed down, poking his fingers together.

"…Maybe. I don't know," I admitted, sitting down on the stone below. "I'm just very angry lately, and I can't help but want to be alone."

"You should go see Cresselia," he said as he floated down to sit beside me. "She heals us when we are angry or confused. She is very kind."

"I don't want to see a ghost shrink," I sighed again. "Or any sort of shrink. I'm kind of hoping I'll just get better with time."

"These things don't go away like that. And, comrade, don't forget the warning."

"How could I forget," I muttered darkly. "Don't die, face many trials, don't become dark, don't get distracted by the injustices in the world, don't become angry because of them, and let go," I recited sarcastically. "Some help that is."

"…You're already heading down the wrong road. Even I can see that much."

"I want to wake up now," I complained.

"Not yet!" Konstantin exclaimed, flying up into the air. "We have much to discuss, comrade!"

"Like _what_?"

"You cannot become bitter! Aren't you on a vacation? You are supposed to relax and be happy." I stared at him until he realized how foolish it was to wish such a thing for me. "You should see Cresselia," he mumbled demurely, floating back down towards the ground.

"I don't want to." I didn't even know who she was supposed to be. But the last two creatures I was told to see rather hurt and/or scared me, so no thanks to whoever this one was.

"…What do you plan on doing, then?"

"Keep training. I'd still like to become the Champion." I shrugged, trying not to think of how the prospect didn't excite me so much lately. After all, if I, a regular trainer, got into this sort of trouble, what did the _Champion_ get herself into? I didn't really want to know, even if it was still a fond dream. "I know I want to keep training, though," I added, mostly to myself.

"Your Shinx, he is still rather small. Are you going to concentrate on him?"

"Not too much, not until his leg heals."

"But evolution heals the body. You could train him until he evolves."

"I don't know how long that'll take. Plus…" Plus, I hadn't even gotten my starter to evolve yet. It would seem sort of cheap to have two evolved Pokemon before Des. And I didn't know how long it would take Ike to do anything; it would be a safer bet to let it heal on its own.

"I could help, comrade," Konstantin piped up. As if I could forget.

"I'm the trainer. I'll be fine."

-.-.-

I woke up sweaty. This was made even more unpleasant by the fact that Carlita was now covering my legs, Des had wiggled over to take over my arm, and Ike was pretending to be a necklace. Konstantin floated over me, watching. I couldn't read the expression in his eye, but it was no doubt smug.

I flailed with my free arm for the glass of water, since my throat was dry. I had no idea whatsoever how I was going to drink it, but I wanted it nonetheless. After knocking over the glass and probably getting water everywhere, I decided to be still again and wait for either my team to wake up or for Nick or Hanna to barge in.

I must have dozed off again, because it seemed like no time at all until I was opening my eyes again. Not much had changed in my position, aside from the fact that Carlita had moved up so that her chin was resting on my stomach. This time, I was even thirstier, so I figured that they would have to take one for their trainer. "Hey, guys, wake up…" I croaked, unaware of how dry my throat actually was.

Ike got up first, arching his back with a mighty yawn. He flexed his paws and claws; I was uncomfortably aware of the little pinpricks in the skin of my neck. I had to practically kick Carlita off of me. As for Des, I had to scoot out from under him, flexing my arm as I did so. It had fallen asleep in a pretty awkward position and was now suitably sore, of course. Konstantin watched the entire procedure with curiosity, holding a glass full of water he had gotten at some point.

I wordlessly held out my hand and he relinquished it. I nearly missed the glare Ike sent him--nearly. I sipped the water, trying to ignore it and what it might mean. So… Des was apathetic, it seemed, though he got along the best with Carlita, as far as I could tell. Carlita didn't like Ike but she seemed fond of Des. I wasn't sure of her feelings towards Konstantin. Ike didn't seem to like all of them very much, but was at least keeping politely to himself. Konstantin seemed perfectly fine detached from the team and treated them courteously enough, but still seemed rather reserved. I think he liked Ike the best, though.

…Some team I ended up with.

By the time we were all up and more or less conscious, there was a knock on the door. I was expecting Hanna or Nick as I opened it, not a maid bearing gifts of food. My first instinct was to turn it down, but then my immediate, much more demanding instinct was _food, yay_. I hadn't eaten in… Actually, come to think of it, I hadn't eaten since that last Magikarp in the temple. No wonder I had been so sick. Well, was sick.

"I have brought a noodle broth that should sooth your stomach. Also, I brought food for your Pokemon: spicy fire flakes and dried grasses for your Numel, a high protein Oddish-based shake for your Breloom, and a positively-charged stew with roasted Mareep for your Shinx. And--_oh_." I had only been half listening to the maid's monologue, much too intent on trying to take the soup from her. Her soft 'oh' and the fact that she stopped before setting the food down made me, in turn, pause. I looked up and saw that she was staring at Konstantin with a rather blank expression.

"Um, I'll take care of him--"

When I had spoken, it seemed to snap her out of her trance. She whirled around to face me, braided black hair nearly hitting me. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed breathlessly, in a hurry to set the food down now. I wasn't complaining. "I will bring you some food for your Duskull right away! Is-Is there anything else you will be needing?"

"No, but you don't have to…" I trailed off as she flounced out of the room. Konstantin tilted his head, so I turned to him and said, "Looks like you're getting a meal out of this."

I tried not to look too closely at my team's meals, though I had to admit I was impressed that they would make specific meals for what type of Pokemon they were. Usually, when I fed them, it was standard Pokemon food or whatever we'd managed to scrounge up. (Or, actually, it was mostly _my_ meal they ended up eating.) Carlita was absolutely enthralled by the fact that she had a shake for a meal, which I was a little unsure about, but she slurped it down with gusto, so I figured it'd be alright.

Des, on the other hand, seemed only mildly interested in his food. He set fire to the grass and licked at the charred remains, but other than that, I didn't see him eat much. I did, however, see him watching me.

I couldn't get into a staring contest with my Numel, though, since my Shinx was trying to claw his way up my leg in an effort to get to his meal. "Ow! Stop it, Ike--I'll set it down!" I hissed, nearly upsetting the bowl. He tore into it, alternating between fishing out chunks of meat and lapping at the broth.

"Dus?" Konstantin asked, hovering in the air above the table.

"I guess she'll be back with your food soon," I answered, guessing at the question. He rolled his eye, showing me that I'd guessed incorrectly, but as I wasn't going to play twenty questions with him and I was very hungry, I decided to ignore him by eating. It was delicious and my stomach was very happy for it--that was, at least until I swallowed something that wasn't noodle or broth. Some sort of meat, tasting vaguely bird-ish.

Memories of the Magikarp of course chose that time to resurface, and I barely made it to the bathroom in time.

Four Pokemon peeked uncertainly into the bathroom, wearing varying expressions of concern and alarm. "…Nu?" Des was the one who eventually decided to speak up.

"…Ugh. I'm becoming a vegetarian," I groaned. I didn't throw up, but I just about did. I guessed my stomach wanted the food more than it wanted to get rid of it. I wasn't about to upset it more, though, so I turned and asked, "Can one of you fish--okay, _bad_ choice of words there--one of you eat the meat in my soup? I don't care how you get it out. Just don't backwash too badly…"

All but Des disappeared, and I heard the vague sounds of bickering soon after. My Numel waddled up behind me, twitching his ears. "Nu?"

"I'm fine."

"Nu_mel_."

"I'm just a little sick, that's all." I reached over and scratched him behind the ears to try to get his mind off of me. "I'll feel better after some more food, I promise." I was forced to follow him back out into the room. I was touched, however, when he carried over his bowl of food in his mouth and set it down beside me. "Des, that's _yours_. And it's Pokemon food, anyway. I'm not sure I could eat it…"

Ears drooping, he carried off the bowl again as I sat down. Ike was contentedly fishing--there was no better word for it--bits of non-noodle material out of the soup, either with his paw or mouth. Those he picked up with his paw, he handed over to Konstantin, who slipped it under his skull mask and apparently devoured it. Carlita watched them while sipping on her shake, eyes hooded.

"Are you all sharing--?" I could hardly begin to berate any of them when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" It was the maid again, this time bearing a platter of half-cooked, half-bloody meat, which Konstantin immediately headed for. She let him carry off the plate without much fuss, but seemed a little taken aback by Ike eating out of my bowl.

"I-If there was a problem, I could fix it?" she asked uncertainly.

"It's fine. He's just, uh, hungry." I looked away, pretending to watch Des munch on his flakes.

"Is there anything else then?" She seemed a little relieved that Ike's eating out of my bowl was easily explained. "I could draw water for a bath, if you'd like?"

My face heated up at the thought of someone else doing anything of the sort for me. Plus, wasn't I a trainer? An eleven-year-old trainer? I could certainly handle bathing on my own, at least! "No thanks," I mumbled. "I can do that later."

"Alright then. If there's anything you need, anything at all, call room service and ask for Zoe. I'll be pleased to help you."

A sudden thought struck me. "Actually--could you tell me where Hanna and Nick are staying? They should have come up with me… We're staying with Hanna's dad, if that helps?" I had no idea how much information I would have to provide.

Thankfully, it seemed like very little. "Oh, of course. Master Nicholas' room is right next to yours, number 309. Miss Hanna and her father are situated across the hall from you. Her room is number 308." She smiled warmly at me, and when I didn't speak up again, she bowed (literally) out of the room.


	46. My Thoughts Remain Below

It wasn't until the next day that either Hanna or Nick came to see me. I think it was because they were scared to, since neither of them really knew how to treat me. That made me feel awkward and uncomfortable, of course, which did nothing to help the situation.

Zoe, the maid, came to see me several times, however. Not only when she brought meals (or when she insisted on drawing me a bath, much to my embarrassment but later relief), but whenever she had free time or a break. I was happy for the company, since my own team and I were somewhat distant with each other for some reason I couldn't fathom.

So my second morning I awoke to Zoe pulling the covers off of my bed and announcing, "Wake up! I've drawn you a bath and I will get breakfast once you start on that. Would you like your Pokemon to bathe with you?"

I looked blearily at my Pokemon, who were in various states of consciousness. "…They're not that dirty." I would've asked why she didn't knock, but I thankfully remembered my request that she didn't knock anymore before I spoke; the day before, due to her nearly constant visits, running errands, and other various comings-and-goings, I eventually had gotten fed up and told her not to knock anymore. Apparently she took that to heart.

"Shall I bring them breakfast then? Or would you like to eat with them?" she asked cheerfully, waiting until I got out of bed so she could make it again. I made sure to grumble my protest as I rolled out of bed.

"I'm supposed to be _sick_, remember? That means I get to sleep in."

"Yes, and I made sure that you got nine full hours of undisturbed sleep. But your presence has been requested by your friends. The water's cooling. Go, hurry, while it's still hot!" She somehow managed to fluff the pillows while herding me towards the bathroom door at the same time. She also gave me the very distinct impression that she was either a mother or very used to dealing with kids.

Then again, I realized as I sunk into the water, I was acting more and more like a parent towards my team. Maybe not a conventional parent, but I still fed them and let them sleep with me when they wanted (or when I wanted) and generally made sure they kept out of trouble. Maybe that's what trainers eventually became: parents. Or a family.

I actually rather liked that idea, too.

-.-.-

After a thankfully meat-free breakfast, a bit of medicine Zoe forced down my throat, and breaking up a fight between Carlita and Ike over who got to sit next to me for the previously mentioned events, I met up with Hanna and Nick. They were waiting for me down in the lobby. Hanna looked pretty with her hair held back and wearing her city clothes, whereas Nick looked downright distressed in clothes I guessed she had made him wear.

"C'mon, we're going shopping. The both of you need more clothes, particularly you," she pointed at me with one manicured nail, "And Goldenrod is the perfect place to do it. Plus, our plane leaves tomorrow, so today's the only shopping day we get."

Once Hanna had marched off, purse swinging from her elbow, Nick fell into step beside me. "She's been hovering over me since you've been resting. She's the one who made me dress up. _Why_?" he whispered, glancing nervously at the back of her head.

"She likes you. She is probably trying to apologize for getting mad at you when you first met."

"_What_?!" he asked, loud enough to be heard. Hanna turned around with a raised eyebrow. Nick hastily averted his eyes while I turned a laugh into a cough. Once her attention had been diverted again in hailing a taxi, he bent down and whispered in my ear, "_What_ makes you say that?! We've never met."

"She's seen you on TV, and she thinks you're cute. I think she's buying you stuff today to try to make you pay attention to her and maybe like her back. _Please_ don't pick a fight? I kind of need her to buy me some things," I whispered back, a little pleading. Zoe had washed my clothes and gotten me a different shirt, but I still would have preferred to have more clothes than the ones on my back. And a cell phone. That would be nice.

Nick didn't reply and he looked pretty uncomfortable, but at least he didn't say anything more to Hanna. Needless to say, however, I had to sit between them in the cab ride to the shopping district. Hanna absently fussed over me, picking at the shirt Zoe had gotten, which was actually part of a uniform for the hotel, and then spent the rest of the ride examining various scrapes and bruises. "Your knees are _horrible_. How are you still walking?" she finally asked as she watched me get out of the car.

"They're only scrapes," I muttered, wishing my shorts came down farther. Or that I had pants.

"Didn't you ever get scraped knees as a kid?" Nick asked. He obviously didn't think about the question or who he was asking. Next thing I knew, Hanna was scowling at the sidewalk and Nick was rubbing the back of his head, trying to figure out how to apologize properly. "Look--I--Obviously you haven't--"

"If you became a _real_ trainer, Hanna, you'd learn to deal with such injuries," I interrupted primly, probably saving the day in the process. Who knew how much more awkward it would have become if I'd just let them have their way.

"I am a real trainer!" she said automatically, turning to me with a shocked expression. "You saw me battle! My Pokemon are strong! I even got new ones--!"

"Have you ever caught one?" I asked.

"Have you?" Nick muttered behind me, under his breath. I tried to ignore him and focus on placating Hanna.

"You just buy them and you only leveled up Isabella and Alexander so they'd evolve. You've never actually done much else with them, have you?"

"That's not true!" she said, emphasized with a stomp on the ground. I immediately regretted getting into this; she was slipping into her bratty side. "I play with them and care for them and we even stage battles!"

I didn't dare reply because I knew how she'd get if I did. Nick, unfortunately, didn't have such knowledge. "Mock battles, right?" he asked, completely oblivious to what he just did.

"_What_?!" she screeched. Really, it was just that: a screech. I doubted a Zubat could have outdone her.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, Konstantin arrived at that point. Hanna's voice got impossibly shriller as she screamed and dove behind Nick (who she had, just a moment before, looked ready to murder). The Duskull hid a giggle behind one arm, avoiding looking at her. "Sk-Skull…" he gasped out, sounding like he'd very much love to continue laughing.

"What's with you…" I muttered as I raised an eyebrow. Raising my voice, I told him, "I wanted you to stay in the hotel room, remember? Or go back to the lake."

"Duskull…!" he whined.

I really didn't feel like arguing with him--especially when I couldn't understand what he was arguing back--but neither did I want to be haunted today. I kind of just wanted to chill with human companions if at all possible, and preferably, calm ones. That I was starting to doubt would happen, however; in fact, at this point I was probably betting on starting a world war with Hanna and Nick.

Why did I suddenly feel a headache coming on?

And since _when_ did I act so old?!

"…Let's just go shopping, guys. Konstantin, behave. Hanna, Nick didn't mean it. Nick, don't… Just don't." I didn't know what he shouldn't do. Well, okay, I did, but I wasn't about to say that in front of our ticket home.

It seemed shopping was the magic word. Or maybe it was because _I_ said it that Hanna agreed so placidly, took my hand, and marched down the sidewalk. She pulled me into a store she deemed acceptable (though really, all of the mannequins in the windows seemed the same to me at this point), Nick and Konstantin trailing along behind us.

"Start grabbing," Hanna ordered, yanking me over towards the first rack of clothes. "And no more of your _bargain bin_ outfits. You are getting _real_ clothes, nice clothes, and I will pay for them so don't worry." She looked down at my outfit with obvious disdain. I really couldn't blame her, as much as I'd loved this outfit; it had blood, mud, grass stains, who _knew_ what on it…

I think I might have to give up my favorite pair of shorts.

"These would look good on you…" Hanna mumbled, pulling a pair of jeans off of the rack. "What size are you? Oh, these will be much too big. You need to eat more, by the way. You're so tiny." I didn't want to mention the fact that I had been living off of Magikarp for the last week. "Do you _have_ to have shorts again?"

"Yes." It was a knee-jerk response. I wouldn't exactly complain if I got shorts again, but it was getting colder out… "Well…"

"Right then. Pants."

I rolled my eyes and turned to look back, rather pleadingly, at Nick. Or Konstantin. Whichever one decided to save me.

To my surprise, neither one was paying attention to me. The Duskull was staring intently at Nick, even going so far as to lean in and tilt his head as to focus his eye better. Nick was trying to ignore him, but he had already shied away to the point where he was up against the wall, and it looked as it he could only stare at the purple sweater in front of him for so long.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see _what_ was going on. Nick looked up and gave me the most pleading look I have ever seen (and hope to never again see on a guy his age). "What the heck… Kon--"

"Try these on!" Hanna accidentally cut me off as she dropped a very heavy armful of clothes on top of me. I nearly lost my balance, stumbled, and after banging my shin against a table, managed to stand stably. "Go on! The dressing rooms are over there. I'll be picking out more clothes for you."

"Wait, but--"

"But what?"

I immediately closed my mouth. It had been so long that I had nearly forgotten what a shopping Hanna was like. Nick would have to deal with Konstantin on his own, at least for a little while, as I turned on my heel and marched towards the dressing rooms. _Sorry Nick, but Hanna's scarier than Kostya._

Forty-five minutes elapsed before I was done dressing, mostly because Hanna kept feeding me new clothes over the top of the door or whenever I came out to show her. She seemed to have a fixation on making me wear dark blue sweaters, too, though of the six different kinds the store offered, it seemed as if she couldn't make up her mind. So, twenty-two pairs of pants, three pairs of shorts, six blue sweaters, nine t-shirts (four of them blue), and two hoodies later, I was finally allowed out of the dressing room.

"Now, let's see." Somehow, Hanna had kept hold of all of them, even with three sales people circling her like Staravia. The brunette turned to me brightly. "What did you like?"

"Um…" I could hardly remember most of them. I shuffled over to the neat piles of clothes, deciding I'd better make an effort if I wanted to escape out of here unscathed. "…This one." I picked up the top hoodie off of the pile and held it out to her. One cold look from her was all I needed however, and I hastily continued, "A-And the first pair of shorts I tried on. And the blue sweater. And--"

"Which one?"

"…Any of them?" I honestly didn't see the difference between them, though one of them had an itchy tag and another had cuffs that bothered me. "The… The last one I tried on." I hadn't minded that one. It was warm and had long sleeves to cover the assorted scars I'd picked up with my journeys.

Much to my surprise, Hanna didn't argue with me. Instead, she grinned and turned back to the pile. She handed me the sweater and a pair of cargo pants. "These would go with it best. Go try them on!"

"But I already--"

"I want to see them together!" she insisted with a cheery smile that was actually pretty disturbing. I meekly headed back into the dressing room. When I came back out, Hanna squealed and told one of the hovering sales people that she was buying my outfit. One flash of a credit card was all of the reason they needed. "Now you don't have to wear that ratty old outfit anymore."

I watched somewhat tearfully as my shorts and shirt, which had served me so well, were gathered up and thrown away.

Then I remembered that my pokeballs and ultra ball were still in the pocket and rather speedily rescued them.

I looked up to find Nick while a saleswoman cut the tags off of my clothes for me. He had been herded into a corner of the store and was trying very hard to ignore Konstantin. As I watched, the ghost leaned forward and bit him on the shoulder. Nick jumped violently and gave a stifled yelp. Konstantin immediately let go and started cackling. "Konstantin! Get over here _now_!"

I couldn't believe he'd just _bitten_ Nick. Not only was it rude and probably slightly painful--

"Oh my gosh." Did that mean he wanted to _eat_ Nick? The older trainer stumbled over to us and sat down beside me, pale and shaking slightly. He glanced at me and we locked gazes for a moment. I knew that he was just as aware as I was as to what just happened.

"Please get your ghost away from me," Hanna hissed, drawing my attention.

"Konstantin, stop it!" I snapped, beckoning him over. He didn't seem like he wanted to eat me, so I figured I'd be more or less safe. I grabbed him when he was close enough and held him tightly in my arms, much to his surprise. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Duskull," he replied quietly, phasing out of my grasp. He floated out until he was far enough away I couldn't immediately get him again, and looked at Nick again. He giggled.

"If that's all, miss, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you and your… companions to leave." Hanna sighed as the sales people looked pointedly at Konstantin.

"Get me the black hoodie, another pair of those cargo pants, and these two t-shirts, and then we'll leave," she replied flatly, waving them off. "…Why do you even have this _thing_ following you, anyway?" she asked once they'd left with the requested clothes.

"I don't know. He just followed me back from the lake."

"We can't exactly make him go back now," Nick muttered, eyes on his hands in his lap.

"It was his own fault for coming on the plane," Hanna sniffed. She crossed her arms and added, "I wouldn't feel much sympathy if we just turned him loose somewhere over here."

"Duskull aren't native to Johto. He'd disrupt the local environment. We can't legally release him here--and even so, none of us are his trainer. We couldn't legally release him anywhere," Nick replied. Konstantin made a contented sound and floated closer to him. He edged away, scooting down in the seat until he was practically pressing against me. "If someone were to _catch_ him, though, then we could at least keep him out of the way until we get back," he said under his breath, cupping his hand around his mouth so that Konstantin hopefully didn't hear him.

"I don't like that idea," I hissed back.

"He doesn't seem to mind you. He won't fight you, at least not as much, not like if Hanna or I--"

"A_hem_." The saleswoman had returned with the clothes and Hanna's credit card, which meant we were now being kicked out. I ended up having to carry the bags, since, as Hanna said, they were mine.

"See if _they_ ever get any of my business again…" That was the tamest thing out of her mouth as we exited the store. Nick smiled and held out his hand, taking one of the bags from me. "Seriously! Even if your Duskull is creeping everyone out, I just _made_ their Christmas bonuses."

"Was it really that expensive?" I asked, feeling a little bit sick.

"Not _that_ expensive, but more the fact that _I_ was the one buying it," she replied dismissively. I had to remind myself that this shopping trip would be nothing but pocket change for her, but that really didn't make me feel better.

Plus… The last time I had nice things, I also nearly got killed.

As I watched Konstantin floating along in my peripheral vision, I couldn't help the shiver that went down my spine.


	47. I Am Too Busy To Have Friends

"You really didn't think this one out."

"I agree. Not very practical."

"Whatever." Her pitch betrayed her. Hanna crossed her arms defensively over her stomach, looking away. Nick and I exchanged a glance.

"So… What are we going to do with it now?" I asked. Nick nodded beside me. Konstantin, on my other side, bobbed in the air. Then, in unison, all three of us turned back to the offending object. It was a closet. A full closet, already filled with clothes. Hanna, after having bought too many clothes (thankfully not all of them mine, though most of them were), decided that buying a closet would be a good idea.

Not so much.

Now we had a lot of clothes and no where save a _closet_ to put them.

"…Why didn't you just buy some suitcases?"

"Shut up!" Hanna exclaimed and shooed us out of the room.

That was how I ended up on a plane to Olivine City, staring at a closet full of clothes that was propped up across from us. This time, I was sitting next to Nick and across from Hanna, since we were still a little unconvinced when it came to the closet. Plus, I had to keep Konstantin away from him somehow.

"Kostya, stay."

Hanna, however, was not thrilled with sitting next to a ghost.

"Why can't you just catch the thing?" she hissed, cupping her hand around her mouth. I had a feeling Konstantin heard her anyway, since his red eye decided to take an interest in her as soon as she spoke. It was better than staring at Nick, which he had been doing, but it was still painfully obvious that neither of them liked the Duskull very much. I couldn't blame them, but neither could I do much about it.

"I _don't want to_. I don't like ghosts." Funny enough, I dimly remembered a time when I had wanted one as a starter. That was, thankfully, a long time ago. Froslass, Duskull, Dusclops and whatever else was stealthily haunting me--they kind of ruined it for me.

I didn't miss Konstantin's gaze returning to me or the little off-put sound he made.

I looked away, out the window, trying to ignore what that meant. I didn't _want_ to be his trainer. I didn't care how strong he was, if he wanted to learn Future Sight, or whatever else. He bothered Nick, scared Hanna, laughed at pain and misfortune, and was generally not a good idea to add to the team. I already had enough problems keeping Carlita and Ike from beating each other… Well, actually, that would be pretty one-sided; Carlita was a fighter and much stronger (and bigger) than him. I knew, though, that Ike was leveling up fast, and a couple electrical moves or an evolution would probably level the playing field.

I sighed.

And I had only wanted _one_ Pokemon when this had all started…

-.-.-

I came off of the plane feeling sick and tired again. I wasn't sure if it was because of the ride itself, or if I still wasn't up to par, or if Hanna, Nick and Konstantin were starting to wear me out.

When we walked down the stairs onto the tarmac, I almost tripped and an ultra ball fell out of my pocket. I jumped down the rest of the way and scooped Ike and his ball up, much to Nick's bewilderment. I didn't look at him as I quietly returned my Shinx. I also tried to ignore the way my heart was pounding.

_Why won't I let Nick near my Pokemon?_ I asked myself, only daring a glance back when we got to the airport itself.

"Kostya," I whispered, and immediately the ghost was hovering beside me as we walked through the terminal. Was it because of how Konstantin was acting that was making me act weird? Or was it because I still mentally saw the black-haired man throwing the pokeballs over the end of the dock? If it was the former, at least I could blame Konstantin, no matter how unfair that was. "What do you have against Nick?"

The Duskull laughed nervously, wringing his paws. I raised an eyebrow; _that_ couldn't be a good sign. "…D-Duskull, skull-dus-skull."

Definitely not a good sign.

We all piled into a taxi, Hanna giving directions while I tried not to think of the Duskull sitting politely on my lap (because of space issues, and the fact that Nick and Hanna wanted nothing to do with him). Too much was going on in too little time; traveling, getting back, Konstantin, Nick, Hanna, my team, this 'vacation'… I was still adjusting to what the black-haired man had done to us, I know, and none of this was really helping that. Or maybe it was; maybe I had to go out and get my mind off of it.

As if I were capable of such a thing.

The ride wasn't too long, thankfully, and when we got out by our hotel, the sea air assaulted us in an almost physical manner. It was refreshing, though. I inhaled and released it in a cough when Konstantin decided to float through my chest. I glared at him, slightly watery-eyed, and crossed my arms protectively to try to stop him from doing it again. At least he didn't laugh.

"Is your dad going to be joining us?" Nick asked, sitting on Hanna's bed as she directed where the closet should go. I was sitting beside him, with Konstantin on my other side.

"No. It's just us here. He's staying in Goldenrod to finish up his business, so we'll have to fly back there before we leave Johto," she replied absently. "A bit more to the left--ah, perfect!" The two men set the closet down with a loud thump. Hanna marched over, flung open the doors, and began tidying it. "You two had better go get your swimsuits on. I want to go to the beach _now_."

I knew not to argue with her bratty side. I got up, grabbing Konstantin's arm and tugging him along behind me, and got the suit Hanna had bought for me in the face. "You could have warned me," I muttered.

"You could have caught it," she replied easily. "Should I wear my purple one or my tan and blue one?"

"Yes." She huffed and turned around just as I walked out the door. Konstantin was carrying my swimsuit for me as we walked down the hall towards my room--I was two down, with Nick in between us. At least, it _had_ been that way until Nick caught up with me, took my key, gave me his, and turned me back around. "Why?"

"You're the median between us, so you get the room between us," he said with a matter-of-fact tone. "She decided on the purple one, in case you were curious. Now chop-chop, before--get it _away_!" It was right about then that Konstantin decided biting Nick would be a good idea.

I grabbed one of the teeth on his skull mask and yanked him away from Nick, who was halfway down the hall by that point. I rolled my eyes, unlocked my door, and went inside. "You need to stop doing that," I told him wearily, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it on the bed. "Can you get me a towel out of the bathroom?"

"Dus!" He excitedly flew off. I followed him and shut the door as soon as he was in the bathroom. "Du--"

"Don't come out until I'm done changing. You're enough of a creeper as it is," I replied through the wood. I had dealt with my team and the same problem before, but it was different if it was _my_ team, as opposed to a semi-wild Duskull that just happened to be following me.

Ten minutes later, the four of us--myself, Nick, Hanna and Konstantin--were on our way to the beach.

-.-.-

"Oh, _wow_."

"Haven't you ever been to a beach before?" Hanna asked, putting her sunglasses on top of her head as she gave me a look.

"Just the Sunyshore ones."

"Olivine has _much_ better beaches," she replied simply, taking her towel off of her waist and throwing it down underneath a free umbrella. I had to agree with her. Sunyshore had _nothing_ like this. It seemed like an infinite expanse of white sand, with sparkling waters on the horizon. The lighthouse was visible across the bay, cheerful and protective, standing over a couple of buildings barely visible. Kids ran about excitedly and their parents sunbathed or read underneath umbrellas, along with their Pokemon who were just as excited as the children were.

"Pokemon-friendly, huh?" Nick asked, sounding impressed. I saw Hanna sneak a look at him and blush, then turn back to her sunscreen.

"Of course. You think I wouldn't want to let my Pokemon out?" I ignored her; of course she'd want to show off her Pokemon, and as far as I knew, Nick hadn't seen them. But I was used to Isabella and Alexander. Instead, I released my three.

Des was immediately pressed up against my leg, staring out at the water with something like shock. I knelt down beside him, scratching his ears. "C'mon guys, it's finally vacation time. You don't have to go in the water if you don't want to. Play on the beach instead, or sunbathe, or do whatever."

"Don't get stung by the Tentacool, though," Nick commented dryly, gesturing to a sign that advised just that.

"That too." I nodded. "Also, Ike, don't get your cast wet if you can help it." He looked disappointed, ears drooping. If a sad kitten didn't give me a guilt trip, I didn't know what would, so I hastily added, "You can still play on the beach, and we'll come back later when it's all healed up if you want to swim, okay?" He looked up at me, not completely happy again, but at least not looking so tragic anymore.

I stood back up and turned around to see that Hanna had more to boast about than just Isabella and Alexander. I blinked, and her newest Pokemon blinked back. It looked kind of like a snake, only with _hair_ and a fish-like tail. "…What is _that_."

"This is Millie, my Milotic. Isn't she _beautiful_?" Hanna sighed dreamily, throwing her arms around the Milotic. I nodded. It was a pretty Pokemon, even if it was large and scaly. I couldn't help but stare, though. Millie just seemed so… calming. She turned her head and seemed to smile, skin sparkling in the sunlight.

"Don't stare too long. They're known for calming people, but they can hypnotize you, too," Nick whispered, putting his hand on my shoulder, effectively snapping me out of the trance. "Come on, let's go swimming."

"Actually, I want to play with my…" I turned back around and found that my team had all but abandoned me already. Even Konstantin had vanished. Figured. "…Fine."

"Going to take off your shirt?" Hanna asked idly, stretching out beside Millie. I noticed that Isabella and Alexander were also gone, though I was guessing they had run off to have fun. Des would like that.

"No, probably not." I'd had bad experiences with sunburns in the past, regardless of how much sunscreen I slathered on myself. I'd rather spare my back and shoulders the pain and deal with a wet shirt.

"Come on, then. Swimming! Race you!"

I responded to Nick by kicking off my shoes and sprinting down the sand towards the water. I tripped over a napping Arbok that I tried to vault over, unfortunately. Nick, laughing, ended up barely sidestepping a Mareep and smacked into its trainer.

At the end of the trainer and Pokemon obstacle course, Nick won. Kind of. I tackled him and we fell into the shallows at the same time, so it was probably a tie. He picked me up and threw me out into deeper water, and I responded by splashing him. So what if it wasn't the most mature of responses. It was _fun_.


	48. With A Car Crash Smile

Isabella was released, and that was the end of Des' presence there. Ears perking up when she first noticed him, she slunk over with a grin. "Come here often?"

"I'd never come to a place with so much water."

"I'm in agreement. It's much too hot here." She sat down beside him, tail waving behind her. Des tried not to stare at it and instead concentrated on the fringe of fur on her forehead. "Want to go some place cooler?"

"Where would that be?" He didn't mind the heat at all--in fact, he actually enjoyed it--but if she wanted to leave, he'd be more than willing to. Plus it'd hopefully get him farther away from the water.

"There's a forest that way. It'd at least be shady and there would be less salt in the air. It would be quieter, too," Isabella replied simply, nodding to her left.

"Let's go."

After the Glaceon told her brother where they were going, the pair traipsed off northward. A couple other Pokemon were in that general direction, playing with what appeared to be a beach ball. As they got closer, however, it turned out to be a Jigglypuff. Isabella snorted in disdain, laying her ears back. Des glanced at her, and then back at the scene. It didn't look like the Jigglypuff was in trouble; she was screaming with delight and rolling about in the air with much glee.

"Immature. Childish."

"What's wrong with having fun?" Des asked curiously, looking back and forth between the ice and normal Pokemon.

"There's nothing wrong with it, of course. It's just that it should be done… appropriately." Isabella, tail held high, sidestepped the group and continued on northward. Des followed her, though he really still didn't understand why she didn't approve of tossing around a living ball. He waddled a bit faster to catch back up with Isabella, but only after he looked back one last time.

He wasn't very surprised as he saw Carlita run up to the group and request a spot in the circle.

"Then… What do you want to do?" he asked.

"…I'm not sure. This heat is getting to me, though. Let's go walk in the shade for awhile." She yawned.

The two curled up underneath a tree. Isabella soon fell asleep. Des, on the other hand, stayed awake and glared at any passing Pokemon or people who cooed at them.

-.-.-

"But--wait--_why_ not?!" Carlita wailed, dancing from foot to foot. Alexander turned up his nose.

"I am going to go sunbathe. Over _there_. You can go somewhere else."

"But--I don't want to!"

"You couldn't stay still to save your life."

The Breloom watched as he walked off, leafy tail waving irritably behind him. She had wanted to spend time with him--after all, he had _such_ nice leaves--but, as usual, he wasn't too keen on letting her come close. With the implied instruction that they could go where they wanted, it seemed as if she'd have to find something else to do that didn't involve him.

Carlita sighed and looked around for Pedestal. He was already wandering off with Isabella. "Hmph," she scoffed, crossing her arms. It figured. He was off having his fun day, and she was left in the dust. Or sand. Whichever. Just for good measure, she stuck her tongue out at them.

"Feeling left out?"

A shiver went up her spine as the Duskull made his presence known. She scowled at him and looked the other way. "No, of course not. In fact, I'm going to go play. With others. Not you." She leapt away from him, bouncing on her toes, practically daring him to chase her. When he didn't, she nodded to herself, and continued on at a more sedate pace.

A Nidorino and Nidorina ran past her, laughing, followed closely by a Cacturne. Carlita watched curiously until they met up with a couple others, formed a circle, and started passing a Jigglypuff around like a ball. Next thing she knew, she was standing in between the Cacturne and a Hitmonlee, tossing the Jigglypuff around.

It was fun, at least until more Pokemon started being thrown. Well, no, that was fun too--it started being not-so-fun when the Magnemite was thrown. The Cacturne caught it without much problem, but the Raichu following wasn't so lucky. Maybe it was just the two electricities mixing, or maybe it was plain rotten luck, or maybe it was the fact that the Magnemite was getting dizzy, but the electrical discharge following the catch took out half the group. The only two left standing were a Sandslash and a Golem.

"Let's not play that game anymore…" Carlita groaned. The couple Pokemon nearest her nodded weakly in agreement.

-.-.-

"Can't go swimming… What am I supposed to do then, _Master_ Trainer?" Ike spat over his shoulder, limping towards… Well, he wasn't sure. He'd never been to a beach before, let alone another region, and he had no idea what the layout of the area was like. It put him on edge.

What also put him on edge was the ghost following him.

"Do you _not_ have someone else to haunt? Why don't you go help Master Trainer? You seemed _so_ keen on that earlier, you bloodless specter!"

"That's one I haven't heard before," Konstantin replied evenly. "How do you know we don't have blood?"

"Get away from me before I find out!" Ike snarled, bristling.

"Testy," the ghost murmured, shying away from him. Not far enough away to make the Shinx comfortable, but it was a start. More importantly, it showed him that Konstantin could be intimidated. "Pedestal went off with the cold one and Carlita left as well. Who else am I supposed to haunt?"

"Why do you feel the need to haunt anyone?"

"I'm letting the humans have a break today. If they can't appreciate my company, then I'll spare them of it. Why are you wandering off on your own? You're injured and weak as it is, so--" When Ike started sparking, Konstantin wisely backed off of his passive aggressive assault. Instead, looking innocently away, he remarked, "Why aren't you liked by the other Pokemon?"

"…What do you mean?" he asked in a growl, laying his ears back.

"Pedestal seems to tolerate you at best, but Carlita is openly hostile. What did you do? Why are you not as… skilled as they are?"

Ike laughed bitterly, hopping rather awkwardly over a small branch laying in the path. He kicked it back at Konstantin, but of course the ghost just flew out of the way. "I was recently captured. Just before our arrival at your lake, in fact. The circumstances of my capture, too, were… not ideal."

"How so?"

"I did not want to be caught, to begin with." Ike sighed. He glanced backward, not at Konstantin, but at the beach he'd left behind. It would be so easy to just keep walking, but it was true that he _was_ injured, didn't know the terrain, and he still had to stay with that trainer… "I don't particularly want to stay with Master Trainer, either. I am only… Well, I know I can benefit, so I won't complain outright."

"But…?" the Duskull prompted.

"But I don't like humans. I never have, never will, and never hope to. I probably would have killed that human of mine the night we met if that Kangaskhan or Froslass had not interceded. And now that I am captured, I have to follow the rules…" He sighed again, tail swishing.

Konstantin stared thoughtfully at him, then very suddenly burst out laughing. Ike gave him a warning growl and the ghost put his paws up in front of him. "Please, forgive me, comrade. My kind has a problem with laughter."

"You would not be laughing if you knew how frustrating this is for me."

"I think _you_ would be laughing if you knew how you have been conned." Konstantin chuckled again, covering the teeth of his mask with his paws.

Ike stopped and turned back to him, eyes narrowed. As an afterthought, he sat down. "…Elaborate."

"Pokemon aren't bound to their humans so… thoroughly. Look at me. I'm helping your trainer but I'm technically not on your team, am I? Moreover… Pokemon hurt their trainers all of the time. They run away. They can leave. Do you really think that our race in general is so oppressed that we have to follow _all_ of the orders of humans?" Interestingly enough, it looked as though it physically hurt Konstantin to say that. Ike grinned with his sharp teeth.

"I had guessed as much…" he muttered under his breath. That worked out then, didn't it? At least, it would in the long run. Not for his trainer, but then again, he suddenly didn't care as much about his trainer.

-.-.-

"You took my spot."

Des blearily raised his head, blinking at the shape that blotted out the sun above them. The shape moved, lowering itself down. The Numel then recognized it as an Scizor, a pretty angry one at that. Not good.

"What?" he asked with a yawn. When had he fallen asleep? Beside him, Isabella was also waking up, though she was stretching actively whereas he was still sitting more or less in the same position.

"That had been my spot this morning. I scratched the tree, see? Mine." The Scizor pointed with one of his red claws at the tree they were napping by. It had a deep gouge in the bark about halfway up the trunk.

"…Huh. Why didn't I see that before, I wonder?" Des asked wonderingly.

"Now you know. Get out of my spot!"

"What's going on…?" Isabella asked, looking up at the Scizor with part amazement, part skepticism. "You weren't here, you know, so this really isn't your spot anymore."

"I had left to go see my trainer. I hadn't even been gone an hour!" He narrowed his eyes warningly, clicking his pincers together. Des swallowed and got to his feet, shuffling in front of Isabella protectively.

"Find another spot. You left it, it was open, we took it," she replied. Des felt the temperature behind him start to drop. That was never a good sign with ice Pokemon, he'd come to learn. This was rapidly getting out of hand.

The Scizor raised both of his claws to head-height, waving them slightly and clicking them together. Behind him, his wings buzzed angrily. "Move," he commanded shortly.

"Isabella, I think we might want to--"

"You left, so we took this spot! Get a new one!" Isabella snarled, her fur standing on end. The frost in the air around her was melting next to Des, which was starting to irritate his skin. He exhaled a plume of smoke, trying to heat his fur back up to combat the moisture in the air.

Unfortunately, it seemed that, combined with Isabella's outright anger, the Scizor was taking it all as signs of a challenge. Still buzzing and clicking, he growled, "Leave now and I won't have to beat you."

Isabella replied by shooting an Ice Beam over Des' head at the insect. He batted it away with one claw and shook off the ice crystals like it was nothing. He then dashed forward, swinging back both claws back to smash at them. Isabella snarled and ducked under it, whereas Des rolled over and skittered nervously backwards, breathing fire while he tried to figure out what to do. The tree splintered from where the Scizor hit it; that could have been _them_.

That could have been Isabella.

Des growled, back igniting. "Get away from her!"

The Scizor turned to him slowly, but then lunged with a surprising speed. Des noticed too late the poison dripping from his claws. The Toxic hit him as the bug clamped down on his back with his pincers. Without anything else to do, Des reached over and bit one of his arms. "Let go!" the Scizor shouted, pushing him away with his free claw.

The Numel growled in response, ignoring the poison in his system.

"Fine then! Don't say I didn't warn you--!" The Scizor opened up his free claw and shot a Hyper Beam at point blank range into Des' face.

-.-.-

"I'm Carlita," she said with a smile.

"I'm Arrojadoa. You can call me Arro, though, if you'd like," the Cacturne replied with a slightly more disturbing version of her smile.

"Want to dance?"

"Excuse me?" He blinked in surprise, obviously taken aback by her question.

Carlita beamed at him. "We have nothing else to do. Why not?"

"There is no music," he replied, still a little hesitant about the idea.

She had an answer for that, too, however. She bounded over to a couple of the other Pokemon from the circle, chatted excitedly with them for a few moments, and then beckoned Arrojadoa over. The Jigglypuff from before, two Swablu, a Kricketune and a Clefable stood together with broad smiles on their faces. "A band! We can make our own music, see?"

"That's taking the initiative! Good job, old girl!" a Croconaw called with a grin. There were a couple echoes of support from others in the area.

The haphazard band started off on a tune, which started out slow, then sped up as the Kricketune took over, and slowed down again when the Jigglypuff started arguing with him. The music had to be put on pause until it was resolved--it would be an upbeat tune that they could dance to, not one that put others to sleep. (The Jigglypuff wasn't happy with this, but since they gave her the lead singing part, she let it slide.)

"Let's dance now," Carlita said excitedly, grabbing Arrojadoa's paw and pulling him out onto a clear patch of sand.

As the Pokemon broke off into pairs or groups to dance with, their party seemed to attract more and more attention. Other Pokemon on the beach heard the music and decided to investigate, and most of them stayed to dance. A Delcatty joined in with the band loudly, a pair of Mankey started break dancing (that turned rapidly into a tussle), a Furret chased an Espeon throughout the dancing pairs, and Hypno and his Toxicroak partner stole most of the attention with an improvised dance clearly borrowed from human dancing.

Carlita, who had been literally twirling circles around Arrojadoa, stopped and did a double-take when she caught sight of a familiar pink hat. Without a word of explanation, she darted over and was surprised to find Kamala and a Magmar dancing. The Medicham looked over at her calmly, wide eyes staring at her. "Yes?"

The last time she had seen Kamala, she had been threatening her trainer (who she liked) and teammate (who she didn't like), outright attacking her faux-teammate (who she also didn't like), and ignoring her own trainer. The Magmar she was with stopped, looking between the two curiously. Carlita stepped forward, rising to her toes to try to seem taller. "Why are you so mean?"

"Excuse me?!" That certainly got Kamala's attention. She narrowed her eyes and fisted her hands, leaning back into a fighting stance.

"Why do you have to go to such lengths to protect your trainer? You're not helping him--"

"Watch out!" Arrojadoa pushed her to the ground just as Kamala kicked the space where Carlita's head had just been. "What are you two doing?!"

"I would like to know as well, Kamala," the Magmar said in a low voice. "What is she talking about?"

"Nothing."

"What have you done this time?"

"I said _nothing_, Vasudeva!" the Medicham burst out, turning down to glare daggers at Carlita. "Let's go somewhere else."

"…As you wish." Kamala stomped off, followed closely by Vasudeva. He glanced back a couple times, however, staring hard at Carlita.

"What was that about?" Arrojadoa helped Carlita back to her feet, glaring after the departing Pokemon. The music had stopped during their almost-fight, and picked reluctantly back up as other Pokemon went back to their own business.

"I could have taken her," she replied instead, bouncing on her feet. "I'm a fighter, too. I could have taken her."

"She's also a psychic. She would have finished you easily," he scoffed.

"Not-uh! I'm strong. The strongest on my team. …Besides, I don't trust her. She attacked my trainer last time I saw her, and she doesn't seem to be very nice."

"I don't know why she's like that, but I don't recommend saying she wasn't helping anymore." The Cacturne whistled and placed his paws on his hips. "She really went crazy after you said that. May we dance again now?"

"Sure!"

And just like that, normalcy returned. For the moment.

-.-.-

"It's starting to get late."

"It is still light out," Ike replied. "It's only late afternoon. I will not be missed until dusk, at least."

"What are you going to do until then?" Konstantin asked, tilting his head to one side. "You've done nothing but walk since you left the beach."

"I am hungry and I am hunting."

"You're not doing a very good job of it."

"That's because I have _you_ following me. You're unbearably loud and any good wild Pokemon could smell the death on you a mile away."

"Because _you_ don't smell like blood at _all_," the ghost muttered darkly.

"Be silent now." Ike put a paw to his mouth, sniffing the air. There, a scent. He wasn't sure what species it was supposed to be, but he smelled the electricity of it, and the scent of thick fur. Not too many predatory Pokemon had that thick of fur--in fact, his evolutionary chain was one of the few he knew of--so he decided he might as well track it down and investigate.

One upside to being a Shinx was the fact that he was small and quick. Not so quick anymore, not with the cast, but he was still small and could hide easily. And, if the smell of his potential prey was unknown to him, it was likely that his scent was unknown to his prey; even if it detected him, it might not run immediately.

Ike glanced back once to make sure Konstantin wasn't going to scare away his meal, but thankfully, the Duskull wasn't in sight. Hopefully it would stay that way, at least until he caught whatever he was stalking.

He moved carefully through the underbrush, taking great care not to step on any twigs or brush against any leaves. He had always been good at hunting, even at catching quick Pokemon like Starly. Surely the Pokemon in Johto wouldn't be that difficult to catch.

Eventually, after a few painstaking minutes of silent moving, he came upon a fluffy, yellow creature. It had a long tail tipped with a ball and four little legs, so he assumed it was a prey Pokemon and that it couldn't run very fast. Ike smiled to himself, trying not to growl in pleasure. Finally, some _real_ food.

With a snarl, he jumped out at the Pokemon--only to be batted aside by a large, yellow, clawed paw and sent into the ground.

He was immediately on his feet again, bristling and growling at whoever had just attacked him. The prey bleated in alarm and ran into the bushes. The Pokemon who'd attacked him was much larger than he was, mostly yellow in color though with black stripes, and had large fangs coming out from under a mask-like face. Definitely a predator. Worse, it was holding Konstantin in its jaws; the ghost looked to be unconscious.

Spitting him out, the larger Pokemon demanded, "Who are you to attack one of my Mareep?"

Ike narrowed his eyes. How to get out of this easily… "Who are you to say I do not have the right to feed myself?"

"Is this ghost your friend?" the Pokemon asked instead of answering his question.

Ike had to pause and think about that one. If he replied no, it was likely that Konstantin would be eaten or killed. If he replied yes, it was likely that they would both be eaten and killed, but it also meant that if the Duskull woke up, he'd be an ally in the fight.

Plus, as much as he _hated_ to admit it, he had a feeling that his trainer wouldn't like it very much if he came back sans ghost.

"…You could say that," the Shinx said carefully.

The large Pokemon sat down and batted Konstantin towards Ike. He made no move to bring him any closer and instead sat down as well, albeit more nervously. The prey Pokemon came back, shaking slightly, and peeked out of the bushes across the clearing from Ike. "…What is it?" it asked softly, eyes on the Shinx.

Ike grit his teeth and tried not to let his frustration show. So the big Pokemon had adopted the little Pokemon. Great. He had thought that the fluffy creature had been the large one's meal at first; the more territorial Pokemon were known to defend their kills from others, simply in order to be the one to actually kill their food.

"You're an electric Pokemon, aren't you?" the large Pokemon growled, the purple fur bristling along his back.

"Yes."

"Then I suppose I can't kill you." Surprisingly, he laughed and fully relaxed. Ike watched suspiciously.

"…Why not?"

"Sinnoh, right? You are from Sinnoh?"

"Yes."

"You wouldn't have heard of me, then."

"Why did you try to attack me?" the prey Pokemon bleated, still quivering. "Why would you attack another electric Pokemon?"

"I do not see how types matter--"

"Of course they matter! An electric does not kill another electric!" the large Pokemon thundered, crackling with static. Ike hissed on reflex, his own fur standing on end with electricity as well.

"I don't see how that matters!"

"It matters in Johto."

"What Raikou says goes," the prey added. "He is in charge of the electrics here. He protects us."

Ike tried not to curl his lip. Johto was certainly confusing, and all backwards, what with hunters protecting the quarry and all of the rules that he had never heard of before. Unfortunately, however, he _had_ heard of Raikou. One of the legendary Pokemon, and an electric one at that. Almost all elemental Pokemon had at least passing knowledge of any legendaries in their shared type. And here he was, accidentally making one angry.

"I am… sorry, then. I did not know," Ike muttered, staring down at his paws. He didn't feel very apologetic, but he would rather stay alive, so he figured it best to eat Murkrow and try to get out of the situation as best possible.

"Forgivable, since you were ignorant of the situation." Raikou nodded to himself. That was easy enough. "Now explain the ghost's presence." Not so easy anymore.

"He is… following my trainer."

"Why?"

"I'm not completely sure of that myself."

"Your trainer doesn't explain these things to you?"

"…No."

"That doesn't sound very conducive to a good team."

Ike couldn't help but smile bitterly. "It's not, I agree."

"Why are you still on such a team, then?"

"Because. That trainer captured me, so it's my job to be the best possible Pokemon, isn't it?" Ike's smile grew into a grin, teeth glittering in the late afternoon light.

"…I sense that your meaning and your words don't match up exactly." Raikou tilted his head, purple fur falling over one shoulder as he did so.

"That's because I am only using the spineless, filthy human to get stronger and evolve. The second I am strong enough, I will kill them all like I'd originally intended and return to my home. I will hang their corpses from my trees and use their blood to--"

"You would do that to your own trainer?"

Ike smiled broadly and sharply. "Yes. I would."

-.-.-

Des faded in and out of consciousness after failing to duck under the Hyper Beam. He heard the Scizor shouting, metal grating, buzzing, Isabella screaming… It was the last thing that made him clamber back onto his feet. He shook his head a couple times to try to clear it. His vision was still dim and slightly fuzzy, however, and he didn't feel too steady. He inhaled and exhaled a couple times, trying to get a fire going.

The flames woke him up a bit more and the heat was a comfort thing. Des saw Isabella duck under the Scizor and run towards him. The Scizor, for his part, wheeled around in the air and pursued her. "Duck!" Des barked as he sucked in a breath. The Glaceon hit the ground with her paws covering her head just as he spat out a jet of fire that hit the Scizor square in the face.

The smell of burnt metal was suddenly there and pretty overpowering. Des stopped the fire on that principle--not on the fact that the Scizor was howling with pain and on the ground. He felt slightly sick and his vision was still swimming, not to mention the fact that his head hurt very badly. Isabella sat up and looked behind her, dark eyes large.

"You… took him down in one attack," she remarked tactlessly.

The Scizor groaned and rolled over onto his back, glaring weakly at them. The metal on his face was red hot and slightly charred. He said something, but it was too quiet to hear, and promptly fainted.

Des wanted to fall back over he was so tired. Strangely enough, however, the adrenaline wasn't fading; he felt rather energized by the fact that he'd just taken down an opponent in one move. _And_ there was the fact that he'd rescued his damsel in distress. The Numel took a few more breaths, surprised that the fire still came fairly easily.

He was even more surprised when it felt like a jolt go through him. He was suddenly very awake and in practically no pain. And he was… growing.

"Oh."

Isabella watched him with impossibly wide eyes and she seemed to shrink in front of him. The Scizor shrunk, too, and so did the trees and grasses and the path. Des knew the truth, though; the world wasn't shrinking; he was growing. He was _evolving_.

The adrenaline finally subsided and he felt very, very different. Stronger, bigger, hotter… but not too much different, actually. Flames now came out of every breath, he could hear things more acutely, his vision had sharpened considerably, and he now had a _tail_. Des tried to turn around to look at it, but all he saw were blue rings on his side and darker fur. "I can't see my tail." That was a pity. And he had been excited there for a moment, too.

"Des, you're… You evolved," Isabella said blankly.

"Yes? You've evolved, too," he pointed out, turning back to her. She looked so tiny now. Still pretty, but tiny.

"I… Well, yes, but… You look so _different_."

"I feel a little different. I have a tail now." He turned a bit and swished it, so she could see it even if he can't. Isabella stared hard at him--and then started laughing.

"Yes, yes you do. I can't believe that's the only thing you're stuck on. You _evolved_! And you are excited over a tail…!" She collapsed into giggles.

"You've had a tail all your life. This is a new experience for me," he retorted with a smoky snort. His throat felt hot, like he was using an Ember, only he wasn't. He tried to clear it, but it stayed the same, so he tilted back his head and actually used one to try to get rid of the feeling. On the bright side, his Ember was a lot bigger now. On the down side, it didn't get rid of it. He coughed up ash a couple of times, but that didn't help either. "…If this stays, I think I'll be annoyed."

"If what stays?"

"There's fire in my throat but it won't come out." Des coughed again, proving his point by charring the grass below him. "I think I'm learning a new fire move--or I have to--or something. I want to get rid of this feeling, though."

"Please don't do to me what you did to him," Isabella requested, nodding over towards the Scizor.

"I won't, I promise."

"…And to think, all I wanted was a nap." She yawned and flicked her ears at him. Des smiled and coughed again. "--Oh! Your trainer still doesn't know about this!"

"Oh yeah," Des agreed thoughtfully.

"What do you mean, 'oh yeah'?! Come on, we have to go show our trainers! They will be so excited, Des! Can you imagine the looks on their faces? Your trainer will be so happy! My trainer will be happy, too, I'm sure! Come on, let's go show them!" She danced around him eagerly. Des nodded and followed her. Walking was a bit harder, he noticed. But that was because he was bigger, right? Or maybe his trainer had been right; maybe he had gained a bit of weight…

Just down the path, it was obvious there was an argument going on. Isabella quieted up and lifted her ears, listening. Des found himself doing the same. He recognized the voices as a couple of the older trainer's Pokemon, the Magmar and the Medicham who was too angry.

"You heard her, Vasudeva! She said--She said I wasn't _helping_ him--!"

"Shh, Kamala. I know you're trying to help him. But you can't do it this way. You'll only make things worse."

Isabella stopped in front of him, making him stop as well. She made him lay down and then climbed on top of his head, whispering, "They're arguing. I wonder who about?"

"I don't know."

"…I knew it had been a bad idea. All of it had been. We shouldn't have done it."

"It's too late now."

"I know that! …I just wish… Why couldn't this have gone better?"

"We can only support him. That's all we can do, Kamala. Don't make this any tougher than it has to be."

"…She's helping him, you know. She's trying to, anyway."

"…You're helping him, too. Try not to dwell on it."

"This sounds serious," Isabella whispered in his ear. Des nodded, nearly knocking her off. She accidentally growled as she tried to stay on top of his head, which unfortunately announced their presence.

"Who's there?!" the Medicham demanded harshly.

"It's just us…" Isabella directed him to stand up and walk over so that they could see each other. Smoothly, she jumped off of his head and walked in front of him, explaining, "We're on our way back to our trainers. You're the older one's Pokemon, aren't you? We've never met--I'm Isabella, and this is--"

"We've met Pedestal," the Magmar interrupted simply. He nodded towards them both in greeting. "It's a pleasure, Isabella. I'm Vasudeva and this is Kamala. You'll have to excuse her rudeness." Kamala looked down at her feet. Vasudeva stared intently at them, however, probably trying to gauge how much they'd eavesdropped.

"Well… Des evolved, so we're going to go show the humans now. Are you two coming back any time soon?" the ice Pokemon asked brightly.

"We'll come with you now," Vasudeva replied with a calm smile. "Won't we, Kamala?"

"…Yeah."

-.-.-

"Ready, set, go!"

Carlita, though she had strong legs and was perfectly physically fit, found out she wasn't very fast. At least not in regular races. Most of the other Pokemon easily passed her. She was faster than Arrojadoa, at least, which made her happy.

Chase the Garchomp outstripped all of them except for a Jolteon, even having the gall to circle back and beat a lot of them a second time. He landed in the water and splashed all of the latecomers with his tail, laughing.

"Hey, no fair!" a couple Pokemon called, splashing back. They could hardly compete with a fully grown dragon, however. That was until the Croconaw and a Buizel decided to even the odds with a couple of Water Guns aimed at his face.

The Pokemon all splashed in the shallows (though a large portion of the fire and rock types sat moodily on the beach away from all of the water), laughing and trying to see who could get the biggest splash. An Azumarill ended up winning with a Surf that sent nearly all of them toppling over and ending up face-first on the sand. Clapping and cackling, she was soon barraged with various playful attacks.

Carlita shrieked as she was picked up by Arrojadoa and set on his shoulders. It soon turned into a game of Torchic when the Hitmonlee picked up the Nidorina and she and Carlita had to battle it out. The Breloom, of course, won (she honestly didn't think it was very fair since she was a fighter and all, but she wasn't going to complain about a win), and was soon challenged by nearly every Pokemon available. She only lost out when Chase picked up the Hitmonlee and he managed to kick Arrojadoa in the side so that they both fell over.

Spluttering and splashing and laughing, Carlita tripped Chase so that they both went into the water, too. Chase responded by pulling on her tail, so she pulled on his, and soon enough, no one's tail was safe.

"I'm very glad I don't have a tail," Arrojadoa remarked with a wry grin, watching as she backed into him to protect her own.

"They're fun, though. Good for balance, too," she replied, watching warily for any would-be attackers. The Croconaw tried to get her from under water and managed to hook her ankle, but she kicked him in the snout and he swam away to torment other Pokemon. Feeling proud, she half-turned and grinned at the Cacturne. "Plus, this is a fun game!"

It ceased to be fun when someone pulled a little too hard on the Raichu's tail and most of the Pokemon and people in the water got a jolt. It wasn't painful, really, but it certainly got attention. Most of the Pokemon ducked into the water to avoid reprimanding by their trainers, especially the Raichu, who tried to hide sheepishly behind a Clefable.

"Why is it that we always manage to mess up whatever we're playing…?" Carlita asked wearily as they were forced out of the water. She then caught sight of her trainer, however, squeaked, and hid behind Arrojadoa. "Don't let Trainer see me!"

"Why not?"

"I… don't know. But still! I might get in trouble."

"What for?" he persisted.

"Well, they were in the water when everyone got zapped…" She shut up and ducked down farther when her trainer's friend caught sight of Chase and beckoned him over. "See? Come on, let's go somewhere else before they see us."

"Fine, fine." Arrojadoa threw up his arms in exasperation and followed her father away from the water. They didn't hear any yells following them, so they figured they were safe at the edge of the sand on the other end of the beach.

The pair of grass Pokemon sat down and idly watched the sunset. Actually, it wasn't _quite_ sunset, but the sky was beginning to get orange, so close enough. Carlita kicked the sand. "…So, tell me about your trainer. I haven't seen yours."

"I don't know what to say about him. He's very competitive with his sister. I was his third Pokemon caught, and he caught me as a Cacnea. We're from Hoenn, in Johto visiting relatives. What else do you want to know?" He leaned back and closed his eyes. Carlita reached over and tugged on his hat-thing. "Hey! What was that for?"

"We both have one of those," she replied with a grin.

He stared at her for a moment, then laughed, falling back in the sand. "You're strange."

"You're from Hoenn. That's strange."

"You're not?" he asked, looking at her. "Breloom come from there."

"Nope. Actually, I was caught and raised in Sinnoh, in the Great Marsh." She laid down beside him, folding her claws over her stomach. "I like Sinnoh. Not the muddy parts, or some of the humans, but for the most part, I like it."

"I'll have to visit there some time. You'll have to visit Hoenn some time, too. I'll give you the grand tour."

"That sounds fun. We should go dancing again, too! That'd be even more fun."

He chuckled. "Sure. It's a date then?"

Carlita sat up, confused. "But we haven't set a date yet."

Arrojadoa sat up, too, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It's a human phrase. My trainer uses it a lot."

"Oh. Cool! My human just scowls a lot and gets hurt and has been reciting these things about being unhappy and stuff lately."

"Is that healthy?"

"Probably not, but I think it's alright. Our team has always kind of been like that. Weird."

"Okay then…" Arrojadoa seemed like he wanted to say something more, but instead flopped back down onto the sand with a sigh. "When will you come to Hoenn?"

"I don't know. When will you come visit me in Sinnoh?"

"I don't know, either. I'd have to ask my trainer."

"Yeah, I'd have to ask mine, too…" Carlita frowned, thinking. Her trainer already didn't seem to like traveling very much. "…What if I can't come to Hoenn? Will you still come see me in Sinnoh?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll still try to, of course. I'm not sure how it'll work out. You know how humans and different regions are. They don't seem to want to travel all that often."

"A lot of Pokemon don't, either."

"Birds do. So do swimming Pokemon."

"Because they _can_," she retorted flatly. "Normal Pokemon don't."

"Birds and water Pokemon aren't normal?"

"I don't think so. Not really." Carlita tilted her head back, trying to remember all of the flying and water Pokemon she'd ever met. Her trainer definitely didn't like water Pokemon, so there was probably something wrong with them. As for birds… Well, she didn't know too many of them, but she didn't really like them, either. "Nope, they're not normal."

"I'll be sure to tell the Swellow on my team that," he replied with a snort of laughter.

"Okay."

"…You are definitely strange."

-.-.-

"Why are you so happy, comrade?" Konstantin asked curiously. "You didn't get to eat."

"I will eat with my _team_," Ike replied with a small smile. "It promotes unity, does it not?"

"Well, yes… But…" The ghost wavered for a moment before his red eye went back down to the Shinx. "You are not normally this happy. What happened after I was attacked?"

"I had an enchanting conversation with Raikou. He is the guardian of electric Pokemon. Did you know that?" he asked conversationally. He was much too happy to be put off by Konstantin's questions or suspicion. Having a plan was wonderful like that. Especially a plan that allowed him to get so much out of so little effort on his part.

"I don't know of many legendary Pokemon aside from the ones who visit the colony," he admitted, wringing his paws together.

"I probably do not know of them, so I consider that a fair tradeoff."

"…What are you planning?"

"Why would I tell you that? You are not a part of this team," Ike said coolly, pausing in mid-step to face him. He narrowed his eyes challengingly. Konstantin averted his single eye, but obviously was not happy with doing so.

"I am not stupid, comrade. I can guess at your plans. You had better hope I am incorrect in these assumptions," he murmured.

"Or you'll what? Is that a threat, _comrade_?" Ike realized his mistake a moment too late. Finding out what he did about his trainer and having that discussion with Raikou had clouded his judgment. Messing with a ghost that was easily stronger than either Des or Carlita wasn't the smartest move of the day. Ike was lifted into the air by his neck, Konstantin's skull mask too close to his face.

"You have no idea what I am capable of, little Shinx. Keep in mind that I am farther up on the food chain than you are and I will not hesitate to exercise that if need be." His voice came out as a rasp, sounding as dry as the bone mask it was coming out of.

"Why would you have to?" Ike ground out, kicking vainly at the air.

"I am trying to help that trainer. It may not seem like it, and I may say things I'll regret later because it is how I am," oddly enough, he sounded regretful right then, "But I will still try to protect your trainer. Even if it means from _you_."

"I would never dream of--"

"Don't lie to me!" Konstantin shouted savagely. "I can see it in your eyes. You have dark intentions and you plan on equally dark things. I don't need Future Sight to see that."

Ike stayed silent, unsure of what to say. What could he say at that point? He knew he was still a Shinx, still injured, still weak. But he wouldn't stay that way forever. One day, he would become a Luxio, and then, after that… a Luxray. Strong. Fast. Powerful. Able to do what he wanted to that trainer of his and his supposed teammates, to whatever human he chose.

That day was not here yet, though, so he kept his mouth closed.

Konstantin slowly floated back down towards the ground and dropped him a couple feet above it. Ike landed easily on his paws. "You may change your mind in the future, but until you prove that, I will be keeping an eye on you. I will not allow you to make things any harder for that human. Things will be hard enough."

"How so?" He had heard bits and pieces of the whole future problem from his time in the sunken lake, but he also knew that his trainer had gotten some sort of warning. One that neither he, nor Des or Carlita, had heard. Apparently Konstantin had, however.

"…Things will be hard for trainers and trained Pokemon. There will be one who does not support teams, not like they are now. Trainers will have to face this one or die trying. …_Many_ will die trying."

"A killer? I don't see how hard--"

"You do not understand. You are still young and haven't seen very much of the world. There are things worse than mere killing," Konstantin snapped, red eye shifting swiftly between eye sockets. "If you decide to become a problem during that time, I will not hesitate to correct the problem. Understand?"

"…Yes." Ike bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying what he was really thinking: if things were going to happen to _trained_ Pokemon, he'd have to hurry and get done with that phase of his life quick. Very quick.


	49. I Am Fortune's Fool

I was surprised to find that the beach time was actually _relaxing_. Aside from a few problems involving some of the Pokemon--getting zapped by someone's Raichu topped that list--it was pretty fun. Nick and I eventually conned Hanna into getting into the water, so we had races and played Marco Polo and, later on in the afternoon, a game of beach volleyball with a couple of the other trainers there.

I also caught Nick staring several times at some of the older female trainers in bikinis. Unfortunately, so did Hanna, so that made things awkward for awhile. (As if they weren't awkward enough.) That thankfully ended when he apologized and called her pretty.

"Does that girl ever _stop_ being critical?" Nick asked as he collapsed into the sand beside me.

"Sometimes." I shrugged.

"Oh yeah? When?"

"…I'm sure she'll stop at some point. Maybe when you two get married or something."

"Hey, not funny. She's about four years younger than me, you realize that?" He leaned over into my sunlight to get my attention.

"Really? I thought you were older than that."

"…Calling me old?"

"You _are_ old." Nick stood up and pulled my towel out from under me. "Hey! I was kidding--kind of--_Hey_!" He then pulled my shirt over my head, pulling me to my feet in the process. I ended up tripping over Hanna while trying to fix my shirt, but she just smacked my leg and returned to sunbathing. I was a little surprised by her passivity, but I wasn't about to complain. Maybe she just hadn't heard us.

The day passed pretty quickly. Nick and I messed around some more, almost got into a fight with a trainer from Hoenn and his sister who called us dorky for making faces at each other, and Hanna brought out a camera to take pictures of us in the late afternoon. I think my personal favorite of the pictures was right after we ate snow cones, so we all had different-colored tongues we were sticking out. My mouth had been a bright red, Hanna's bright green, and Nick's dark purple.

"It looks like you're wearing some sort of goth lipstick," Hanna joked with a snicker at Nick's expense.

"Hey, it's not a problem if I like grape flavored snow cones," he replied primly. "Besides, your mouth is _green_. There's not even a subculture to excuse you."

"I'm glad I picked the normal color," I remarked innocently before an argument could start.

"It looks like you have blood all over your mouth," Nick replied flatly.

"Or really bright red lipstick. I think my mom wears that shade," Hanna added.

"Thanks, guys."

So the day progressed. Once Hanna brought out the camera, we decided to spend an hour or so taking silly pictures. At different points, we tried tracking down our Pokemon to take pictures of them, but we never could seem to get more than random, far-off glimpses of a couple of them. So mostly, the pictures were of us trainers acting goofy and silly.

Nick tried on my shirt at one point, which was impossibly small for him, and I noticed Hanna taking pictures like mad (especially when he flexed to see if he could rip the shirt. I bet him that he couldn't, and he couldn't, so I ended up with a free snow cone). I was surprised she wasn't drooling. Hanna acted like a model, too, of course--there was no way she _wouldn't_ get her picture taken a million times. She did a lot of the traditional, overused poses, at least until I decided to tickle her and we got pictures of her laughing. After that, it was easy. Pictures of her cross-eyed, tongue out, even overdramatic scenes that we acted out.

These included reenacting the scene of that one guy's death where he saw his close friend among his assassins and said "et tu, brute?" or something like that. It was fun wearing towels like togas, even if we got really weird looks for it. We also reenacted the Abomasnow attack, with Nick wrapped up in a bunch of white towels to be the Abomasnow. Unfortunately, as these got more elaborate, we ended up pulling more and more people into it. First to take our pictures, then to help act with us and dress us in our costumes, and finally to play actual parts.

"…Okay, now you'll be standing here--hold the towel here, like the curtain--where's my knife?" Nick whirled around looking for the bottle of sunscreen we were using as most of our props. One of our onlookers handed it to him. This time, I got to be behind the camera, and while I was sorely tempted to film this one, I knew it would take up too much memory. (We had tried filming things before with the same problem.)

I suddenly felt something hot and furry press into the small of my back. I squeaked and dropped the camera, skittering over to hide behind Hanna and her shower curtain before seeing what had just attacked me.

I could only stare at what it was. An absolutely massive Pokemon, much taller than I was, red in color with two humps on its back and three blue rings on its side. His lidded, bored-looking eyes were a dead giveaway, however, no matter how much he'd changed. "D-Des?"

"Cam," he replied simply.

-.-.-

"Wow," I breathed, sitting across from my new and improved Pedestal. He coughed and continued eating his supper. The sun had already set and we were eating on the roof of our hotel, enjoying the pleasant evening.

"'Bout time 'e evolved," Nick remarked around a bite of spaghetti, which we were having since it was Des' favorite food. Swallowing, he added, "I've been wondering about him for awhile now. Don't you _ever_ let him battle?"

I looked down mutely at my plate. Hanna elbowed Nick in the side, then rather loudly changed the subject. "So. Why does Des keep coughing?"

"All, or at least nearly all, fire Pokemon go through this process when they evolve. They have fire sacs in them to, well, use their fire, right?" Nick eagerly pounced upon the new subject and tried to indirectly apologize with his knowledge of the training world. "When they evolve, that changes too, so they have to adjust to having more fire and a different temperature. It can be cured with learning a new fire move to let them blow off some of the excess steam. It's why most trainers only let their fire Pokemon learn Flamethrower _after_ they evolve, because it's much easier to teach them that and it--"

"Okay, enough. We get it," Hanna interrupted. "Thank you, Mr. Scientist."

He slid down into his chair, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "just because _you_ aren't a real trainer…".

"_Anyway_," she continued after sparing him a cold look, "That just means that Des needs to learn Flamethrower. That shouldn't be that hard, right?"

"You'll need a technical machine for it," Nick muttered.

I blinked as Kostya reached up from under the table, took one of my meatballs, and disappeared again. It was true that I wasn't eating them, especially because I didn't want to have to think about what kind of Pokemon it had been, but it was still a little rude.

"Cam," Des said, nosing me in the shoulder. I nearly fell over because of it. "Cam, rupt, camerupt."

I had no idea what he'd just said, so I wordlessly passed my plate over to him. He eagerly ate most of the spaghetti in a single bite. "You're sure eating a lot…"

"He got bigger, so he'll need to eat more." Nick shrugged, passing over his plate as well. I gave him a look, but the food was gone before I could stop him. "He shouldn't always eat this much--he just used up a lot of energy today evolving--but you'll still want to start thinking up ways to feed him. Especially when you're out traveling."

"…What do you feed Chase and the rest of your team? You have some big Pokemon."

"I usually let them forage for themselves. Chase has brought back some pretty big prey before, though, so sometimes he just hunts for all of us." That didn't sound very appealing. In fact, it made me a little ill to think of it. Nick, sensing this, quickly added, "Well, you don't have to do that. You could just buy a lot of Pokemon food and carry it in item capsules. That could get really expensive really fast, but I guess that means you'll just have to keep winning, huh?"

That didn't sound too fun, either. "So what happens when I lose and lose half my money? He starves?" I challenged.

"Daddy co-owns a Pokemon food company," Hanna piped up, beaming.

"I can't visit the company if I'm in the middle of some Route starving," I deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'll make sure you get enough food. The company has outlets in all of the major cities, so it shouldn't be that hard to pick some up."

"What company?" Nick asked curiously.

"The Berry Berry Delicious company."

"They actually have some pretty good food," he admitted, much to her delight.

Hanna seemed to take it as a personal victory, because she turned back to me with the brightest grin I'd seen yet on her. "There you have it! Free food for life."

"Okay--_what_?!"

"You don't have to pay. Just stock up when you leave cities, put all your food in those little capsules, and--"

"No, I mean, _what_? Free?" I repeated, trying to make sure I'd heard her correctly (though I know I had). It was an amazing offer, but one I couldn't take without a pretty heavy conscience. It was one thing to get a wardrobe replacement, but quite another to feed the behemoth that was now Des. And that wasn't taking into account the rest of my growing team. Carlita was done evolving and was as large as she'd ever get, but Ike was still going to grow--a bunch--and Des was absolutely _massive_. There was also Konstantin, who may or may not follow me until I gave up or died. I still wasn't sure about that one.

"Of course free. It's, like, a present for Des. Not you. So don't sweat it." And just like that, with her usual dismissal of others' opinions, Hanna subdued my conscience.

"If we're giving presents--"

"No!"

"--here." Ignoring my conscience and its apparent ten minute retirement and end of said retirement, Nick dug around in his backpack. I glared at him. Des soon caught my attention, however, as he snuffled my hair and licked the back of my head. I was used to him licking me, but not with a tongue that was roughly the size of my face. I huffed and tried to smooth down my hair again.

"Des, _really_?" We'd have to do something about that. It'd take a lot of getting used to, him not being a little Numel anymore.

"Catch." Of course, I turned around just to get whatever Nick threw at me thrown at my head. I barely managed to catch it before it hit me. Barely. I frowned in confusion when it turned out to be a light red disk, shiny and… Well, I had no idea what it actually _was_. Nick cut me off before I could ask, probably based on my expression, and said, "It's a TM. Flamethrower for Des. It'll help with his coughing and it's generally considered to be the best fire move available."

Now it was shiny _and_ useful. But it was still a gift that I really didn't deserve--

"Don't give me that kicked Growlithe look. Think of it as a gift for Des, not you." I couldn't argue with that logic, though I wanted to. Plus, I'll admit, I couldn't very well argue when Des took the disk from me and was gnawing on it between coughs. "Well, that's not how you use it, but whatever works," Nick commented dryly, grinning as I played tug-of-war with my Camerupt.

-.-.-

I couldn't remember whose idea it was, but somehow, we decided to take part in a _thing_ down at the beach that evening. There really wasn't any word that could describe it was well as thing could. It was a contest, sort of, it was a talent show, sort of, it was a… _thing_.

We had all entered, and while I was scrambling to figure out something to do for it, Nick stole the show. I suppose I should have expected it, since he was Champion-bound and had more Pokemon than either Hanna or I could keep up with, but still. It was a little unfair when he had a Garchomp to impress everyone with (not to mention all the rest of his team). Hanna, too, at least had pretty Pokemon to show off (and she did).

I just had a new Camerupt who kept spitting and coughing fire, a dancing Breloom, a Shinx with a broken leg, and a stalker Duskull.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though they had come up with an idea on their own. I could hardly keep up with all of the jabbering away they did, after some consultation with each other, as they tried to convey their idea to me. Eventually, just as I fell over from Carlita and Konstantin competing for who got to be in my face more, Des had the good sense to borrow Kamala.

"_What is it they are going on about?_" she asked, trading glares with Carlita. I shrugged. I had no idea, and not to mention the fact at how bewildered I was at the sudden attention.

"Duskull dus-skull--_skull_!" Konstantin crowed, clasping his paws together. Ike yowled something completely incomprehensible as well.

"…_It seems as if they want to put on a magic show. They want you to be the Buneary._" The psychic Pokemon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, showing just how much she disliked having to translate. Of course, with Des literally breathing down her neck, she wasn't going to say no.

That was how I ended up on stage, following Nick's grand fire breathing (yes, _he_ knew how to do it too; I was just as surprised as anyone else with that), wearing a Buneary costume for the crowd to enjoy. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with the public humiliation. I didn't even know what we were supposed to be _doing_, since Kamala had run off with Nick's Magmar after his show.

Konstantin, wearing a top hat and bowtie, waved at the crowd. Carlita stood happily beside him, wearing a sparkly red skirt and what appeared to be lipstick. She twirled and pulled a flower out of thin air, presenting it with a flourish to the ghost. He made it disappear with a bright flash of flame, then clapped when it was gone in a matter of a moment.

I was actually sort of enjoying it, even though I was on stage with them. I had no idea Konstantin knew any magic tricks. It was also a little creepy to see how easily he interacted with the crowd, making them laugh and gasp in awe with rather simple, if impressive, moves.

I tugged on my hat's ears, looking around for either Des or Ike. It was only fair that they be roped into this as well, after all. Much to my surprise, Ike passed by my feet just as I started looking, wearing a bow tie like Konstantin. He trotted with difficulty due to the cast over to where Carlita was waiting with a blanket. Ike sat down and grinned at the audience before she draped it over him. Konstantin floated over him, made a big show of counting down from three, and then promptly disappeared. Carlita picked the sheet back up, revealing nothing but empty stage underneath.

The crowd waited for them to reappear, but they didn't. I frowned--that is, until I spotted Konstantin holding Ike behind the crowd, cackling. People turned towards them, but before they could get more than a glimpse, they vanished once more. They appeared on the stage with giggles, the Duskull waving and bowing, while Ike just grinned with his sharp little teeth. I squinted at Konstantin. How had he done that? Could he Teleport?

Carlita pranced over to me, pirouetting and presenting me with the blanket. With no small amount of reluctance, I put it over my head.

Then, the most curious thing happened. I felt Konstantin's cold paws on my shoulders, and a push downward, and a tug on my Buneary ears, and suddenly, I was blinking at the crowd on the other side of the stage. Carlita picked up the blanket from where I had just been.

Okay, now I knew that he wasn't Teleporting, since Jacques had not been shy about doing that to me; that hadn't felt anything like it. It felt more like… Well, getting pulled out of the metaphorical hat. Konstantin, in front of me, bowed to the applause and gestured to me again. "_Dus_?" he asked. A couple Pokemon whistled in reply, their trainers clapping uncertainly.

Next thing I knew, he was pushing me down again and I was being pulled up--and this time, I reappeared perched on Des' back. "What the--?!" I hadn't even been aware of his arrival onto the magic scene, unless Konstantin had just conjured him up out of thin air as well. I shakily slid off his back, patting his side as I stared hard at the ghost on the other side of the stage.

"Duskull? _Duskull_?!" Konstantin shouted with a laugh, gesturing to Des and I. I pressed up against my starter's side, a little scared as to what would happen now. I knew I was supposed to be the Buneary being pulled around all over, but it didn't mean I was particularly fond of the sensation. The crowd's Pokemon chanted enthusiastically. Konstantin bowed towards them and then looked towards us with his bright, red eye. I didn't like where this was going.


	50. So Wise So Young

"…And then he made a _tower_ out of us. It wasn't so bad since I was near the top, but I was still a little scared being that close to Kamala," I explained.

"Who was Kamala again?" Zoe asked, taking a delicate sip of her tea. We were back in Goldenrod, waiting for our flight back home. The vacation hadn't lasted all that long, but in a way, it felt like _forever_.

"My friend Nick's Medi-thingy. She sort of has issues, most of them with me."

"…Medi-thingy? Meditite?"

"No."

"Medicham?"

"That one." I nodded, mostly to myself. Nick had told me Kamala's species several times before, but for some reason, it never stuck with me for very long. "Anyway! So I was near the top, and Kamala was stuck beside me--it didn't seem like she realized what was going on, or maybe Konstantin just hadn't asked her for permission to do that. It was sort of funny to see her expression, though. And then Ike was on top of my head, and Kamala had been put under Carlita, so she had to hold her, and neither of them were very happy with that. I still haven't figured out how he did it, either."

"Sounds like some sort of move." Zoe seemed completely fine with letting me talk and continued sipping at her tea. She agreed to wait with me in my room while Hanna was off with her dad for the day, and Nick was off… doing something. I wasn't sure. "Maybe Teleport or Shadow Sneak…"

"It didn't feel like a Teleport. What's Shadow Sneak?"

"A ghost move. It's probably what your Duskull used. Did you feel like you were being tugged into your shadow?"

"It was at night. We didn't have shadows."

"We always have shadows; it's just whether or not you can see them," she replied philosophically.

"…Well, maybe," I conceded, sighing. "Do Duskull learn Shadow Sneak?"

"I think so. I've never owned one, so I can't be sure…"

"Do you have Pokemon then?" I asked curiously. She knew all about myself and my team, but it seemed as though I hardly knew anything about her. Just that she worked as a maid in her free time, and was apparently from Johto.

"Oh yes. I have quite a few," she replied with a bright smile. "I'm a dark type trainer."

I had never met any specialized trainers, aside from Gym leaders. I leaned forward excitedly. "Really? What Pokemon do you have? What was your starter? Why do you like dark types?"

"Slow down there." She set down her cup and turned to me, looking rather serious. I frowned and leaned back again, wondering why. "First off, I only became a dark type trainer accidentally; I didn't plan on becoming one. I just sort of gathered Pokemon of that type."

I opened my mouth to speak again, but she silenced me with a raised hand.

"Don't get excited about dark Pokemon. They are dark for a reason and aren't easily trained. I wouldn't suggest you getting one for another year or two."

"But--"

"But nothing. I started training late in the game, and I had help with my team. Don't go looking for a Pokemon you can't control. It seems as if you've got your hands full with that Duskull alone," she said, still serious. I looked down at my lap. I had my hands full with my entire team, not just Konstantin. Maybe taking on a Pokemon renown for a temperamental and difficult nature wouldn't be the best of ideas. (Actually, then I started wondering if Ike was somehow part dark. He sure acted like it.)

"…Okay."

Zoe was all cheeriness once more. "Okay! Well then. I have a Murkrow, an Umbreon, and a Sneasel. Those are actually my only dark ones right now, but sometimes I watch my boyfriend's Houndoom, and he's a handful at times."

I knew vaguely of all of them, which worked for me. At least I was getting better at recognizing species names (except for that Medi-thingy that was Kamala). "Is that all you have?"

"I also have a Skarmory. This basically means that my entire team can pretty much stop any psychic in its tracks," she proclaimed proudly.

"Why?" It seemed like an odd thing, wanting to stop only psychics. Unless she had something against them. Or was paranoid. She didn't seem too paranoid, though…

"One of my best friends had a couple psychics as we were growing up, so I constantly had to deal with that. Eventually I just started hanging out with my team more and more. It doesn't hurt that I can stomp any psychic into the ground without using dark moves, too." I couldn't help but grin; her enthusiasm for the subject was contagious. Definitely not paranoid, too. Zoe wiped some of her black hair out of her eyes, curling it on her finger thoughtfully. "But in all seriousness, she used to tease me pretty bad with them. Watch out for any of your friends with psychics. Sometimes, the temptation is just too great. And don't you dare--if you ever get one--use it on others!" she preemptively scolded.

"I definitely wouldn't," I promised.

"And if anyone tries to use one on you, you just call me, okay? I get more of a thrill than I probably should stopping psychics, but that's what you get when you specialize your team. You get to be proud of their strengths." She laughed lightly, then took my hand. She pulled the pen out from behind her ear and wrote out a number on it. "You can call me for other reasons, too, of course. Especially if you come back to Johto sometime."

I was a little amazed by the sudden display of outward friendship. Zoe had always seemed a little shy. Then again, I wasn't complaining. Plus if Kamala kept on my case, I might just want her help. "Wow… Thanks." I didn't have a cell phone yet, since Hanna insisted on getting one for me back in Sinnoh, but at least I'd have one number to put into it.

Later that day, Hanna managed to drag us out on one last expedition before we left completely. Though it was more of a spy mission than anything else. We all donned hats, sunglasses, and even trench coats and literally tiptoed past her father's room's door. She wouldn't let either Nick or I talk until we got down to the lobby. Even then, she stayed serious and silent, tipping her hat down over her eyes and putting her collar up around her face until we were well away from the hotel.

"…I feel like we're doing something illegal," Nick said cautiously. I bobbed my head in total agreement.

"We're not. It's just--Daddy doesn't want me seeing him."

"Who?" Nick and I chorused. Hanna didn't reply and continued leading us through Goldenrod. The buildings eventually started getting sparser and sparser, until it was nothing but grasses and a path. We were in trainer territory, and Nick and I instinctively realized that. Hanna just barreled on ahead cluelessly. We took over trainer watch then, since we were obviously on a mission and couldn't be held up with battles. It helped that Nick let Chase out, who glared most of the young trainers down and kept them at bay.

Eventually, we reached a forest. We were well out of Goldenrod now, and I felt uneasy being that far out of civilization in an unknown country. I could tell Chase was just as nervous as I was, because of the way he kept circling around us. Nick and Hanna seemed perfectly fine, though.

"Like, you guys lost or something?" Hanna jumped--suddenly nervous--and turned to face an older trainer who was leaning nonchalantly against a tree, arms crossed. He pushed off of the trunk and sauntered over.

"Where did Jude go? He was supposed to--"

"He's, like, a bit busy now, you know? I'll take you, like, to him, though, if you, like, want…"

"Yes, yes," Hanna replied impatiently. The man shrugged lazily and gestured us over. Nick and I glanced at each other; really? Were we _really_ sneaking out, meeting some unknown guy in the woods who was leading us to another mysterious guy? It made me feel all too much like one of those spies in the old movies. Only usually about this time some guy in a sports car pulled up and started shooting…

We followed Hanna, though, since she at least knew what she was doing. (And, if all else failed, we could always hold her ransom for the money or something. Or fight our way out.)

We went through the forest and out onto a trainer path again, though with a suspicious lack of people. Our guide chatted airily. "…Like, are those two your, like, bodyguards? Because they're not… real threatening, you know?"

"Hey!" Nick squawked. Chase growled behind him, lip curling.

"Chill, man. It was just an observation," he drawled. I could easily imagine him with a cigarette right then; he seemed like the type to take a drag and then breathe it out and likewise take a long time to answer anything properly. Or maybe it was just his way of speaking.

"They are my escorts," Hanna interjected primly, turning to give us both a look over her shoulder. I put my hands up defensively. I knew I wasn't threatening and I wasn't going to pick a fight with either the mysterious forest guy or Nick or anyone. Least of all Hanna right then. She had that sort of effect sometimes. Returning her attention to the man in front of us, she asked again, "Where's Jude?"

"He's, like, busy, I told you," the older trainer replied, with something vaguely resembling irritation.

"With what? We're not from Johto, so it's not like I come here all the time to meet with him--"

"Circumstances were, like, extenuating, okay? So chill, miss prissy chick."

I had a feeling that the guy was about to regret saying that, but fortunately for him, we came upon one of those buildings guarding the entrance to a city. We all quieted again and pulled our hats down over our sunglasses as we walked through the building--all except for our guide, who smiled lazily and waved at the guard.

Much to my surprise, on the other side of the second door wasn't a city. Instead, it looked to be ruins of some sort. I hardly had any time to marvel, however, since we were soon assaulted. Something feathery, purple, and with a _very_ sharp beak swooped down at us, taking a swipe at Hanna and then pecking me on the head. Nick, who had hit the ground in time to avoid that, pulled me to the ground beside him.

"What the--What is this?!" he shouted. Chase jumped into the air, trying to catch up to the purple bird that was giving us a very distinctive caw-like laugh. His Garchomp was soon shot out of the sky, however, by what I immediately recognized as an Ice Beam. I reflexively followed the icy trail down to its source and went cold.

A Froslass turned and looked at us with a very dark glare, air shimmering around her with ice crystals.

"Chase!" Nick scrambled to his feet, covered his head with his arms as the purple bird crowed again and dive-bombed him.

I was dimly aware of Hanna screaming something and someone else yelling before a blue thing rammed into my stomach and knocked me to the ground. I blinked blearily up at wide bug eyes and a grinning mouth belonging to a Heracross. "Hera!" it barked, pinning me to the ground with relative ease.

I heard Chase roar and the very familiar screech of the Froslass, and then Nick and Hanna shouting something, too. I was too numbed by the Froslass--was it _my_ Froslass? No, that couldn't be. She was still in Sinnoh. And she would never follow me all the way here--would she?

"Get off, dude!" The older trainer with the lazy drawl was suddenly pulling the Heracross off of me. He extended a hand down to help me up, but I ignored him and got up on my own.

"You led us into a trap!" I accused immediately. The Heracross snorted and hit me on the shoulder with its horn.

"No way. This is all, like, a _huge_ misunderstanding. Totally a misunderstanding," he shook his head while I rubbed my shoulder. "See?" He motioned over to the other three, who had more or less calmed down.

It turned out that we really hadn't been attacked. The Jude guy that Hanna was supposed to meet was a Pokemon breeder, and like our guide had stated, was busy with some rather rowdy Pokemon. More specifically, he had been trying to train a shiny Murkrow, the purple bird that had attacked us. The Froslass and Heracross had just been trying to catch it again, and had perceived us as threats when we barged onto the scene with Chase. I still felt sore from where the Heracross and Murkrow both hit me, though, and both of Nick's arms were bloody from the Murkrow's claws.

So we really weren't pleased at all when Hanna announced that the Murkrow was hers.

"Well, this here is Tenny. I was going to name her Murder, but miss Hanna here would have none of that," the boy that was introduced as Jude explained, gesturing to the purple bird perched on the Heracross' head. Tenny laughed and pecked at the bug's horn. "She has a bit of a behavior problem… Not to worry, though! She's just a bit rambunctious and mischievous."

"She's gorgeous," Hanna sighed dreamily.

"A dark Pokemon? Really, Hanna?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow. He held out his bloody arms to her. "They're not known for being nice. Even real trainers have problems with them." I nodded, since this was not news to me as of a couple hours ago. Plus, Tenny only seemed to reinforce that lesson.

"She just wants a little attention. Don't you, girl?" Hanna cooed. The Murkrow turned her head away, swishing her tail feathers at her. "Here, I know what you want." She took off her necklace and held it out. The silver glinted in the sunlight, which immediately caught Tenny's eye. She took it greedily in her beak and allowed Hanna to pet her after that. "See, I know how to handle Pokemon. Unlike _some_ people apparently."

Nick snorted and gingerly crossed his arms.

Jude beamed at them both. "Right-o! Perfect. Either of you want a Pokemon now, or is miss Hanna the only one going to get one?"

"I can catch my own."

"…I'm broke."

"Aw, such a pity. Well, if you ever need anything, anything at all, make sure you give me a call, eh? If it's out there, I can get it. And that's a guarantee," Jude chirped, puffing out his chest. Nick looked at him with an unreadable expression, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to change his mind and buy a Pokemon. It turned out that he didn't, though, and instead just turned to face Chase and set his head on the dragon's shoulder.

"Can we just go back now?" he asked tiredly.

"Of course," Hanna replied happily, still stroking Tenny's feathers. I rolled my eyes. So _that_ was how Hanna got all of her rare Pokemon. Figured.

"Come back soon! Or give me a call, love! I have all the time in the world for any of your orders!" Jude called after us, waving enthusiastically goodbye. The man who had been our guide was sitting next to the Froslass and only watched us leave mutely.

When we got back to the hotel, Zoe fretted and dressed our wounds, while my Pokemon (who had been left there, since Hanna insisted on no ghostly stalkers and the only way to get rid of Konstantin was to let him stay with the other three) excitedly chatted with Tenny. I couldn't help but notice the way Zoe sniffed in disdain at the Murkrow's presence, though.

-.-.-

Zoe and I hugged goodbye in the lobby. She really was a good friend, not just a maid who happened to feed me and thus earn my admiration and love. Plus she was really interesting once you got under her reservations.

On the flight back, however, I realized that I wasn't necessarily sick when we first came over; I got airsickness. It sort of ruined my triumphant return to Sinnoh, especially when I nearly fell down the stairs and tripped on my first step into the terminal. Konstantin laughed at me. Nick rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm to steady me.

"We're back in Sinnoh. You can officially lose the stalker," he muttered under his breath, nodding towards the Duskull.

"How?"

"…I'm not sure."

Hanna had to leave us at the Veilstone airport, somewhat tearfully. She gave me enough money for what she called a 'good cell phone', which meant that it was way too much and I would probably have a lot left over for some time to come, and apologized for not being able to pick one out with me. I told her it was okay, and instead we just hugged goodbye.

"Thank you so much for that vacation," I said quietly, meaning it. In spite of everything, it had turned out to be wonderful. Just what I'd needed.

"No problem. Anytime. Come with me next time on my next expedition, okay?" she said with a watery smile. "…But don't go and get kidnapped and almost killed to do that, okay?"

"Okay," I replied with a grimace. And here I had almost pushed that to the back of my mind.

Much to my surprise--and amusement--Hanna kissed Nick goodbye. It was just a quick peck on the cheek, which she had to stand on her tiptoes for, but it made him act embarrassed nonetheless. It was too funny to resist teasing him for.

Nick and I went out, bought a new phone, and then went to the Center to crash for the night and sleep off the jetlag. I did, however, enter in the numbers I'd received in Johto and the few I remembered in the phone before I fell asleep. My parents, Nick, Hanna, Zoe, and Jude the rare Pokemon breeder. It was the start of metaphorically rebuilding my life.

I slept on the floor with Des, who couldn't fit in the bed anymore. He was warmer than he'd been pre-evolution, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, I sort of liked his longer fur and higher body temperature. It made for a very cozy sleep.


	51. What Fools These Mortals Be

"Des, Flamethrower!" I couldn't remember being this proud of any of my team for quite some time. Nick hadn't been lying in the fact that Flamethrower was insanely powerful. So far Des had nearly set several things on fire: me, the bed, Nick, Chase, Ike, me, a poor Chatot, one of the Chansey, the TV, me, Konstantin, Chase, and… Well, he seemed to go for me a lot, and more recently, Chase since the Garchomp also knew it.

Des and Chase battled it out with flames. Des obviously could use the fire with a lot more ease and could keep it up longer, but Chase had him beat out in raw power thanks to his years of training. We had only been together a little over half a year now.

"Most awesome move _ever_," I sighed happily, perfectly content to watch my Camerupt breathe fire that would incinerate anything save himself in a heartbeat. And I had thought Lava Plume was awesome. It couldn't even compare--and he could aim the Flamethrower. The Lava Plume was a little harder, and he had nearly hit me or other members of the team often enough that I had turned him back to Embers when we needed fire.

"Told you," Nick replied.

The awesomeness didn't last long, unfortunately, but then again I wasn't holding out too much hope for it to. It never did, after all. I wasn't that lucky. Once Carlita noticed Des' new move, she immediately wanted one as well. Before I could do much more than argue vainly with her, Nick handed over another TM and took the liberty of teaching her SolarBeam. And, after seeing it precisely _once_ in action, I vetoed it and told him to give her a different, much less destructive, move.

"I'm not made of TMs," Nick said sarcastically, opening up a case full of them.

"You should have asked me. _What_ possessed you to teach _her_ that move?!" I snapped, gesturing to the unfortunate tree she had vaporized. I glanced over, only to see that she was gathering sunlight again. "Teach her something else!"

"Fine! Carlita, come here!" We had to chase her down and hold her on the ground in order to get her to forget SolarBeam and learn Iron Tail instead, but at least she wasn't shooting sparkle death rays anymore. I could sleep that much easier.

Unfortunately, that soon made Ike figure he wanted a move. "Not-uh, Ike. Des and Carlita got one for evolving. You haven't yet." I had to admit that I also didn't want to give the little monster anything stronger to attack me with, too. The Shinx mewled pathetically and tried the sad kitten angle. I looked away, feeling guilty, but still not giving in.

"Shiiiiiii," he whined, deciding to claw his way up my leg instead. Nick clamped a hand over his mouth to try to stop himself from laughing.

"Look, Ike's still pretty young but you said he's been starting to use electric moves, right? That means he should evolve soon. Can you wait, little guy?" He plucked Ike from my pants and held him like you would a Skitty. Ike was not amused and sunk his claws into Nick's hand when he tried scratching his belly. I snickered at Nick's expense.

Eventually, we managed to convince Ike--with some rather surprisingly helpful support from Konstantin--that he would be able to learn a new move once he evolved. He grudgingly accepted this. Carlita and Des gleefully used their new moves for the rest of the day on everything available. Several times Chase or Ser had to rescue either Nick or I from certain doom, and after a couple burned shoes and what could have easily been a broken leg, we decided enough was enough.

"Okay, you two. Enough of the annihilation routine," I called, safe atop Chase in the sky. Des stopped at once, though Carlita had to topple one more tree before she obeyed.

"Hey, you know what this means?" Nick asked when we'd landed again. I didn't have time to ask before he said, "Gym leader!"

"Wh-What--"

"Look, you have a Camerupt that can burn down anything that opposes him, and Carlita's got some new moves, too. You could _totally_ take on Crasher Wake now."

"No way," I replied flatly. Nick pouted, but I added, "Remember last time? That wasn't pleasant."

"The kidnapping part or the total crushing defeat part?"

"Neither of them was fun!"

"That can be avoided with more careful planning. If we train up Ike a little and he learns a good electric move, then he could help. And of course--! Your little stalker ghost can help!" Nick snapped his fingers and beckoned Konstantin over. "It will be too easy for you this time around."

"Kostya isn't _mine_."

"He's battled for you before."

"That's--beside the point."

"No, it really isn't. Come _on_. It's Gardenia all over again. You're strong enough to take him on, easy. If you win--"

"No bets." I didn't have any money this time, and I didn't want to have to lose any more dignity than I could help. "No Gym battles. I'm just going to train with my team for awhile. Des needs to get used to being big, and Carlita has that tail thing of hers now, and we _still_ have to figure out how to get along properly with Ike, and Kostya is… there…" I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. It seemed like too much to handle to begin with. But then again--I had the perfect resource right in front of me. "Nick!"

"…Uh?"

"You've dealt with lots of Pokemon, right? How do you get your team to behave?"

"I ask them to."

"What if they don't--"

"Pokemon respect trainers with a lot of badges," he told me curtly.

It was a combination of that, the fact that my Pokemon in no uncertain terms agreed, and a pretty healthy bribe that made me concede--to fighting a _different_ Gym leader. I wasn't about to take on Crasher Wake. But I would try my hand at someone else. "…There's a steel type leader, isn't there?" Fire and fighting were both good against steel. I would take those odds. Especially with Des' new 'kill it with fire' move.

I didn't really want to Fly anywhere, and since we didn't have much of a time limit, we decided to make a proper training journey out of it. Nick traded out a good deal of his team for ones he wanted to level up, save Chase, and my team and I had to spend the first week or so of it getting used to a host of new Pokemon and personalities.

On the night after the first week, we had just passed Pastoria and were camping in the mud and rain. I was not happy about this, either; I had vowed never to return to this place. Now, too, I couldn't even let Des out. If it wasn't the rain, it was the mud. He'd sink like a stone. So most of the time, my team had to be kept in their balls and Konstantin and Nick were my only company.

Well, that was until I fell asleep and found myself in the white world.

"Oh my god--"

There you are!

I tensed and froze when white little hands connected to white little arms with blue-tipped sleeves wrapped themselves around my stomach. The Froslass set her head on my shoulder blade, sighing and freezing my shirt to my back. Oh boy. I had somewhat been expecting to see her again, but not so soon. And I couldn't help but remember the last time we'd seen each other; I had been nearly killed by that black-haired man…

I was so worried, she murmured into my back, continuing to breath frost on me.

"I'm sorry?" I guessed, wishing she'd let go. Dream or not, it was uncomfortable to feel my shirt slowly freeze to my skin. "C-Can you let go now?"

Oh. Yes. Of course. She swung away from me and circled around until she was facing me once more. She studied me up and down, appraising the damage. Finally, she spoke again, What happened to you?

"…It's a _really_ long story." And one I didn't feel like recalling. "But I'm fine, see? I'm still alive and I still have my team and it's all good." Well, aside from the fact that I had some form of what Nick called PTSD and another stalker ghost--

On cue, Konstantin, with a snarl, barged in on my dream and tackled the Froslass. She shrieked and pressed her hands to his face, freezing him to the spot in a giant ice cube. His red eye was the only thing left moving, looking between us both frantically.

I wished there were walls in the white world I could bang my head against. "Froslass, this is Kostya. Unfreeze him."

What?

"Unfreeze him, _please_."

She reluctantly did as I said, staying on guard. Konstantin growled at her and raised his paws, probably for some sort of attack, and asked, "Comrade, what is going on here?"

"How come _you_ don't talk like that?" I asked the icy ghost pointedly. She looked away, folding her hands over the red stripe on her stomach.

"Because she's not as skilled as I am. Who is she?!" Konstantin demanded angrily.

"This is a Froslass who is… helping me about as much as you are." The Duskull lowered his arms and floated closer. I sighed in relief. "And in exchange, I have to help her find her trainer and stop him from being a monster or something like that."

Which you have not been doing, she replied with a huff.

"I've been kind of _busy_. What with nearly being killed and all," I snapped.

Konstantin made a disappointed sound. "Don't become bitter and angry, comrade," he said quietly, all but ignoring the Froslass now. He cautiously floated over until he was close enough to touch me, and then he set his skull mask on my forehead. He closed his eye and exhaled. I wrinkled my nose; his breath smelled, frankly, like something had just died. "You have forgotten the warning in all that has been going on lately, haven't you?"

"No…" I lied. I couldn't become dark, and I couldn't die… And that was about all I remembered. But at least I remembered that much! And that vacation had definitely helped on the happy front.

"Don't die, though you will face many trials. Don't become dark. Do not become distracted by all of the wrongs in the world, and do not become angry and bitter. And when the time comes, please let go, comrade," Konstantin recited dutifully, almost sympathetically. The Froslass watched and listened curiously.

What are you two talking about? There was a certain note in her voice that made me cringe, though I wasn't sure what it was or why.

"The black-haired man had dropped me off at this lake, and there were a whole bunch of ghosts there, including Kostya here. They gave me a warning about the future, and--"

DO NOT MEDDLE WITH THE FUTURE.

The screech was so loud that it made my dream ears ring. Konstantin had let go of me and was protectively in front of me, though it was clear he was as shocked as I was. The Froslass hovered in front of us, fists covered in ice, the air around her shimmering with ice. I immediately started shivering and could see my breath.

Then, I said probably the stupidest thing ever in my life.

"But, isn't that what _you're_ trying to do by making me save your trainer?"

I really, _really_ had no idea what prompted me to say such a suicidal thing. Maybe Konstantin's warning about not dying had produced a sort of reverse psychological reaction in me. Or maybe, deep down, I really wanted to know what was with ghosts and the future.

Konstantin grabbed me and shoved me downward into my own shadow. We reappeared on the far side of the white world, if there were sides; the Froslass was only an off-white speck on the horizon, though, which I considered good. I could feel the cold all the way from over here, though, and could _see_ the ice appearing on the floor below us.

"That was not a smart move," Konstantin deadpanned, pushing me into my shadow again. This time, we reappeared on the opposite side of the white world, but the ice was already here. I slipped and fell on my butt, wincing at the blow to my tail bone. That had _hurt_. The Duskull above me pulled me to my feet, just as the Froslass aimed an Ice Beam from across the world at him. The attack froze him solid and he smashed into the ground right beside me, red eye frantically switching from socket to socket.

I am not meddling. I am trying to save my trainer. The Duskull is trying to confuse the future, not save anyone.

Before I knew it, the Froslass was above me, dripping snowflakes onto my head and shoulders. My fingers and feet were already numb.

"I'm sorry."

You do not understand what I am trying to do, do you? I am trying to save my trainer. I am trying to prevent him from becoming a monster. The Duskull is merely trying to lead you astray. They delight in the misery and pain of humans. They do not help them, she stated dispassionately.

I couldn't help but glance over to Konstantin. It was true that he laughed at pain and seemed to like to torture Nick. But it was also true that he was unusually helpful and seemed genuinely to want to make my life--and future--easier.

"Froslass, I am _sorry_ for what I said and I will help your trainer if I ever find him. But Kostya isn't a bad guy. And it wasn't just him who gave me that warning--there was a whole group of ghosts and psychics. Not all of them would lie like that."

How do you know?

"I just… Why _would_ they?"

Ghosts are cruel, she said, placing her hands on the top of my head. It was like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on me, which probably wasn't too far from the truth. I bolted upright in my sleeping bag, shivering and sweating. Konstantin, who had been nestled by my head, looked up as well, seeming distressed. The Froslass was nowhere to be seen.

I didn't get any more sleep that night. Konstantin wouldn't leave me alone, never venturing farther than arm's length from me. He didn't bother Nick anymore and instead circled around my head, red eye straining to find the Froslass.

I made up my mind to start to really find Froslass' trainer. If I found him and helped him be a good guy, then it meant she would leave me alone again and I could move on with my life. It was a good thing that I was on a training journey, then, since it meant we met dozens of trainers every day. I scouted out dark-haired ones and asked them if they'd ever owned a Froslass, but almost all of them said no. (The two that had still had them and they certainly weren't the one who was haunting me.)

We were in Oreburgh before I knew it. Nick was happily oblivious to my problem and instead gleefully trained up his new team. In any other circumstance, I would have been overjoyed to watch a real veteran train a new team and see what sort of moves he taught them, how he handled them, how he got them to work together. But not when I had so much on my mind.

I started asking trainers if they'd owned a Rhyhorn at any point, since Konstantin had pointed out to me that most humans didn't count released Pokemon as theirs anymore. Of course, Rhyhorn was also a more common Pokemon, so I got a lot more affirmatives. But I was looking for a dead one; everyone who had one still had it. I was looking for a dark-haired, male trainer who had a Rhyhorn but couldn't show it to me.

"Why are you so chatty with other trainers all of a sudden?" Nick asked one night, when we were packing up to leave Oreburgh. "I keep meaning to ask, but I never get to hear what you're talking about. Are you looking for something?"

I looked over at him. He tilted his head to one side, black hair falling into his eyes. I had to immediately turn away again and mentally berate myself for even _thinking_ that he would be Froslass' trainer. Sure, he matched with the vague description I had, but… Well, wouldn't Froslass had said something if Nick was her trainer? After all, he'd been with me for the past two months traveling. She had plenty of opportunities to just show herself (if Konstantin didn't chase her off) and point to him.

Still… There was a chance he could help me with my search. Yes, that was it. I'd ask him but_ only because_ he could help. I would not suspect him.

"Nick, do you have a Rhyhorn?"

"…Yeah, why? Looking for one?" he asked, though there was a suspicious pause at first. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

"Can I look at it?"

"…No, actually. You can't." I thought I might faint.


	52. Our Remedies Oft In Ourselves Do Lie

"Wh-Why not?" My voice was much shakier than I would have liked otherwise. Why couldn't he show me the Rhyhorn?

"I don't have it anymore."

"Why not?! What happened to the Rhyhorn?" I was too aware that I had asked Froslass that very question before.

Nick looked taken aback by the force. "Because he evolved. He's a Rhydon now. Um, is something wrong?" he asked cautiously, looking a little scared to approach me right then.

I blinked at him. The Rhyhorn had evolved. Into a Rhydon. Which meant it wasn't dead and was still alive. Slowly, I exhaled, then chuckled. The chuckled turned into a full laugh when I realized what a heart attack I'd nearly had there. I had thought _Nick_ had been the dark-haired trainer of all people. Seriously. I should have known better; I knew Nick too well. Plus, I knew most of his Pokemon now, and he had a live Rhyhorn that had evolved and didn't have a Froslass at any point that I knew of. My paranoia seemed so silly now.

Though I still hadn't found Froslass' trainer.

My laughter abruptly stopped when I realized that. I wasn't any further to finding him. "Hey, Nick… Do you know anyone with a Froslass?"

"Yeah, a couple. Why, you want one? Make up your mind--a Rhyhorn or a Froslass?" he said, clearly relieved by my calming down. He grinned and resumed packing his things. "Maybe I'll get you one for your training day."

"Huh?"

"Training day. It's like a birthday, but only the day you started training. It's coming up, isn't it?"

"…Oh. Oh yeah, I guess it is--_I have been training for a year_?!" Cue freak out.

-.-.-

Byron was exceedingly easy to take down. I only had to call out Carlita because she'd _wanted_ to fight, not because Des had tired out. I had let Ike out at the beginning of the match with the Steelix, and he looked like he'd gotten a bit stronger while dodging the steely tail when it tried to squish him. Or at least I'd hoped so. He looked a little shaken when I finally recalled him and let Des at it.

What wasn't easy about that Gym, though, was _getting_ to Byron. If Nick hadn't coached me through it--though several of the Gym trainers gave him dirty looks for it--I probably would have never gotten to him. Or I would have fallen off the platforms. Several times. (In fact, I nearly did a couple times. Nick had to pull me back up each time. I was almost used to dangling by the time we got to the leader.)

I ended up winning astonishingly easily. It was true that I had a type advantage and Des had just evolved, but I hadn't had such an easy win since Konstantin completely blocked all those fighting types. And that wasn't even me. At least in Byron's defeat I had a hand in.

Nick whistled while the steel leader handed over the badge. "Flawless victory," he commented.

"You don't have to rub it in," Byron snapped, leaning on his shovel. "And I wouldn't be talking if I were you. I remember _your_ battle, kid."

Nick looked away with a, "Do you actually…?"

"You were twice as cocky as this one here. And it took you twice as many tries, too, ain't that right?" Byron grinned, especially when Nick flushed and scowled. I ignored them both, focusing instead on my shiny new badge. That made five. I was over half done, and just under a year into my journey. Was that good? Was it bad? Only three left… Crasher Wake, Candice, and Volkner.

None of them seemed like a very promising prospect for the next one. I'd already gone out of order, sure, but I didn't want to take on the _last_ Gym leader as the sixth. It seemed like I was asking for it. But I didn't want to take on Candice, either, even if I had the type advantage (again) with my fire and fighting types. I wasn't terribly keen on returning to Snowpoint, especially since the Abomasnow was still roaming the area, last I'd heard.

And, of course, Crasher Wake was out of the question. Completely. I had no problem with either waiting for Ike to become an electric monster or until I got something insanely powerful and good against water types on my team.

I was snapped out of my deciding the lesser of the evils when a cell phone went off loudly. I checked my pocket, but since it wasn't buzzing, it wasn't mine. Nick flipped his open, held up a finger to Byron and I, and answered, "Hi mom."

"…Does he always do this at Gyms?" Byron asked, gesturing with his shovel at Nick. I shook my head. "I think he's doing it on purpose. He did this the last two times he came here, too. He even interrupted his second battle with me to take a call," he grumbled.

"Really?" I didn't know that was allowed. Or, if it was, it sounded pretty rude.

"Eh, it happens from time to time. He's the only guy to have done it multiple times, though."

"Do you really have something against Nick?"

"Nah. It's just amusing how far he kid has come." It was sort of funny to hear Nick, several years my elder, referred to as 'kid'. Usually that term applied to me. Byron hefted his shovel and set it on his shoulder, placing his free hand on his hip. "You too."

"Huh?"

"Roark told me about you. And I saw that news thing about you and that Abomasnow. All the leaders saw it; that son of mine and Gardenia wouldn't stop fawning over the little trainer who'd gotten beat up. But you're doing alright, aren't ya kid?" Byron laughed and clapped me on the shoulder, nearly sending me to the ground. "Character building, right? Trainers these days could use a bit of toughening up."

I could sense there was something else to his words, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. And before I could ask--Byron seemed a little gruff, but at least he was approachable, unlike other Gym leaders--Nick hung up his phone and said, "Okay, time to leave the fossil behind!"

"If I were anyone else, I'd take offense to that. No, wait--I still do." Byron slung his shovel off of his shoulder and hit Nick in the back of the head with the flat side. Eyes watery, the black-haired trainer rubbed the back of his head and glared at the leader. "Go on, you two. Get out of here. Get your last two badges and give that one a run for his money!"

"Three more, actually," I corrected primly, as Nick said, "What do you mean by that?"

"…Staying away from one of the Gyms, eh?" Byron deadpanned. He sounded used to it. "I know every trainer's got that _one Gym_, but still. Honestly. I'm guessing yours is Wake? Well that one's was Candice. Ask him about it some time."

"Shut up old man!" Nick shouted, hastily pushing me onto the platform heading back to the ground level. I looked back at Byron, who was laughing heartily and leaning on his shovel casually. I finally realized what that tone of his was: it was fatherly. I didn't know why, but it made me feel a little better, and it made me wonder just how the Gym leaders viewed all of the trainers who beat them and moved on with their lives.

Outside, Nick relaxed and rubbed the back of his head again. He glanced down at me surreptitiously, but I noticed the look. "What was that about?"

"The higher-up Gym leaders sort of… They sort of have a complex about trainers, especially younger ones like you."

"I'm almost twelve, you know," I sulked. My training day was close to my birthday, after all, and both of them were coming up rapidly.

Nick smiled in apology and ruffled my hair. "Well, when I was challenging Byron, I was fifteen. That's a difference of three years, and even back then, he was calling me young. Anyway! As I was saying, higher-ups have a thing for younger trainers. They know they're passing knowledge onto the younger generation or something along those lines, and they're proud of that, too. They act a lot like the parents of the training world. They look out for us, you know?"

"…Is that why you two acted like that?"

"Yeah. Well, that and I had to show up to his place twice. He sort of stomped me into the ground the first time I tried going up against him with Vasudeva…" Nick admitted sheepishly. I couldn't help but laugh at the mental image.

"Were you really afraid of going up against Candice? If you had Vasudeva--"

"Don't even _go_ there. You're afraid of the _fourth_ Gym. I was just a bit nervous about the seventh. Which is completely understandable--"

"You were scared of her!" I crowed, triumphant at last. Nick could never say anything about Crasher Wake ever again now. Not when he had had his own complex about a Gym leader.

"I was not!"

"Yeah, you were! Admit it!"

"If you're so not-scared of her, then _you_ challenge her!"

"I will! And--" Too late, I realized what I'd done. I shut my mouth and ducked my head down. Mumbling, I backtracked, "I mean--no, I want to train more--"

"Are _you_ scared of her?" Nick challenged with an evil grin.

"No, I'm not!"

"Then challenge her. She's technically next in the circuit, and you have advantages--unlike Chase--and--"

"Fine, I will! But _you_ are coming with!" He reeled back, paling. It was my turn to grin evilly. "Gym leaders are like parents, right? So let's reunite you with Candice." If Nick had been anything like I was, then I _definitely_ wanted to see his reaction to having to go back to Snowpoint. Even better if Candice remembered him.

Nick swapped out his team in Canalave before we left. He still kept Chase with him, but now he grabbed a stronger team, conspicuously including Vasudeva. I think Des was relieved he wasn't the only fire Pokemon going, even if he'd evolved and gotten a lot stronger since last time. We were all a little nervous going back there. Nick reassured us, though, and even stopped in Floaroma to get a second fire Pokemon, an Arcanine named Fargo. It did make me feel better.

Since Ser wouldn't Fly us any father than Eterna, we were stuck getting through Mount Coronet on our own. It was fairly easy since Chase kept most wild Pokemon at bay, but the climbing itself was hard. It was also a little jarring to see wild Bronzong floating around at random. Gyarados traded roars with Chase, and while I would have loved to catch one of the Dratini or Dragonair who watched these exchanges with avid interest, Nick wouldn't let me get close. Fighting dragons weren't fun to get in the middle of.

It took us nearly a full week to get through Mount Coronet. By then, I was so excited to see the sun again that I didn't mind the cold. Ike seemed fascinated by the snow, at least until he realized that it made his paws cold. He'd gotten his cast off just before we left on this trip, so he obviously didn't like getting all four cold and wet instead of just three.

Heading north again was nostalgic and slightly terrifying. Almost all wild Pokemon were dispatched in one or two moves by both Des and Carlita, or even Konstantin once when an Ursaring had snuck up on us at night. The Froslass was still following us, too, which unnerved the Duskull and I both. Especially more so because she was literally hiding in plain sight while she tailed us, blending in effortlessly with the snow.

Des, Carlita, and I were all jumpy, though. The three of us knew why, too. We were waiting for the Abomasnow. We knew it was still out there, and, according to us (or at least me), it knew we were here. It had to know we were back. It had to know the one that got away was back in its territory. And even a Camerupt, a Garchomp, a Magmar, and an Arcanine wouldn't make me feel safe from that.


	53. You Took The Long Way Home

"Can't we make the rest of the way tonight?" I asked nervously. We had reached the forest around Snowpoint. I didn't want to spend the night in it, since last time that happened… Well, bad things happened.

"Look. The Abomasnow, even if it's here, will not attack us. Fargo and Des will both be sleeping out, won't they? And we have Konstantin the watch-ghost. We have a bigger chance of killing ourselves getting lost on this Route at night than with a rogue Abomasnow." Nick could not console me, however. We dug ourselves into the snow below us to get out of the wind, and it was so much like last time that I couldn't help but start to hyperventilate.

Des licked the top of my head and I instinctively turned to him, breathing in the warm scent of his thick fur. I buried my fingers in the fur around his neck and tried to stop shaking. I knew it was not from the cold. We were literally digging ourselves into a hole again, and any moment, the Abomasnow would come roaring through the wall Nick was standing by and go on a rampage and probably kill us all.

"Dus," Konstantin soothed, floating through the wall nearest us.

"Cam," Des added.

I didn't get any sleep that night. Literally. I don't think you know the meaning of the word 'cranky' until you met me the morning after that. I usually didn't do well without sleep as it was, and that was without the cold weather and stress of Route 217 added in.

Fargo ended up carrying me, and at some point, I dozed off with my face in his mane. Just barely, but I still closed my eyes, and when I reopened them, we were walking into Snowpoint. We hadn't been attacked by the Abomasnow. We hadn't even seen it. I breathed a sigh of immense relief and slid off of Fargo, thanking him for the ride with a hug and scratch behind the ears. Arcanine were nice Pokemon, and he seemed pretty energetic and playful. He still acted like a puppy, though he was as tall as I was.

"Was that so bad?" Nick asked lightly. I didn't reply.

-.-.-

"I remember _you_," Candice said immediately, pointing at Nick. He looked away and tried to shield his face from her view, but it had been too late. She'd noticed, and she'd pounced. Literally. I hadn't known Candice was so young, honestly, especially as I watched her flounce over and throw her arms around Nick. "Look at how much you've grown! And you're not crying this time!"

I snorted into my hand. "He was _crying_?"

"You did _not_ have to bring that up," Nick groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Now I'm never going to be a good role model ever again. Why did you have to bring that up?"

Candice just grinned, and with her arm still around his shoulders, turned to me. "Aw, is Nicky being a good older trainer to all of the itty bitty trainers? That's so cute."

"Cut it out, Candice," he muttered, trying to get out from her grasp.

Grin sharpening slightly, she kept hold and turned her attention back to him. "Hey, you're not allowed to talk to me that way until you're either a Gym leader yourself or have beaten the Champion. And you've done _neither_, so it's leader Candice to you."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Sure, fine. Listen, we just need a quick battle for this one, not me."

"You're not here for a rematch? Aw, and I was kind of excited, too." I was unused to a Gym leader acting so familiar, so young, so… normal. True, the leaders were getting more and more casual with me, but I think a large part of that was the fact that I had Nick with me. And he _was_ pretty famous, having challenged the Elite Four a couple times now. Candice seemed a bit like Hanna, though. She was friendly, pretty, and not afraid to speak her mind. "Are you at least going to watch?"

"I don't know, I still don't like it in here--"

"Perfect! In that case, see you two on the other side of the Gym!" she chirped, letting go of him while simultaneously sliding backwards. I noticed then that most of floor of the Gym was ice, save small patches of rough snow and large snowballs.

"Waaaaaiiiiit, you're really going to make us get all the way over there? I already did that once--!" Nick exclaimed as she skated away from us. She laughed and ignored him.

I looked around the Gym curiously. This didn't seem too bad. And Des had gotten a real workout on Route 217, so maybe this wouldn't be too hard of a battle after all. Not to mention the fact that Carlita had an advantage, too, and I could always technically ask Konstantin for help.

First, of course, I had to get to the other side of the Gym.

It took about an hour of skating, slipping, sliding, falling, cursing, pain, and battling Gym trainers before we made it up to Candice. She was laughing at us when we did. "You left a smear! A _smear_! That's a new one!" On one of the slopes, we had tried to push a snowball down. Instead, I went down, hit my nose, and left a bloody trail down two flights of ice.

"I could sue you."

"Gym leaders are not responsible for any injuries sustained in their Gym," she recited immediately, calming down to a wide smile. "Do you want to battle now, or wait until we clean that up a bit?"

"Now," I spat, fed up with waiting for another badge. I was on a roll--no pun intended--and wanted to get out of this Gym. It was worse than the moving platforms. In fact, it was possible it was my least favorite Gym ever.

"Testy," she giggled.

The Gym battle with Candice was much like the one with Byron. Des and Carlita were an unstoppable force and decimated her ice Pokemon. The one who _really_ stole the show, though, was Ike. I had allowed him out for a bit of the battle with her Snover, since he was faster than it and had learned an electric move after Byron's fight. He often zapped me, Nick, Carlita, Konstantin, or even Fargo on occasion (Des and Chase were both immune, and Vasudeva Teleported away). I figured he'd enjoy zapping an opponent for once.

Well, he hadn't taken down the Snover, but he had managed to tick it off. Des took it out with an Ember (Flamethrower would've been overkill). And, immediately after, Ike had evolved.

I hadn't been expecting it. I really should have, since he was due one at any time. Then again, I hadn't seen any of my team's evolutions coming (even with Nick not-so-subtly hinting at Des'). Maybe I was a bad trainer… But I was also excited. Ike was finally catching up, and now he was bigger to boot! He had an electric attack, he had some weight to throw around, he had bigger teeth and claws, and he was just overall stronger. Only one evolution left, and while that one would still be far away, at least he could hold his own in a fight now.

It didn't even occur to me that I now had a bigger monster to deal with.

"Good job!" Candice had cheered, breaking me out of my joy. She was honestly cheering, though, pumping her fists in the air and jumping around excitedly. "Oh, it's been so long since I've seen an evolution in a battle! Good job, little Shinx-Luxio!"

I really, truly understood what Nick had said then. Gym leaders really did take it as a personal victory to see new, younger trainers succeed. She really _was_ proud of both me and Ike.

I knew I shouldn't have, but at that moment, I wondered what she had thought of the Abomasnow attack.

Candice handed over her badge and TM with a hug. I was a bit surprised by this. Parental figure to trainers or not, it wasn't like I'd ever been hugged by a Gym leader before. I only had two left. Crasher Wake was technically in the lower Gyms, so maybe he wouldn't act so… weird. Volkner, though… Well, we'd have to cross that bridge when we came to it.

"Victory dinner now!" Candice exclaimed, grabbing Nick and sliding down to the bottom of the Gym, taking us with her. We ended up more or less in a heap at the bottom, but she was still as cheery as ever. I found it slightly ironic that the ice Gym leader was so warm, but more weird that she was apparently going to dinner with us.

"Um…"

"Candice…"

"Come on, I know a great little place!"

Okay, getting hugged was not _nearly_ as weird as getting food from a Gym leader. It was a little less weird, however, when it turned out that she wasn't focusing her attention solely on me. She mostly chatted with Nick. "So, how have you been doing? I heard you challenged the Champion awhile ago… But then you dropped off of the radar. What happened?"

"I got fed up. Higher-ups are so… I don't know. I don't know how you do it, though," he replied casually, gesturing with his fork.

"You're already doing it. We do it for the newbies." She chuckled and nodded towards me. I averted my eyes and continued eating, perfectly content to let them talk and not drag me into the conversation. My face was still sore from the ice slip and slide, and I was still trying to digest the fact that I had six badges. Six. Seventy-five percent of badges. Only two more to go. _Two_. Crasher Wake and Volkner… I wasn't sure which was a scarier prospect, though.

"I guess I can see that--oh! My brother started training a couple of months ago, so if he ever comes up here, don't you _dare_ go easy on him, okay?" Nick brightened and leaned forward. Candice and I noticed the change immediately.

"You have a brother?" we chorused.

"Yeah, a little brother. He turned ten, and I sent my parents a male Nidoran to give him as a starter. I'm trying to sneak him a Spearow, too, but my parents aren't too keen on that idea. I hope he catches a second Pokemon early on…" He sighed, setting his chin in his hand and looking out the frost-covered window.

I was unused to seeing Nick so… brotherly. Or even protective, in a half-joking sort of way. Hadn't he once said I remind him of his brother? Maybe that's why he decided to put up with me for so long…

"Anyway, he'll be an awesome trainer here in a year or two. Watch out for him. I can't wait until he gets that thing to a Nidoking and starts stomping opponents right and left!" Okay, now he was just gushing.

"What about you and that Garchomp of yours? The only thing that can stand up properly to that anymore is Cynthia's," Candice pointed out wryly.

"I've also been at this for a couple more years than most," he replied in an even tone. He seemed to regain his composure, at any rate. "Anyway, until my brother catches up, I'm training this one up. A pet project of mine until I either run into my brother or finally beat Cynthia."

Candice paid for our meal and hugged us both again goodbye. She wanted us to stay longer, but as a pretty nasty-looking snowstorm was moving in in a couple days, we wanted to get out. I didn't want to get snowed in again. She gave Nick her number and got his in exchange, which amazed me a bit (he was cool enough to get a Gym leader's number, seriously) and told him she'd keep an eye out for his brother, though she doubted that he'd be up in Snowpoint anytime soon.

Much to my dismay, we had to walk back to civilization. I wasn't looking forward to the trip, but at least, if we avoided the Abomasnow this time, I would _never ever_ have to come back and potentially face it. Due to a lack of sleep, I did manage to fall asleep when we were far enough from the forest to camp.

I wound up in the white world. The Froslass hovered in front of me, looking serious and as cold as ever. I grimaced. "…What did I do now?"

You're not helping, she replied in a monotone.

Since I was just stalling, waiting for Konstantin to check in and find us here, I sat down in front of her and crossed my legs in front of me. "How am I supposed to? I've asked everyone I come across if they're your trainer. Well, not directly, but still. I'm getting answers and those answers are no. …You're going to have to give me something more to go on if you want to speed up the process of finding him."

Froslass sighed and sat down gingerly. She didn't say anything, though.

I waited for her to speak, but after a very long, very awkward silence, it was obvious that she wasn't going to.

Humans are stupid, she said just as I opened my mouth to break the silence.

I exhaled the breath. "Only sometimes."

Most of the time you are.

"What do you propose I do, then? I don't see _you_ doing much," I muttered.

I--

Cue Konstantin and his watchdog intrusion into my dream. This had happened every single time the Froslass had tried to get to me, and I was starting to get used to it. They usually would argue now for awhile, and then one of them would do something to jolt me out of my dream--and sleep. I leaned back and waited for the inevitable.

Instead, Konstantin asked in a very calm voice, "Where are you?"

I don't see why I have to tell you.

"Comrade, tell me where you are. I saw something outside and I am wondering if it's you or not," he repeated firmly.

I felt cold, and for once, it wasn't the Froslass' doing. I sat bolt upright and looked at the Duskull.

The Froslass cut me off. I'm not close enough for you to have noticed me. If it's the Abomasnow, I will take care of it.

She vanished. Konstantin turned back to me, placed a hand on either of my shoulders, and said, "…Remember the warning, comrade."

Then I woke up.


	54. An Improbable Fiction

We made it back to the southern half of the continent in one piece. I didn't see the Abomasnow ever again. The Froslass didn't speak of it again, either. Things calmed down between her and Konstantin, though, mostly because they realized that they could get more things done when working together.

Ike had been rewarded for his evolution with the TM for Shock Wave, which Nick explained would never, ever miss. Ike could literally have his eyes closed and it would still hit its target--which he demonstrated at once with Konstantin. The ghost hadn't taken kindly to that, of course. But I was sort of excited to have a full-fledged electric Pokemon on the team that I took Ike's side and broke up the fight before it could start.

And, for awhile there, I was happy.

Since I had gotten two badges in such a short time, Nick let me go on a training spree without having to worry about either Crasher Wake or Volkner. I still didn't know which I wanted to challenge, but with Ike's boost in strength and training regimen, I was feeling a little more confident on the water Pokemon front. Not enough to challenge Wake, oh no, but enough to make me feel like I wouldn't die if I challenged him at some point in the far future. _Far_ future.

I got to see another training team of Nick's, and a couple Pokemon in particular he was thinking about challenging the Elite Four with. One of them was a skittish Smeargle named Harlan, and another was an Aerodactyl, Patru. Kamala also returned to the team, which didn't make me or my team very happy. We did our best to be nice to her, though--or at least, we all did save Carlita and Konstantin. They remained openly defiant or even hostile towards her. It made for some awkward meal times.

Nick apologized for Kamala several times, but it didn't make things any better. If anything, they made them worse. Kamala seemed to resent his apologies in her stead, and even I had to admit that after awhile, it started to get annoying. "She's one of the strongest ones I have. I have to get her stronger to take on Cynthia." That seemed to be the staple of his rationale.

Even with that slight problem, things progressed. My team all learned new moves. Des learned Rock Slide and Earth Power, which were both really awesome and devastating moves. I now considered him the tank of my team. Very rarely could a wild Pokemon last more than a move against him anymore. I was insanely proud of him.

Carlita had learned more new fighting moves than I could keep up with. I seriously tried to count them, but it seemed like she got a new one every time I thought I had caught up. I did know that she learned Mind Reader--which, in her claws, was _terrifying_--and Seed Bomb, though, which was happily another grass move. I'd been almost worried that she had run out of those. Still, she was shaping up to be quite the fighter, and was now could even hold her own against Kamala when they were having a strictly fighting spar.

Ike, too, had made leaps and bounds of progress. He learned Bite and Roar, which he was all too keen on showing off to any wild Pokemon we came across. He still only had two electric moves, Spark and Shock Wave, but he also had Charge, which seemed to power them up, so I wasn't complaining. He could handle himself in a fair amount of the country, too, without needing Des or Carlita to back him up. He was proud of himself, I could tell, but I was also proud of him for the fact that he was fighting with the team less. And he didn't attack any of us all that much anymore.

As for Konstantin--well, he wasn't technically mine. I knew he and the Froslass had taken to talking to each other and sharing ghost-y secrets with each other, so I assumed he was making progress, too. I occasionally saw him cart off a smaller wild Pokemon to eat (and caught Ike staring wistfully after him) and wondered vaguely if he was getting any experience from that.

Our team was evolving as a whole. Des as a Camerupt and Ike as a Luxio were some pretty big changes, especially in Des' case, but we got used to it. Carlita didn't pick on Ike so much anymore now that he was shoulder-height to her. Des seemed to fully accept him and even licked him on top of the head occasionally. Carlita had taken to riding on Des' back, squealing with joy as he sort of sauntered awkwardly down the path. Once, even, Ike had joined her and it had been the first real team thing they'd ever done together without me making them.

I was still light years from catching up with Nick and his team, however. We all knew that, too. We watched him practice with his team every day, after all, and saw what they were capable of. Chase was an absolute _fiend_ in battle and had an array of moves that I actually had a nightmare about once. Kamala was just as bad, with both hard-hitting fighting moves and powerful psychic moves to draw from. Patru, while not as strong or fast as Chase, mastered the skies like no one's business and often smacked birds out of the air with his tail in mid-flight. For a living fossil, he was fast. I very rarely got to see Harlan do much, but she had a sort of quiet, scary air to her, so I wasn't sure I wanted to. She seemed shifty, or like she was hiding something--or like she had seen something that had terrified her and kept her terrified to that day.

"Hey, my brother got his second badge! He's making much better time than you did," Nick said cheerfully.

"Don't rub it in."

"If he beats Crasher Wake before you do…"

"So what if he does?" I asked evasively. "I don't care." Actually, I sort of did that a ten-year-old was already a third to where I was.

"If he passes you, I'm disowning you."

"You don't own me."

"Considering how much force I had to invest to get those badges for you? I think I do."

"…Not-uh."

"Yeah-huh. Or do you think you could get one on your own--?"

"Don't start that." He'd roped me into too many challenges with that approach and I would not fall for it any longer. I turned back to where I was trying to learn how to kick from Carlita. She thought it absolutely hilarious to try to teach her trainer how to fight, and for some reason I had just gone along with her.

And aside from random comments like that and updates on his brother's status, Nick and I lived companionably on our training journey. Like I said--for awhile, I was happy.

-.-.-

We had circled back around to Pastoria because Nick claimed he wanted to catch something from the Great Marsh. I knew why we were there, though, and I stubbornly refused to leave the Pokemon Center. That night, however, changed my mind about it.

I blinked blearily as I awoke to an empty Center. I looked around for Nick, but the lobby was empty. Wait--hadn't I fallen asleep in my room? Where was Nick? Where were my Pokemon? Now considerably more awake, I stood up and looked around frantically for anyone. "Hello? Anyone here?"

"I'm here." I whirled around and saw a girl with tan skin and pink hair reclining languidly on the couch. She had her bare feet propped up on the table and her hair fell low over her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"You don't remember me?" she asked, tilting her head back and staring at me with unnaturally wide eyes. "That's sad. I'm hurt. I'm the goddess of love, remember?"

Dim pictures of the girl laughing hysterically, saying something about Froslass, saying something about Froslass' trainer… They came back, barely. I squinted at her. "But who _are_ you?"

"Maybe one day you'll really find out." She stood up lightly on her toes in one, fluid motion. The pink cloak around her shoulders rustled slightly as she pulled her arms free of the fabric. She clapped her hands together and chuckled, looking me up and down. "So then. Have you seen that Froslass lately?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. It does. _Very much._" She smiled, forced and sharp. I backed up reflexively. "Have you?"

"No."

"You're lying."

"If you already knew the answer, why did you bother asking me?" I snapped, backing up another step.

The girl with the big eyes took a step towards me, still smiling. I was beginning to think this would turn into a nightmare--when it got worse.

A boy in a dark grey version of the girl's cloak suddenly appeared from nowhere, literally tumbling onto the scene. He got back to his feet unsteadily, unsure of how to keep his balance. The girl screeched and before I could get a good look at his face, or listen to what he was muttering about, I woke up. I was back in my room, safe on my top bunk, though a little shaken.

Then I realized that I really didn't want to _know_ what the dream had meant. I wish all of the intruders in my dreamscape would go away and let me have normal dreams again. I gave up trying to get any more sleep that night and carefully slid down from the top bunk, hoping I didn't wake Nick. He snored loudly and rolled over, so I figured I was safe. I took my phone and scribbled out a note by its light for him if he woke up before I got back.

I didn't take my team with me and let them sleep in their balls instead.

Just as I was closing the door, I heard a, "Dus?" I nearly jumped out of my skin, though I managed not to make a sound. Taking a deep breath to try to regulate my heartbeat again, I turned around to face him.

"_What_, Kostya?"

"Dus?" he repeated. I rolled my eyes and walked around him. The lobby was eerily empty, just like my dream. I ignored that, though, and instead went outside. It was cool, and I almost wished I'd brought a jacket with me. The eastern sky was just _barely_ starting to get light. I checked my phone. Four thirty-nine in the morning.

Konstantin appeared once more by my side, holding up the jacket I'd neglected to take with me. I nodded in thanks and put it on, immediately grateful. "…It's quiet out here," I said softly, relishing the silence of the pre-dawn.

"COME ON! You call that a run! I can run twice as fast as that blindfolded with my arms tied behind my back and hopping on one leg!"

Konstantin and I both winced from the loud shout and the yelling. We peeked out from the doorway at who was yelling. We barely reeled back in time as Crasher Wake and a large, orange weasel sprinted past. I paled at the sight of the Gym leader. I had never expected to see him outside of the Gym…

Unfortunately, it seemed as if they had noticed us, for they doubled back. I shrunk back and tried to hide behind Konstantin. Crasher Wake ran up to us, and, still jogging in place with his orange Pokemon behind him, exclaimed, "Hey! Are you another early riser out here for a workout?"

"Um--no--"

"WAIT A SECOND--I know you!" The man stopped his jog and, panting slightly, leaned in with his hands on his hips. His Pokemon mimicked him. "You challenged me before, didn't you?" He sounded a bit more normal when he wasn't raising his voice so much.

"Uh, yeah, I did…" I admitted, still trying to hide behind Konstantin. It didn't work very well, though, especially after he disappeared and reappeared beside me. I glared at him for the betrayal. "A-Awhile ago…"

"Ahaha, I knew it! I never forget a challenger, especially not one as fun as yours! You were tied up last time, weren't you? Are you here to challenge me again? Are we going to battle without arms again? That sounds like a _real_ challenge!"

"Actually, I'm not--"

"Why not? Given up on training, have you?!" He leaned in again suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at me. I shook my head fervently.

"No! I have--I mean, I'm still training!" After managing to get six, I was proud of them. And I totally meant to get all eight. I had _not_ given up on training, and found it a little insulting to be asked that. As a team, we had been making so much progress, too! "I have six badges!"

Crasher Wake leaned back. He looked completely, utterly nonplussed. The orange Pokemon behind him once again mirrored his expression. "…Six? But… I'm the _fourth_ Gym leader."

"…Yeah…" I suddenly wanted dearly to go back inside.

"Why have you skipped my Gym?! Are you _that_ intimidated by my fearsome team?!" Just like that, abrasive Wake was back. He laughed and placed his fists on his hips. He didn't bother waiting for an answer. "I will not allow this to go on! It has been such a long time--_No_! This must be the first time ever that I, Crasher Wake, will have challenged a trainer with _six_ badges! This will be an epic challenge! You, be at my Gym at noon today! I will accept nothing less!"

With that, I was left cowering in the doorway of the Center with an appointment to challenge Crasher Wake at noon. Yeah, the happy time didn't last very long.


	55. Snapping Power Lines

"Niiiiiiiiiiiick you have to help me!" I didn't care if it was five in the morning. I ran into the Center and jumped on his bed and tried not to continue screaming. Crasher Wake had just challenged me. Crasher Wake had just _challenged_ me. Was that even allowed?! I had thought that only trainers could challenge Gym leaders, not vice versa. Could I say no? What if I just didn't show up?

"Nngh, wha…?" Nick groaned and sat up, hitting his head on the top bunk (which is why I didn't sleep on the bottom anymore). He swore and laid back down, flailing randomly until he managed to grab onto my shoulder. He pulled me down onto the bed beside him, as opposed to where I was sitting on top of him. "What's going on…?"

"You have to help me!" I wailed. It was a nightmare come true. I had to battle Crasher Wake. Sure, we had made progress, but not enough! Carlita still only had two real grass moves she could use reliably, and Ike was still weaker than her and only had two electric moves, and there was _no way_ I could ever use Des, and I wasn't even sure Konstantin could help me this time. I was toast. I needed help, _bad_.

"What's going on?" he repeated, sounding vaguely annoyed.

"Crasher Wake ch-challenged me." It came out as not much more than a whimper. The next part came out even more pathetically. "I don't _want_ to battle him."

"…Okay, what? What are you talking about?" Nick propped himself up on his elbow, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his free hand. He fixed me with a sleepy glare, though I could tell he was still trying to figure out whether or not this was a real emergency. Which it _was_. At least the Center wasn't on fire (again).

"I just went outside for--for some fresh air--" Suddenly, that nightmare didn't seem so bad. After all, at least I had been asleep for it and could wake up from it. "--and Crasher Wake--the Gym leader--the _water_ Gym Leader--challenged me!"

"…I'm going back to sleep now."

With a sleepy sigh, he flopped back down and turned his back to me. Since he had pulled me down between him and the wall, it meant that I couldn't really get out of bed without literally crawling over him. And since he growled angrily whenever I moved or made a sound after that, I just decided to wait until a slightly saner time to pelt him with my worries.

At some point, I fell asleep. After all, I could only stare at a blank wall and angst for so long. I had been tired, too, since my sleep had been so rudely interrupted before.

-.-.-

"Okay, your best bet is to use Ike against his Gyarados. He doesn't even have to do much--just have him dodge attacks and use Shock Wave, since it doesn't miss. If he can stay away from the Gyarados' attacks long enough, he'll win. Probably in three or four moves, since he's an electric…"

"Right."

"He has a Pokemon that is part ground type, too, so you'll want to use Carlita on that one. A couple grass moves will put that one out of business."

"Right."

"As for his third Pokemon, well… Use Carlita, probably, just because she's stronger and can take a hit better. Use Ike though, if she's tired out for whatever reason. If that's the case, have him try his hardest to keep zapping away."

"Right."

And that was the end of Nick's advice for me. He told me he felt guilty for giving me that much, and that it felt sort of like cheating, since he knew what I would be going up against and was helping me past it. So, instead of pestering him about it, I went outside to try to create some sort of solid strategy for us (following that advice, of course).

"Des, you'll be sitting this one out." He had no problem with that and obediently sat down, munching on the grass in front of him as he watched us. "Ike, you'll be running around like crazy. Seriously. Don't let that Gyarados catch up to you. Just keep zapping it with Shock Wave and running circles around it. Carlita, you'll go out against a different opponent and probably the third one, too. Just… Well, dance circles around them and use that Seed Bomb attack."

"Bre!" she cried excitedly, twirling on the spot. Ike edged away from her, looking embarrassed at her dancing.

"D-Did you say Carlita?"

We had been outside, and it was the middle of the day, so I wasn't surprised when a couple people stopped to watch the dancing Breloom or marvel at the Camerupt stretched out beside me. When one of them shyly approached us, however, I was a bit surprised. Maybe I was just used to my team, but they didn't astound me anymore; apparently it wasn't that way for everyone.

"Yeah." If I had noticed the way Carlita stopped dancing and stared at the stranger with something akin to astonishment, I might have handled the situation differently. As it was, however, I only had the upcoming battle with Crasher Wake on my mind.

The girl in front of me craned her neck to look over my shoulder at Carlita. I mimicked the move and looked back at the Breloom as well. I only then noticed her expression. The girl whimpered, "Ca-Carlita?"

"…Bre!" I ducked just in time as Carlita launched herself at the girl. They both went down into the grass.

It hit me like a slap to the face. I hadn't thought about it in so long, and we'd been together for so long, I had forgotten all about where and how I had received Carlita. I had never caught her. I had gotten her from a thief who had _stolen her from another trainer_.

And that trainer was rolling around on the ground with her right then, laughing.

"Wha-What…" Shell-shocked, I could only stare down at them both. I couldn't comprehend what was going on. This girl, out of nowhere, appeared and now was playing with Carlita. Carlita had _recognized her_. Carlita had had another trainer before me.

"I-I'm so sorry!" the girl clambered to her feet and straightened her shirt, still smiling as Carlita head butted her hand. "Let me introduce myself. I-I'm Celia. And… About a-a year and a half ago, I had a Shroomish named Carlita who loved to dance stolen from me."

I grinned, unable to do anything else. "I… I'm Carlita's trainer. I've had her for most of that time. I--_I_ rescued her from that thief." Oh no. I blinked suddenly, trying to keep away the tears that had come from nowhere. Carlita was going to be taken away from me. And, just because karma _loathed_ me, she was being taken from me right before my battle with Crasher Wake. I was losing a third of my team, my second Pokemon, my little dancer, the one who had saved me from the Abomasnow, the one I'd trained and learned kicks from, the one who had nearly killed us all with SolarBeam, the one who always had a smile and a twirl for anyone who was feeling down.

Celia looked as though she might cry, too. Carlita looked back and forth between us in alarm. "I… I mean, I understand, b-but--I caught her when she was a little Sh-Shroomish… I didn't mean to l-lose her. It just happened. I-I hadn't wanted to give her up…"

"I don't want to give her up, either," I said pathetically, still blinking. I kept grinning, not knowing what else to do. Now Celia started blinking as well, and Carlita was getting more and more distressed because of it. Carlita was part of _my_ team. She had been for so long. I wasn't going to give up another Pokemon. Not my Carlita.

Celia gave a great sniffle and wiped her wrist across her eyes. "I… I understand b-but… Carlita had been m-my only Pokemon when she was t-taken from me."

Carlita made a sad sound and wrapped her arms around Celia's waist, nuzzling into her leg. I looked down at the hug. My grin finally broke.

Nick found me too late. I had stopped crying, at least--I hadn't wanted to cry in front of anyone, especially not him. I think Konstantin might have fetched him, but I wasn't sure. I just knew that soon enough, I was being lifted from where I was curled into Des and I latched onto Nick instead. "Carlita's gone," I told him.

"…It's okay. Come on. Let's get back inside," he murmured, smoothing back my hair.

"I-I have to fight Crasher Wake in ten minutes. I have to battle him. With only Ike." My Luxio didn't seem too put off by this, however. In fact, he seemed excited that he didn't have to share. "I have to battle him."

"No, you don't, not in this state."

"I have to. I have to battle without Carlita now."

I couldn't believe that I was arguing about battling Crasher Wake, and _wanting_ to, but I was. I had to try it without Carlita. It would only get tougher from here on out, when I really started to miss her and notice her absence, and I knew I would never be able to face Crasher Wake without her. I had to do it now while I could still function somewhat properly and didn't talk myself into what an impossible task it would be without her. I had to prove to myself that life went on while missing a piece of my team. Pokeballs are like heartstrings, huh; I had to prove that I could function without a piece of my heart.

That may sound melodramatic, but it was really how I felt. I wish I could have turned back time and not given her back to Celia, or battled Celia for ownership, or flat-out _fought_ Celia herself for her. I would've. I would've in a heartbeat. Less than a heartbeat. I would have even now, if she would have appeared in front of me.

"Let me battle him. I have to try. _Nick let me try._"

I don't know why he did. Maybe he had hoped to teach me some sort of lesson, or maybe he just thought he really couldn't stop me. (After all, I fought Maylene last time we argued about this subject.) Or maybe he just realized this was something I needed to do. For all I knew, he'd gone through this same exact thing before. What were those three greater tragedies again?

Crasher Wake gave us both a curious look when we first came into the Gym. I managed to get through the puzzles on my own, though for some reason, about halfway through, the trainers stopped challenging me. That was good, since Ike was starting to get a little tired and sick of the constant water attacks. In other circumstances, I probably would have had more fun--or a harder time--trying to cross from floor to floor on the rafts, but as it was, I was hardly more than a zombie.

Nick left me after I made it to Crasher Wake. He murmured something to the Gym leader before his departure, but I didn't bother trying to eavesdrop. Probably something about going easy on me, or an explanation of why I'd only use one Pokemon since Konstantin had vanished as well. It was really just Ike and me. I had a couple of Revives, but that would entail that I call Des out for a turn while I used it, and that would turn him into little more than a sacrifice. I wouldn't do that to my starter, to anyone on my dwindling team. So it was just Ike and me.

"Aha…" Crasher Wake laughed uncertainly. No doubt he was unused to seeing such a listless challenger. Especially when I had given him such a reaction just that morning. It seemed like so long ago… "…Well then! Let's get this show on the road!" I could only nod.


	56. A Final Salvation

The last time I had been staring down Crasher Wake's Gyarados, it had been with Carlita. I had also been tied up, but that seemed very much beside the point. Now I had a static-y Luxio next to me, trading growls and hisses with the massive water Pokemon.

The Gyarados went down with three Shock Waves. Ike hadn't taken a single hit, though he'd nearly fallen into the water. Crasher Wake nodded in appreciation, and took a moment before he called out his second Pokemon. He ended up calling out the orange Pokemon he'd been jogging with that morning, a Floatzel. It flexed and grinned at us both. Ike grinned back at it. His teeth were considerably sharper.

I had a strange feeling in my heart right about then. Carlita hadn't lasted this far. Ike had. Did that mean something?

"Ike… Shock Wave."

"Aqua Jet!" Wake called. His Floatzel barked an affirmative and dove into the water. It splashed into Ike's side before he could even begin to dodge. The tradeoff was that the Floatzel couldn't get away from the Shock Wave, especially not at that range, and having contact with a soaked Luxio only increased the power.

"Shock Wave!"

"Aqua Jet again!"

It continued like that. Both Pokemon took damage with each move and showed signs of wear. Ike was panting now, and had to keep up a constant electric charge in his fur because the Floatzel attacked so frequently and quickly.

The match ended when the Floatzel went in for one last Aqua Jet and Ike decided to take some initiative. He released a Shock Wave just as the orange weasel hit him, and while it was stunned and trying to get away from him again, he pursued it and used a Bite on the back of its neck. The Floatzel finally fainted. Ike was declared the winner again, though he was barely standing and was clearly very tired.

"Good show! But now it's up to you, Quagsire!"

My heart sank. I knew Quagsire had to be the part ground type that Nick had mentioned. Ike couldn't use his advantage then. And even if he could Bite and Tackle it into submission, he was barely conscious as it was. He wouldn't last more than a move or two, especially if the Quagsire decided to use a ground move. Ike glanced back at me once, eyes narrowed.

I sighed. I would not sacrifice Ike in the name of putting a dent in the last Gym Pokemon. I wouldn't do it to Des, I wouldn't do it to Ike. I'd have to give up. "Ike--"

"Bre!"

My heart must have stopped. I slowly turned to look, but instead, the Breloom hopped onto the scene, tail waving behind her as she tried to keep her balance on the inflatable raft. She trotted nonchalantly into the center of the stage and dismissed Ike with a wave of her clawed paw.

I whirled around to see Nick helping Celia across the rafts. They were being escorted by Konstantin.

"Well, well, what's this?" Crasher Wake asked in evident amusement. "Are you going to substitute your Luxio for your Breloom?"

My Breloom. Carlita, _my_ Breloom. "Yes." My voice shook, but I wasn't about to cry. Really. I was just happy, that was all. I had no idea what was going on, but as long as I could have Carlita again and we could make an awesome comeback and finally _beat_ Crasher Wake and have a happily ever after, I'd be fine.

"Mud Shot!"

"Seed Bomb!"

The Quagsire went down.

I gaped at the fallen blue lump. Was it really not moving? It hadn't even gotten the chance to fire off its own attack before Carlita had lobbed the Seed Bomb at its face. Carlita stood on the tips of her toes to look down at the Quagsire. Nick, Celia and Konstantin arrived on Wake's platform about then, a little surprised to see that the final battle was already over.

"…Well aren't you a talented young trainer! Ahaha! It's been awhile since I've seen that sort of talent! And here you were holding out on me, kid!" Crasher Wake exclaimed at last, laughing heartily as he recalled the Quagsire. Carlita turned and grinned at me, clapping.

"Now _that_ was a flawless victory," Nick remarked.

"Carlita… Wow," Celia breathed.

"Loom!" she exclaimed, leaping over. She danced from foot to foot excitedly, all smiles for her amazing, if unexpected, win. I knelt down beside her and threw my arms around her neck, holding her still enough to get in a hug. She whined and wiggled, but eventually gave up and wrapped her arms around me back. I definitely wasn't crying; I was just happy.

-.-.-

Nick steepled his fingers. He closed his eyes and exhaled out his nose. "…What are we going to do with you?"

I smiled sheepishly, arms still around Carlita. I had hardly let her go since her triumphant return to me. It seemed as if she was really back, too. Celia had been tracked down by either Konstantin or Nick (or both), and was somehow convinced that Carlita should come back to me.

I don't know _how_ they did it. All I got was the abbreviated explanation: Celia had a change of heart. She just smiled and hugged both Carlita and I, and then left after a murmured "I'm sorry". I saw that she had rather red eyes, but didn't say anything about it. Just moments before I got the okay, yeah, Carlita's mine again, I was about ready to fight for her. I knew what it was like to lose the Breloom, which was why I wasn't going to go through it again. I had only lost her for a brief period of time, but I knew that I wasn't going to forget it easily.

Nick and Konstantin didn't answer me when I asked about what they said or did. I wasn't completely sure I wanted to know, either. It seemed like something I was better off not knowing for some reason; I got the impression that it wasn't completely innocent. That was strange, too. Konstantin might've resorted to such things, but Nick never would, and he never would have condoned any action like that, either.

I just had that feeling.

"I… I got my seventh badge?" I tried hopefully. Crasher Wake hadn't been able to detach me from my Breloom long enough to hand over the Fen badge and accompanying TM, so Nick still had them.

He held it up against the light of the Center. "No, _I_ have your seventh badge. Which means I have nine."

"No--you have two of the same."

"You were going to completely break down, weren't you?" he asked shrewdly, palming the badge once more. I looked away and instead studied Carlita's hat-like protuberance. "What would you have _done_ if Carlita hadn't come back to you at that point?"

"I had been planning on giving up the battle. I… I wouldn't have let Ike faint, if that's what you're--"

"No, it's not." He was angry now. He was trying not to be, but he still was. I knew him too well. I just couldn't figure out why he was mad, though, and that sort of scared me. I had just won against Crasher Wake, my nemesis and nightmare. I had seven badges. I had my Carlita back. So what was wrong?

"Nick…" I mumbled uncertainly.

"Do you remember when I told you about those three greater tragedies of training?" He looked away, expression darkening. I still didn't understand where this was coming from. I could only nod. "You remember that first one?"

"I don't remember what order they were in."

"It is when a trainer… breaks."

Carlita and I stayed silent, still in each other's arms.

Nick kept his gaze fixed on the far wall. "It can be fixed. But only sometimes. Sometimes, something happens that just makes a trainer shut down. They stop training. Forever. The rest of their team is released or kept around as pets or given away to friends or family or even strangers. And it's such a sad thing. It always is. The causes vary, but… Oh _damn it_, you were so close to that. You were the most pitiful, sad thing I have ever seen. You would have lost Carlita, and then you would have lost against Crasher Wake, and you probably would have given up after that, wouldn't you have?" He turned back to me, eyes unreadable.

I swallowed. "I don't know." It was a lie as soon as the words left my mouth. As soon as he had spoken it, I knew that was what would have happened. The Electabuzz was the prepping move; Carlita would have been the coup de grâce.

"Oh jeez…" Nick tilted his head back and ran a hand through his black hair. He seemed so old. Not white hair, crotchety old man old, but more like he had been through too much. Like he had seen something he shouldn't have until he _was_ older. "You're impossible."

"Why?"

"What are you going to do when one of them dies?" he asked without sugarcoating it. I flinched and tightened my hold on Carlita. "It will happen. Hopefully not soon, hopefully many, many years from now. But not many Pokemon have a human's lifespan. Eventually… You'll lose one for good."

"Don't remind me of that."

"Will you quit after that?"

"…No."

"Really?"

"I don't know. Don't make me think about this yet."

"…Fine." Nick relented, pushed back his chair, and got to his feet. He extended a hand downward to Carlita and me. "Let's talk about better things, then. Since I am _not_ spoiling you with another dinner. You're winning too much lately and I'm running out of money."

"You don't have to buy--!"

"I know, I was kidding." He tried smiling, trying to erase the seriousness of minutes before. I gratefully latched onto the faux happiness. I didn't want to think about losing any of my team, especially not to death.

We ended up camping out in the Center lobby, since we let out our teams and they were getting rather large. Chase and Des alone took up a corner. Nurse Joy let us have popcorn, and we spent the evening throwing it at each other, trying to eat it, watching Carlita make it into necklaces with Kamala, and promising we'd clean up after ourselves. There was some movie on the TV, but we ignored it in favor of talking. Nice talking, too. Talking that I missed.

"So, seven badges now. Only one left, you realize that?"

"Oh yeah. You kidding me? I'm _awesome_ and I'm catching up to you. What if _I_ become the Champion before you do?"

"Oh no, _not_ happening. Not even in your dreams." Nick threw a handful of popcorn at me. I responded in kind. "Did you ever imagine yourself getting this far? Not many trainers make it, you know. Especially not your age."

"Well, I _am_ pretty much pro at speed training. It also helps that all of the wild Pokemon in the area swarm to attack me, too. Lots of training." I tossed pieces of popcorn to Carlita, who caught them in her mouth. She was pretty good at it, too. I couldn't imagine having this without her.

"Did you ever want to be anything but a trainer?" he asked curiously, trying the same trick with Chase. The dragon snorted at the move and ignored him, causing several of the Pokemon to laugh.

"I wanted to be a doctor once. But that was when I was, like, five or something. I've wanted to be a trainer for a long time now," I told him, craning my head back to try to catch the popcorn Carlita was throwing at me. I wasn't nearly as good at it as she was. I was further upstaged when Ike sat up and caught two pieces effortlessly.

"Oh, cool. I love that song." I rolled my eyes; I had heard the line before in school. "…Going to ask me?"

"Huh? Uh--what about you, Nick?" I asked with an exaggerated air of casualness.

"I wanted to work in a circus," he announced with a roguish grin. I blinked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm serious! My uncle and his Pokemon were performers, and I always wanted to be like him. When I was ten and got Chase the Gible, we just followed him around the circus instead of training."

"Really? Learn anything cool?"

"Oh yeah. You've seen the fire trick, right? My parents were _furious_ when they found out he taught an eleven-year-old that one. And, let's see… I can juggle, and do gymnastic things, and walk a tightrope pretty well, and he tried to teach me how to throw knives once. Chase can still walk a tightrope and balance on a ball, too." To demonstrate, Nick had us clear a path of Pokemon and popcorn. He bent forward and stood on his hands, walking easily across the space. We clapped in appreciation. I had actually never seen a circus or a circus performer, so it was sort of cool to see it firsthand now. Even if it was just Nick showing off. "It's pretty handy to know some of that stuff, too, let me tell you. When you don't have a bike and want to get across one of those little bike paths to the item on the other side, it's a lot easier to walk than try and take a half hour crawling. Or if you're low on money, you can always perform."

"Can you teach me something?" I asked eagerly. He looked at me, snapping back to reality. He seemed a little unsure about it. "_Please_? Anything?"

"…Well. Maybe sometime when Nurse Joy won't kill me for it, okay?" I couldn't hide my disappointment, even if I got a vague promise for a later date. Nick sat down beside me and clapped me on the back. "Cheer up. I'll teach you how to breathe fire to match Des."

I couldn't fight a grin. Des made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, though. "Okay, deal!"

And so the night wore on.

Soon, the popcorn was gone and the Pokemon started dropping off to sleep. Ike was the first one out, having been exhausted after the battle. Harlan the Smeargle had drifted off pretty early on, too, and Kamala was sprawled out on one of the couches, apparently dozing. I felt pretty tired, too. Nick was perfectly awake and was trying to coerce Chase into juggling three of the empty pokeballs to prove he could do it, however.

As my eyelids were finally drooping, I heard Nick say, "I'm proud of you."

He probably hadn't meant for me to hear it. I did, though. I smiled against Carlita's hat and nestled into Des' side. I had my team back. I had my best friend and his team. In my mind, we would never be broken up again.

It was my last happy sleep for a long, long time.


	57. Some Rise By Sin

"You're still trying, huh?" The pink-haired girl relaxed on the lobby couch again, feet propped up on the table. Unlike how it was in real life, the room was immaculate. She stared at me intently, as if trying to read my mind.

"Trying what?" I asked. I felt content, even in her presence. I wasn't sure why.

"…Nevermind. Humans are so stupid. Impossible."

I looked around the lobby, hardly hearing her. "Why do you keep appearing in my dreams? You never say anything worthwhile anymore. Will you ever make sense or answer any of my questions?"

"What questions do you want answered?" she asked simply.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the goddess of--"

"No, who _are_ you?" I interrupted, looking down at her. She struck a chord with me. Not to mention that she still seemed vaguely familiar. Like I had met her long ago, in a dream… Oh wait. Scratch that.

"…You know me," she said instead, looking down at her feet on the table. She wiggled her toes. "We've met several times when you're conscious. I actually really don't like you."

"Wait, why?" I asked in confusion. The pink-haired girl had never really been that mean to me, or even mentioned not liking me. And while I had suspected that I knew her, I still couldn't place her or recall where I had ever seen her before. Pink wasn't a common hair color, so surely I would have remembered her.

"You're too selfish. You're not thinking of anyone but yourself. Yourself and that team of yours. You don't stop to think how you're hurting others!" Her voice and body rose until she was standing, hands fisted at her sides. Then, she seemed to realize the movement. She reluctantly relaxed and sighed. "You're not helping."

"…Who am I supposed to be helping?"

"It's irrelevant at this point," she murmured, eyes downcast.

At that point, I got a dose of déjà vu when the grey-cloaked boy tumbled onto the dream once more. The tan girl was immediately tense again and went for me, but the boy tackled her with a snarl. My breath caught when I saw his face--or rather, when I _didn't_ see his face. His hood was up and over his face, and he was wearing a skull mask.

"K-K-Kostya--?!"

"What are you _doing_?!" he roared, hands scrabbling at the pink-haired girl's throat. She kicked him off and jumped onto the back of the couch, sinking into a fighting stance. It was definitely the Duskull, though--at least, the Duskull in human form.

Which meant-- "You're a _Pokemon_?!" I exclaimed in a voice much higher than what I would have liked in conscious circumstances.

I wasn't answered. At least, I wasn't until another Pokemon-human arrived on the scene. This one was wearing a white kimono with a red sash. I dove behind one of the couches and peeked over the edge as the Froslass screeched when she caught sight of herself. "What have you _done_?!"

"What is going on here?!" I shouted, trying to make myself heard over the brawl and Froslass. That must have done it, though, because all three of them turned and stared at me. I stood up behind the couch, biting my lip. Okay, so they were all Pokemon. I recognized two of them. The third one I didn't, though she claimed to know me. And they were all _in my dream_ for some reason I could not begin to fathom.

"I don't know about _those_ two, but I was merely keeping you company," the pink-haired girl replied snobbishly, gesturing to the two ghosts.

"You were trying to warp--"

"You were only instigating--"

"I was doing no such thing!"

"Yes you were!"

"You lying, terrible excuse for a Pokemon!" Konstantin and I both looked in surprise at the Froslass. Tears were running down her cheeks. She shook her head, white hair flying, and shrieked, "You have done _nothing_ for him! You aren't doing _anything_ to help!"

"Don't try to tell me what I have or have not done--!" the other girl screamed, lunging at her. The Froslass met her with a solid punch to the jaw. She stumbled back, astonished at the blow, holding her cheek. The Froslass, panting slightly, raised her fists again in a rudimentary fighting stance. The pink-haired girl snarled at her, "You are a _failure_, Lassie! You've only made it worse! You're the one who _started it_!"

"_Don't say that_! You know as well as I do that this was--we couldn't--_you are at fault here, too_!"

"Liar! You've only stalked him from afar all this time and you've made things worse! If you would have just followed orders to begin with--"

"That would have only sped up the process and made things worse and we were trying to _stop it from happening_, remember?! When did you stop trying to help?! Tell me that, Kamala!"

I didn't hear the rest of the argument. I didn't hear anything after 'Kamala'. I knew I had heard it correctly, though I wish I hadn't. Suddenly, the pink hair and tan skin fit. And the worst part was that I _remembered the name Lassie_. Nick had had a Snorunt named Lassie. It was the only reason I had recognized what a Froslass was when the whole thing started. I didn't know why I didn't make the connection sooner.

Which meant that Nick was Froslass' trainer.

Nick was the one who was turning into a monster.

"Comrade, don't! Don't become dark, don't think about this, _don't think about it_!" Konstantin was suddenly in my face, shaking me by the shoulders. I could dimly make out one red eye behind the mask. I didn't register what he said, though, only that he was speaking. Nick was Froslass' trainer. I had been trying to save him all this time. Did that mean that I… _failed_? How had that happened? Nick wasn't a monster, not any more than I was. He wouldn't have ordered a Froslass to kill another Pokemon.

He had said he had a Rhyhorn evolve into a Rhydon, though. Was he lying? Did he catch another? Why wouldn't he have _told_ me?! He had to have connected the dots when I asked about a Rhyhorn and a Froslass, so why didn't he speak up? Didn't he trust me?

"Don't become dark, don't think about it! This is not a problem!"

"You lying, filthy ghost! You've never helped anyone, you never followed orders, you caused all of this!"

"_You_ were the one who wanted to see the Future Sight! You would have done the exact same thing in my place!"

I stumbled away from Konstantin, staring at horror at them. This was all too surreal. It had to be a nightmare, a real nightmare. They were all just my imagination this time. It couldn't be real. Nick wasn't the dark-haired trainer. The pink-haired girl wasn't Kamala. Froslass wasn't Nick's. This was just a regular nightmare.

"Please, comrade, don't think about it! I can help you through it! Don't--Don't think about this!" Konstantin pleaded desperately, taking a step towards me. The Froslass and Kamala continued screaming and tearing at each other. I wasn't sure who was nearer tears. I pulled at my hair, trying to wake myself up from the nightmare. It couldn't be real.

"You have never tried to help him! You were close to him, and you did nothing about it! You could have at least tried to--" The Froslass was cut off as Kamala slapped her and shoved her to the ground. She grabbed hold of the temporary human's hair and started smashing her head against the floor. I took a step back, unable to tear my gaze away from them. The Froslass shrieked and thrashed, clawing at Kamala's shoulders and neck, unable to reach her face.

"Don't look at them, don't pay attention!" Konstantin begged, seizing me by the shoulders once more. "Please, please don't let this affect you!" He was practically sobbing.

I woke up. I looked around blearily, heart thundering in my ears. The lights were on, and I heard screaming. The Froslass was inside the Pokemon Center, apparently having found Kamala in the real world. They began fighting, albeit with more screaming and less hair-pulling. Nick, on the floor beside me, sat up and rubbed at his eyes. "What the heck…?"

"Nick--did you--did you have a Rhyhorn?" I asked frantically, nearly rolling off the couch in order to turn to him. He turned to me, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, voice barely heard over the screaming, fighting Pokemon.

"Did you ever have a Rhyhorn in some cave--in Victory Road--did it die?"

He looked very much awake at that. He could only stare at me. "…I'm sorry you had to find out about that. I really am," he said softly. I suddenly couldn't breathe. "He didn't die, but he nearly did, and--and I did something rash. Is that--Did Lassie tell you that? Is that what this is all about?"

"Oh no…" I moaned, clutching my head in my hands. I suddenly felt Konstantin's paws wrap around my head as well, gently covering my eyes. He murmured soothing nonsense into my ear. I heard Ike yowl and Chase finally get involved with a roar. Much of the screeching stopped, though I could still hear the Froslass crying and feel the cold from her. "Oh no, oh no, why did this have to happen…"

Suddenly, Nick's phone rang. I jerked my head out of Konstantin's grasp. Scowling, the older trainer flipped it open. "Yeah mom? I'm kind of busy right now--" He immediately and alarmingly stopped talking. I could dimly hear his mother talking on the other end, rather loudly.

The Froslass let out a keening wail and launched herself at Kamala again. The Medicham snarled and kicked and punched at her, but to no avail. She started freezing her to the floor of the center. Chase tried to intervene, but the Froslass shot an Ice Beam at him, and he had to back off after that. Carlita hopped up onto the couch, but I threw myself forward and wrapped my arms around her ankles, preventing her from getting involved. Ike growled to himself and grabbed her by the tail with his teeth, pulling her back down. Des only watched us, not the fight. Probably the smartest move of the night.

"…What." Nick's voice cut through the fighting as if it were silence. We all heard him clearly. There was something about his voice--it was hollow, empty--and yet, it was so much like the calm before the storm. It was one syllable, rather flat, rather innocuous by itself. But I knew it had to mean something bad. Something _really_ bad.

The Froslass wailed again, sobbing as she wrestled with Kamala. I had no idea what was even going on anymore, but I couldn't shake the terrible, terrible feeling of loss. It was as if I had just lost Carlita--no, everyone. I had just lost everyone though they were within arm's reach.

"_See?! This is why we didn't try to stop it, Lassie! It was going to happen anyway!_" Kamala shouted suddenly, her mental voice filling the lobby.

"Mom--calm down, t-tell me what happened," Nick said, voice trembling. "_What_ happened to him…?"

Konstantin tried to cover my eyes again, but I shook him off. He continued the low monotone of what he probably figured was calming things, though at this point, it only made things worse. It sounded more ominous.

"_You--can't--stop--the--future--_!" Each word was punctuated by a blow to the Froslass, who had somehow wound up in the same situation that had occurred in my dream. She was below the Medicham, though this time she was being attacked with what appeared to be a Fire Punch. The bursts of flames lit the lobby brightly. No one even tried to stop them anymore. Kamala now had tears, too, though, I couldn't fail to notice.

Nick hung up the phone with an overly loud click. Several of us turned to look at him. He was staring down at his lap with a completely blank expression. He didn't look angry, or sad, or even distressed. That was probably what scared me the most. I reached out and touched him lightly on the shoulder, and he jumped as if electrocuted. He suddenly took a deep breath and buried his face in his hands.

"Nick?! What happened?!" I asked in alarm, sliding off of the couch to kneel beside him.

He was already getting to his feet, completely ignoring me, and cast about for a pokeball. He was swearing all the time, most of it incomprehensible or merely cursing. What I did make out, though, was a single word: "Abomasnow".

"Lass, _lass_!" the Froslass sobbed, giving up on defending herself from Kamala, reaching out instead to Nick. He stormed past them both, not batting an eye. Chase followed him, growling a warning at any of us. The Froslass turned to me then, pointing at Nick, still crying. "Lass, lass, _lass_!!"

I jumped to my feet and vaulted over the couch. Nick was already outside, though. Kamala continued beating on the Froslass. "Nick--wait, Nick--!" I pushed open the doors just as the whistle was dying off and Serling appeared in flurry of feathers. Chase snarled at me, but I ignored him. It was probably because I didn't register him as a threat, or not as a threat to _me_. Oh how wrong I was. The dragon picked me up and threw me back against the Center wall. I remember hitting my head, and barely seeing Nick and Ser and Chase leaving. Then it all went black.

When I woke up again, Konstantin was sitting over me, smoothing back my hair. I was back in the Center. Nurse Joy was awake and hovering over both of us. Her eyes were puffy and red and her hair was a mess. She didn't look like she had gotten much sleep. "O-Oh thank god, you're awake," she breathed in relief, voice somewhat teary.

"What happened?" I sat up, immediately regretting it when my vision swam.

"I was going to ask you the s-same!" she replied with a great sniff.

"Dus," Konstantin said wearily. He didn't seem to want to let go of me, even if it was just patting my shoulder or hair.

"Where's Nick?"

-.-.-

I watched the news the next day and I found Nick. I found Nick and Chase and his brother and the Abomasnow and a tragedy.

Nick's younger brother had been attacked and killed by the Abomasnow earlier yesterday. Once they found the body and informed his parents, they called him. It was just after that that Nick left with Ser and Chase.

The news camera kept panning over the Abomasnow's body. It was unbelievably charred and mangled. The reporter kept saying how they didn't know who or what had done it. Which, somehow, made it worse. If they had just named Nick as the culprit, then I could have denied it.

The Froslass, Lassie, had died, too. That wasn't as publicized. Kamala had killed her, and at some point during the early hours of the morning, Vasudeva had taken the rest of Nick's team he left behind and Teleported away. I didn't know if they were reunited or not. I just know that they didn't kill me or my team, so we were left with a Froslass' body and a whole lot of regret.

Konstantin stuck by me the closest. Not to say that the other three didn't, because they wouldn't leave me alone, either, but Konstantin rarely let go of me. Literally. He was always wrapped around my neck, or patting my shoulder, or smoothing back my hair, or tugging at my shirt, or curled up on my chest when I slept. It was unnerving. I didn't know what to do about him, though, so I let him be and tried to continue on with my life.

I managed to get out of Pastoria and as far as Route 222 before it _really_ got bad.

It was hard enough thinking of my best friend as a Pokemon killer, and that was when he had taken completely understandable revenge on a rogue, already proven violent Pokemon that had killed before and attacked before as well. I had nearly been a victim, after all. Even if I couldn't fathom what it took to make the order to _kill_ a Pokemon, a small, dark, unfortunately loud part of me really understood.

But when I got a phone call from Hanna telling me to turn on the TV… Well, things got worse. A lot worse. Or, as a certain black-haired mercenary once said, "Things went south".

I'd had to get out of Pastoria, if only to leave the place. I couldn't stand it. Crasher Wake had tried to be sympathetic when Nurse Joy told him about it and what she had guessed, and even Celia reappeared to offer her condolences. I really couldn't stand it, so I left. I packed up what little I had, what Nick had left behind, and then headed out with my team and Konstantin attached to the back of my head. I was about a day away from Sunyshore when Hanna called.

"Turn on the TV! _Now_!" she yelled into the phone. I held it a foot away from my ear and explained that I was on a Route and didn't have a TV. "Then video-phone--now--put me on!" I only then heard the raw feeling in her voice.

I clicked the video conference button, and got a brief glimpse of her face before she aimed the camera towards the television. She looked positively stricken. The TV was on the news, and my heart sank when I saw Nick. Nick and Cynthia.

"…And this boy just arrived ten minutes ago. He has now been identified as Nicholas Sayre, one of the most promising candidates for the Championship. He Teleported in, and doesn't appear to be looking for a battle, though he has his team out with him. He's been yelling at the Champion for the better part of the time he's been here. As a recap, he stormed in and started ranting--"

"--and what have you done, Champion? _What have you done_?! This is not the first killing that monster has made, and it wouldn't have been the last! Two people! _Two human lives_ and we have no idea how many Pokemon lives! What were you going to do, Cynthia?! _Tell me_!" Nick shouted hoarsely, voice raw with pain. The camera switched to a closer view of his face. He wasn't in tears, far from it. There was an anger in his eyes that I was not used to seeing.

And, frankly, it terrified me.

I could hear Hanna sniff and the phone moved. Nick, on television, resumed his yelling. "You've done nothing, that's what! You're not fit to be the Champion if you can't even protect your trainers! You have done nothing for these trainers--for this country--even for the Pokemon you raise! When was the last time you had to fight with them against an enemy? When was the last time you fought for _anything_ except that damned title of yours?!

"I'll tell you--never! You haven't done anything but sit here in your cushy little palace and battled the rare challenger who thinks they can usurp you from your throne! You haven't done anything and you never have! You haven't had to fight tooth and nail and _fail_--oh, no, you always win, don't you, Cynthia?! You don't have to lose anything! Because you don't risk anything! You're not even a real trainer! You don't deserve the Pokemon that serve you! You don't deserve _anything_ since that's all you've ever given us trainers!"

Nick's voice suddenly got impossibly quiet. The microphones barely picked it up. He regained his composure in an instant, squared his shoulders, and said calmly, "That's why I'm going to take them away from you."

Almost immediately, Vasudeva turned around and breathed a jet of fire down the room, dividing it in half. There were shouts and cursing and the cameraman hastily backed away from the flames. The Magmar stalked up and down the line of fire, attacking anyone who came close.

On the other side of the flames, Chase dove at Cynthia. She released her team, and her Garchomp grappled with his. Kamala lifted up her Milotic with a Psychic and threw it against the far wall, bashing it against it repeatedly while it wailed in pain and shot water attacks at random in a vain attempt to get her to stop.

Hanna dropped the phone, and for a heart stopping moment, all I saw was carpet. She fumbled as she picked it back up and placed it in front of the television again. Her hands were shaking. Mine were, too.

The cameraman, reporter, and the boy who had just challenged Cynthia and lost, the only other three in the room, immediately let out their Pokemon to try to help. Vasudeva kept them at bay, at least until an Empoleon came out. It was looking rather tired, but it managed to douse a good portion of the flames in one water attack. Vasudeva called over Patru, and the Aerodactyl pushed the Empoleon back with a Hyper Beam. The two of them guarded the line of flames, attacking anyone who dared come close, effortlessly keeping all of the people trying to help Cynthia away.

"I--I cannot believe this! Sayre is fighting with the Champion's team--and somehow, he is _winning_ against her team of six with only four of his own! Someone, get Bertha in here! We need to get these flames out!" The reporter ran out of the room, leaving the challenger and cameraman alone as he tried to get help.

The cameraman took over narrating. "Oh my god. This is absolute carnage. Champion Cynthia's Garchomp just managed to throw off Sayre's--" The camera shook violently and was nearly dropped when the dragon landed on Kamala. She shrieked and tried to fight back, but it tore into her with a Crunch that she couldn't stand up against. "Oh my _god_. Th-The Medicham just went down, and I'm not sure if it will ever get back up. B-But--_Champion Cynthia's Milotic just was killed!_ Oh my god, oh my god, Cynthia's Milotic was just murdered--!!"

Hanna dropped the phone again. I didn't even notice, since I had done the same thing. I fell onto my hands and knees, trying not to throw up. I had just seen Kamala rip apart a Milotic and a Garchomp rip her apart. Though I couldn't see it, I could still hear the cameraman's panicked commentary.

"A-And now we see the Champion herself has just been--her Spiritomb has just--! My god, th-that's two of Cynthia's Pokemon down, and one of Sayre's. And--oh thank god, E-Elite Four member Bertha has just arrived with her team! Her Golem is now extinguishing the flames--oh god no, the Aerodactyl is attacking it now--"

There was a click and a long, drawn-out beep. I reached over and flipped over the phone. Hanna was still on the line, but the screen had gone to a test signal. I heard Hanna sob.


	58. And It Gets Worse

Nicholas Sayre was declared a terrorist, a murderer, a monster. He and his team killed three of Cynthia's Champion team--her Milotic, her Spiritomb, and her Garchomp. Kamala and Patru of his team both died as well.

Later on, it was discovered that he was behind the Abomasnow killing, and that he murdered Candice as well for not taking care of the problem before it had claimed his brother's life.

The world was in an uproar. There had never been a killer before of this strength or power. He had managed to get in and out of the _Champion's room_, after all, without getting caught. Not to mention the fact that he overpowered the Champion herself. Even though he had lost two Pokemon, he still had many more. His trainer accounts were all frozen, but not before most of his Pokemon and money had been withdrawn. Nick vanished from society after that.

I tried calling his phone every single day.

"Hey, this is Nick Sayre. I'm not at my phone right now, so it'd be awesome if you left a message. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"…Nick. Please, please pick up. Please answer me. Please call back."

I was beginning to hate his answering machine. I sat there on Route 222 for a full month, not moving an inch toward any city, and just called him. My team were left to their own devices. I called and called and hated that answering message more and more each time I heard it.

And then, one day, I didn't get that.

The phone rang and rang, and that was it. No more answering machine. I immediately missed it. At least I got to hear his voice that way, and at least I could pretend he listened to my messages. Now I didn't even get that satisfaction.

It was on the day that he took off his answering machine that I went to Sunyshore. I started ignoring calls, though Hanna and my parents called me almost every day. I even got a call from Robert Beaumanoir once, and Jude the breeder twice. I just walked into Sunyshore and ignored the paranoia that I thought everyone _knew_ I had known Nick Sayre, knew that I was with him on that night.

I beat Volkner.

Or, to be more precise, Des did. Being part ground and ridiculously over leveled, he completely blocked all of Volkner's electric Pokemon. I hadn't gotten out the first command before I broke down. Nick had forced me into almost every Gym battle, and now he wasn't here, because he had left me, because he had had to go off and become the monster that the Froslass had warned me about from the beginning. I was barely aware of Des stomping Volkner's team into the ground until the blond man was standing over me, hauling me to my feet by the upper arm.

"Don't lose that battling spirit. Things may look grim, but don't lose yourself to them. You are not him," Volkner said harshly, pressing the badge and TM into my hand. I could only blink Noctowlishly at him, hardly comprehending his words. The last Gym leader looked chagrined and let go of my arm. "…You won the match. Don't you have all eight badges now?"

"…Yeah, yeah I do," I replied dumbly, looking down at the one in my hand.

"Your Camerupt did all the work. You should thank it. And value it. Isn't that what your friend said?" I made the connection then that he was talking about Nick. I didn't know _how_ he knew, unless one of the other Gym leaders told him. Which they probably did. Acting parental, yeah right.

"Don't act like you know," I snapped. I turned on my heel and left. I didn't see the sad look Volkner had as I did so.

I had eight badges, and I didn't even feel _happy_ about it. Instead, I just fit it into the case, took one long moment to admire all eight of them together, and snapped it close. I tossed it in my backpack, probably never to be opened again.

Well, I had done it. I had completed the Gym circuit and had gotten eight badges. I had defeated everyone from Gardenia to Crasher Wake to Volkner. I had my awesome team. I had wanted to become the Champion, hadn't I? Suddenly, that seemed like such a hollow dream.

I did, however, want to get through Victory Road. Nick had made it that far, so I could, too.

-.-.-

Victory Road was nothing like I had ever experienced before. I had gotten a ferry up to the mouth of it, and then was on my own from then on out. Well, no, not on my own--I had my team, plus Konstantin.

It was quiet. Not many people went in it anymore after the Champion's tragedy, or so it was called, because of how close it was to the Elite Four. It only meant that it was nearly empty when I explored it. I got lost frequently, and had to swim across some parts of it (or, in one case, bribe a Lapras with a handful of food to give me a ride), and flinched repeatedly when I came across a wild Medicham or Gabite or Rhyhorn.

It was hard, too. More often than not, I was bleeding, tired, and hungry. I had brought along enough food for my team, but I had forgotten about the lack of wild plants and things to eat in caves. I ended up eating more than one Magikarp (and one Zubat). I ruthlessly killed my conscience in those instances.

Ike evolved again. I had Thunderbolt on hand for that evolution. Nick had given it to me earlier, before his defection from society. I painstakingly figured out how to teach my new Luxray the move. Almost immediately afterward, Konstantin and Ike got into a very loud argument. Ike solved it when he used his new move on the Duskull, which quieted him, though I caught him glaring at Ike afterward. It didn't seem to concern me, so I left them alone.

It took me three months to get through Victory Road. I didn't catch any Pokemon, precisely because I was terrified that what happened to Nick would happen to me. So I made sure to never use Earthquake or Rock Slide in the cave, and always returned my Pokemon after their battles just in case.

When I stumbled into the Pokemon Center on the other side of Victory Road, a camera crew immediately assaulted me. "And look here! One of the first trainers to make it through Victory Road in recent months!"

I ignored them and requested my Pokemon healed. The reporter only jumped upon that, though.

"Oh my--you only have _three_ Pokemon?! You got through Victory Road with half of a team?"

"That's not half of a team. That's my full team," I mumbled in reply, not wanting to point out that I technically had four with Konstantin.

"But wasn't that _hard_? And you're so young! What sort of a team might you have?"

"An awesome one," I replied, though my heart wasn't in it. It wasn't as if I didn't believe that, because after what we'd all been through, I knew for a fact that we were still team awesome. But I couldn't exclaim it to the heavens or TV camera.

"…Well, here you have it, folks. This brave, young boy, probably no older than twelve or thirteen, managed to get through Victory Road with a team of only _three_ Pokemon! Now _that's_ a trainer! Could we be seeing the next contender for the Elite Four?"

As it turned out, all contenders for the Elite Four had to get checked out by a psychologist. I never even got to see my news report because my team and I were whisked away to be examined and questioned individually. I answered the questions as politely as I could, but it still grated on me. It was such an obvious change to the old system. And it was only made because of Nick.

Eventually, I got fed up. "Will you be challenging the Elite Four soon?"

"No, I _won't_," I snapped and stormed out of the room. I'd had it. I could see how Nick was so disillusioned with the higher-ups. They didn't care about Pokemon, not like real trainers did. They just used them as nurses, or to help with news reports, or for security, or to examine your mind to make sure you weren't lying to the shrink.

Still, if I had known then what happened in the future, maybe I wouldn't have been so quick to judge.


	59. Cathedrals Screaming Sanctuary

_**One Year Later…**_

-.-.-

I had gotten pretty good at living off of the land. I very rarely ventured back into civilization, save when I wanted to see my family or had to get food after a rough Route. I also had invested in a translator again during that time, though a different style; these were collars for my Pokemon, since every headset I ever got broke within a week.

I wasn't lonely with only my team as company. Far from it. They were as much of a handful as ever, and while we weren't magically a big happy family, we came pretty close. Sometimes, I wasn't sure who was taking care of who, but it worked, what we were doing. Ike and Konstantin took care of the hunting, now that I wasn't picky what I ate anymore. Des started fires and kept us warm. Carlita was, well, Carlita. She kept us happy, semi-sane, and on our toes with her hijinks.

I didn't accept phone calls anymore, nor did I call Nick's phone. Hanna and I texted every day, though, keeping in touch with mundane updates on our lives. Once in awhile, she asked if I would come back and visit her, but I always had to decline. Most of the time I actually couldn't, not having the time or the funds to go see her. Sometimes, though, I just wanted to be alone.

I only saw my parents twice. Once at Christmas, and one random visit when I had decided to trek halfway across the continent to get a hug from my mother.

During that time, trainers started getting attacked. A lot of trained Pokemon began to disappear. Thousands quit training, and not as many ten-year-olds started. Trainers were becoming rarer, and the country only started to notice when it happened to the stronger trainers. The Gym leaders made sure to keep an eye on their regions and the trainers from their area. It was not unusual anymore to get phone numbers from leaders you defeated. In Centers, trainers didn't casually talk to each other anymore. There were also always rooms available now, when before you were lucky to get one. A lot of trainers passed by you in Routes instead of stopping to battle.

Since I hardly ever stopped in cities, and got most of my updates on the country's trainers from Hanna's texts, it took Konstantin a little while before he caught on.

I had realized what was happening and what would undoubtedly happen from the first report of a trainer and team gone missing, only to turn up, dead, a week later. I kept it to myself, though. I didn't want to acknowledge it.

I don't know _how_ Konstantin finally realized what was going on, but when he did, he flipped out. Like, really. Des had to use a Flamethrower on him before he'd even stop shouting. And then, he got really, really quiet. He didn't speak to me for a long time, either. When he did, all he said was, "_You know what this means, comrade._"

I did. It meant I had failed both the psychic's warning and the Froslass' plea to help her trainer. They had been the same all along, and I'd managed to mess up both of them. Now I couldn't _stop_ thinking of the injustices of the world, and if withdrawing from the world wasn't being dark, then I didn't know what was. The only thing I'd listened to of that warning was not to die.

"_Is it already that time…_" Ike murmured thoughtfully, tail lashing behind him. Konstantin snarled at him. The Luxray smirked to himself and merely crossed his paws in front of him.

"…_What's going on?_" Carlita asked worriedly. I shook my head. She persisted, though. "_Trainer, tell me what's wrong. Please?_"

"_Bad things are happening,_" Des replied for me. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… Real bad things. Guys, I think we should head back south for awhile. I don't want to go to Veilstone anymore."

The next day, however, my phone rang. Considering I could count the number of people on one hand who had that number, and that I didn't recognize the number calling, I was understandably worried. I briefly considered not answering. Eventually, I did. "Who is this? How did you get this number?!" I figured if I sounded tough and intimidating, maybe I would get the answers I needed. And, if need be, get another new phone.

"It's Jude. We, uh, met once in Johto, I don't know if you'd remember me." I did remember him. He had given Hanna Tenny the shiny Murkrow, after all. "You need to come to Hearthome. It's Hanna."

-.-.-

It took me three days, but I made it to Hearthome. It seemed like forever before I was standing in the hospital room's doorway, looking at Hanna. She was propped up with pillows in the bed, bandages around her head and an arm in a cast. Jude, who was sitting in the chair next to her, stood up when he noticed my arrival. Hanna turned towards me.

I found myself alone in Hanna's room when Jude left us. I found myself listening to her cry. I found myself listening to her blame Nick.

I found myself in the horrible, unique position of listening to one of my best friends describe how my other best friend killed her Pokemon in front of her.

I had to get out of that hospital and away from her tears. Jude called after me to try to stop me, but I ignored him. I didn't stop running until I got out of the hospital. Until I was on the outskirts of the city. So Nick was going after people he knew, then. Hanna wasn't safe because of our past connection with him. Neither was I. I didn't know why, but for some reason, I figured that he wouldn't come after us. It was disgustingly selfish of me to think that, but it kept me sane. I couldn't handle worrying about Nick coming to murder me or my team. I simply couldn't.

But if Nick was coming after me next… I didn't know what I could do. It wasn't as if I could battle him. He had leagues on me. Hanna told me that a Hypno had been with him. He was tracking trainers down with psychic Pokemon; you could hide from people, but not from a probing mind.

That was, unless you were a dark Pokemon.

I leaned against the nearest tree, trying to catch my breath while I scrolled down the short contact list on my phone. The last name, Zoe. I hit send and waited until she picked up. "Zoe--it's me. I need help avoiding a psychic."

"…Is this about Nick?" she asked after a long pause.

I grit my teeth. "Yes, it is. I just need a bit of help--I won't get you in trouble, I promise." I took a deep, calming breath and ran my wrist across my eyes.

"It's fine. I can't get out of Johto, though. You're going to have to meet me here."

"…Alright. I'll call you when I get there." I didn't know how I would do it, but I would get there. I had to. There was a sense of urgency I couldn't explain, but it felt like a great shadow was looming over me even then. Nick was probably thousands of miles away. But Hanna said he was coming to find me. He was coming back to see me.

Which, thinking about it logically, I should not have been happy about.

But there was something about seeing him for the first time in over a year, hearing his side of it, just making sure that he wasn't some black-cloaked villain, something about that made me happier than I should have been. Even if it meant certain death, I wanted to see him one last time.

It was at that precise moment that I realized what the psychic's prophecy really meant.

"_How are you going to get all the way to Johto, comrade?_" Konstantin murmured, draping himself over my shoulder. I glared at him. "_Excuse me for listening. I couldn't help it. …I will help you, you know this?_"

"I know."

"_Future Sight seems to be irrelevant at this point, but I will still assist you however I can._"

"…Thanks, Kostya. Can you go ask Hanna if I could have a favor?"

I managed to get across the border unexpectedly easy. This was due in part to a disguise, fake ID, and paying with cash, but still. With Nick running rampant among the trainers, security should have been upped. And it was--but just among the trainers.

I threw on a wig, big sunglasses, and borrowed one of Hanna's outfits. (Yes, I had to shave my legs for it. I was not impressed, but apparently I made a nice girl.) I wasn't a trainer now, though I had minimized pokeballs (and one ultra ball) tucked away in my purse. Konstantin I had follow me at a distance, since he insisted on coming along. I didn't know where he was hiding, but at least he was, and he didn't set off any alarms in the airport. I smiled brightly and tried not to talk that much, and it seemed like the world bought my disguise.

Zoe almost did, too, until I took off the sunglasses. She ushered me hastily into her apartment, then, and shut and locked the door behind her. I took off the wig and wished I could change out of the skirt. "What's going on?" she asked seriously, ignoring my disguise. I was glad she didn't bring it up.

"Nick--He's gone…" I couldn't finish it with 'crazy', because he wasn't. "He's started killing trainers and Pokemon. He killed Candice, the ice Gym leader of Sinnoh, and he tried Cynthia, too."

"What happened to him?" she breathed. It occurred to me that she had known Nick, too. Not as well as Hanna or I, but she had met him and seen how we interacted with each other.

"His little brother was killed by a rogue Pokemon that none of the higher-ups took care of. He's taking it out on all of the training world now," I explained numbly. I told her the facts, the abbreviated version. I didn't tell her what that last night had been like, what his expression had been like when he got that phone call, or how Kamala and the Froslass had fought over trying to protect him from the future they couldn't stop. "…He got Hanna."

"Oh no…"

"She's still alive, but… her Pokemon aren't." I swallowed thickly, very much aware that I'd never see Isabella, or Alexander, or Millie, or Tenny, or any of her team ever again. Des would never see Isabella again, and Carlita would never chase after Alexander's leaves again… "It got bad."

"Sounds like it. And now he is going after you?"

"Yeah. He's trying to get a psychic lock on me."

"Ah." Zoe made a discontented sound and sat down, gesturing for me to sit down as well. She set her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. "I know what a psychic lock is, and they can be fairly nasty things. It happens when a psychic Pokemon meets another Pokemon, or person, and they can get a lock on their mind. It's like a fingerprint, so once they have it, they can find that person again at any time, pick them out of a crowd, find them even if they are miles away or dyed their hair or are wearing a disguise."

I bit the inside of my cheek. That didn't sound good. It also explained how he hadn't found me yet. Kamala had been the only psychic of his that I'd met, and she was… gone now. So many Pokemon were gone. Kamala, Froslass, Patru, Isabella, Alexander, Millie, Tenny, the Abomasnow… The countless others that had already been killed or separated or lost loved ones. There were really too many to count at that point.

And I was next on the list.

I instinctively tightened my grip on the borrowed purse. In it was my team. Konstantin was still around somewhere, too. I would not lose any of them. I couldn't. I would not.

"…So you want to find a way to block that, right?"

"Yeah. And I just thought that… Well, you're a dark trainer…"

"I'm sorry, but there's no foolproof way to avoid psychics, not unless you're a dark Pokemon yourself," she sighed. "And there is no way to get rid of a psychic lock once they have one on you."

"I-I don't have one yet," I said frantically, knuckles white on the purse. "There has to be _some way_ to avoid--"

"Don't get caught by him. I can help you avoid it, and maybe even make it difficult for a psychic Pokemon, but I couldn't help much more than that."

"Could you please help with that, then?"

Zoe smiled warmly, though there was something in her eyes that was not that smile. "Of course."

She took me into her bedroom and began rummaging around in drawers. I noticed that she had several bags out on the bed, in varying stages of packing. I frowned. She was moving? Or escaping? Before I could ask about that, however, she turned around to me and held a necklace out at arm's length. I stared at it in confusion. How was a necklace supposed to help?

"Don't give me that look. It doesn't completely work, but it works as a deterrent to most psychic Pokemon." She sat down on the bed beside me, holding out the necklace and pointing to each part in turn. "These two feathers are Honchkrow feathers. The fang here is one from a Mightyena, and the beads are all bone or horn from other dark Pokemon like Houndoom or Sneasel. The shiny beads are gems from Sableye. And the string is actually woven from Shiftry leaves. You _really_ can't get darker than that, can you?"

I shook my head mutely, a little in awe of the necklace. That _was_ a lot of different dark Pokemon. "But--why do you have this?" She already had a team of dark Pokemon, so why did she have the necklace as well?

"My boyfriend is… paranoid sometimes. He had me make this for him years ago. He's outgrown it, but I always kept it around because it's pretty." She chuckled, putting it over my head for me. "It's not scientifically proven, but it won't hurt, will it? That much dark material near your head should deter most psychics. Will that do?"

"O-Of course." While it made me feel better, I had sort of been hoping for a foolproof method. Something more reassuring than a pretty necklace. At least it was something, though, and Zoe had also given me information. I didn't have to worry about it unless Nick's psychic found me, but at that point, it would be too late, anyway. "…Zoe, where are you going?"

She jumped and looked guiltily at the half-packed bags. "Nowhere!"

"Then why are you packing your things?"

"N-No reason, really. I'm just… going on a trip for awhile."

"Why?"

"…My boyfriend wants us to leave the country. He's, ah, a little worried that the trainer genocide will start to overlap into other regions. There are already followers springing up in Johto and Kanto."

"_Followers_?" I hadn't heard of any followers. People were sympathizing with Nick? Were they killing, too? Would this turn into a new Team, like Team Galactic? Zoe nodded wearily. I gulped. This was only getting worse and worse. What was Nick getting himself _into_? What was I?

My trip to Johto took all of one day. I couldn't bear to be there any longer, since it was one of the last places Hanna, Nick and I had been together and happy. Before things had gone south. Konstantin had risked coming out once before the plane took out, grasped my hand for the briefest moment, and then vanished again. It came to mind that he was actually trying to console me.

So I had a magical necklace that would hopefully ward off evil psychic Pokemon. I sure hoped so, at any rate. I checked in one last time with Hanna, thanked her for the disguise and funds, and then vanished once more into the raw world of training. I wouldn't endanger her with my presence, and there wasn't anything I could do, anyway.

I did see Jude kiss her, though. I hoped that he could do something where I could not.

I figured I was ditching my last real human friend, but it was for the best. I also stopped answering my parents' texts after a goodbye one. I explained through no less than four texts where I was headed, why I was doing it, and what was hopefully going to go down. I didn't open their reply; it would have been too hard.

"_So much has been done to you, comrade. I am so sorry,_" Konstantin, who had been reading over my shoulder as I typed the message, said. I grunted in response and flipped my phone shut. I would keep it with me, but I doubted I'd do much with it anymore.


	60. Doomed To Repeat It

"Des' turn to pick supper tonight," I announced, poking the fire with a stick. My Camerupt look up with a bland smile. He snorted a plume of smoke out at Ike, who growled and turned away with a cough.

"_It was his turn two nights ago_," the Luxray complained.

"Yes. Because we're going in _shifts_. That's how it works, Ike." For some reason I couldn't begin to comprehend, Pokemon didn't seem to grasp the concept of rotation. Des, then Carlita, then Ike. It was easier to just let them pick out the meal when it was possible than spend half the night arguing about it. But they still didn't understand it.

"_Why do I not get a shift?_" Konstantin asked pitifully, floating in the corner of our campsite.

"_You're not a part of this team_," Ike replied. He smiled wickedly at the Duskull, probably enjoying the ghost's exclusion. Carlita nodded in firm agreement. Konstantin was probably one of the sole subjects they agreed on.

I rolled my eyes at them. Konstantin whined and floated closer, cautiously. "_I could become your comrade. I could join your team_."

"_Not likely_," Des said simply, and that was the end of that. Des, since his evolution, was usually in charge. Even with Ike's last evolution, the Camerupt was easily the largest of my team. He didn't abuse his power, thankfully, otherwise things might've been even harder. Ike, while he was larger than Carlita, usually still was left to third place, due to her experience and physical power on him. It didn't mean they didn't jostle for that second position, though.

And, as usual, Konstantin was left in the metaphorical (and sometimes literal) dust.

He had been the strongest at one time, and had kept that lead for quite awhile, but eventually, the trained Pokemon won out. He couldn't keep up on his own without a trainer. He had learned Future Sight, which had been his goal, so I supposed his end of the stick wasn't too short.

He kept pestering me about that, too, which is probably why I didn't feel too bad for him when my team passively picked on him.

That night, as we sat around the campfire munching on Des' pick of spaghetti (which I had managed to acquire at our last town visit; I learned to store several item capsules full of pasta precisely for him), Konstantin sidled over to me again. I wordlessly passed him my plate. He took a pawful and fed it under his mask almost greedily. "…_Comrade, thank you. But may I at least repay you with this knowledge_--"

"Kostya, I don't want to know." This was becoming a staple of our nightly meals. I had had my fill of warnings from the future.

"_This is important! I know of your friend's plans_--"

While that one was new, and even a little tempting, I still said, "No."

"_But_--"

"Konstantin, aren't you supposed to be _helping_ me? You're not helping with this."

He bowed his head and backed off. He only backed off until I fell asleep, though, much to my ire. The Duskull floated unapologetically next to me when I appeared in the temple in the sunken lake. Like the white world had been the Froslass', that stone cavern was Konstantin's.

"Kostya--"

"You need to know this," he cut me off harshly. I glowered at him. I couldn't do much else, though. In a dream, the rest of my team couldn't come to the rescue. "There are two things, comrade, that you must know."

"I'm listening," I snapped, angry at him for it.

"First, your friend is returning to Sendoff Spring."

It took a couple moments to me to register what he'd just said. "…What? _Returning_? Nick hasn't been there--"

"Yes he has. Right before you arrived, in fact. He had been trying to find Giratina, but we blocked his access to the temple and prevented him from entering. It is why he was so upset when he found out that I was with you." That made sense in a retrospective sort of way. And it did explain why Konstantin wouldn't leave him alone.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner, then?" I asked darkly, tugging at the necklace. This wasn't sounding good.

"It was irrelevant at the time. We figured he had given up on seeing Giratina."

"_Who_ is Giratina?"

"The legendary Pokemon that lives at Sendoff Spring."

That definitely wasn't good. I clenched my hands at my sides, trying to figure out why Nick was going after a legendary Pokemon. Especially trying to get through an army of ghosts to one. It didn't sound like the sort of thing one did without planning and a purpose. "…So why is he trying to find Giratina? What power does Giratina have?" Most legendaries had powers, right? I didn't know about a lot of them, but I did know that much.

"Giratina protects your world from his world. He has control over the dimensions and has fought for control over time and space in the past." Time, space, and other dimensions. It sounded like a Pokemon I didn't want to meet in a dark alley--and definitely not one Nick should ever get. Konstantin looked away from me. "Exactly, comrade. There is a reason Giratina is not known by humans, and it is because he does not want them to seek him out. All it takes is one foolish human to upset him."

"The world doesn't need an upset legendary right now," I agreed flatly. "What is he going to do with Giratina? Take over the world? Or--both worlds?"

"No. Your friend is going to only see Giratina. He will not mean to make him angry, but he will nonetheless, and make Giratina attack him. That is precisely why it must not happen."

"Because I have had _so much_ success in stopping the future before." Just like that, I was done being thoughtful and agreeable. "Konstantin, let me out of here. I am done listening to you. I can't _do_ anything to stop anyone and I am going to wake up now and pretend that I never heard any of this." I turned away from him and stormed off, towards the opening of the temple.

"Wait--comrade--he is going to get worse."

I froze. Konstantin floated over to catch up to me, circling around until I was looking at him again.

The Duskull's red eye shifted back and forth between his eye sockets. He reached out toward me, but halted halfway there and retracted his paw. "…He is trying to get away. He wants to go to Giratina's world, so he will take his copy Pokemon and get Shadow Force."

"What is he trying to get away from?"

"This world. He does not wish to be here anymore."

"Does he feel guilty for what happened?"

"I cannot read minds, comrade."

"Is… Is he going to succeed?"

"I cannot see that."

"Why do I have to know this, Kostya? I can't do anything. I really, really can't. This isn't doing anything for me and it won't do anything for him. Nothing you've told me has ever done anything for him." I pushed past him and kept walking towards the white light of the entrance. Konstantin whined and followed.

"I'm trying. That's all I can do. Why can't you try?"

I walked out the entrance and woke up. I only opened my eyes briefly before closing them again and feigning sleep. Still, in that moment, I saw Kostya staring intently at me.

I fell back asleep and dreamt of normal things this time, like Froslass alive again, like my mother telling me how much I'd grown, like wandering around, alone, in another world.

-.-.-

"_Where are we going?_" Ike asked with a yawn. I was up before my team, which was rare. They took notice.

"To Sendoff Spring." That certainly woke them up. Ike growled softly, fur bristling. I felt the same way. "Don't give me that," I told him, ignoring the feeling. "I have to."

"_Why?_" Carlita whimpered, rubbing her eyes with her claws. "_Why do we have to go back?_"

"I have to check something is all," I said, shoving my sleeping bag roughly into my backpack. Ike growled again, but Konstantin shushed him with a glare. That reminded me. "Uh… Kostya, what was that second thing you wanted to tell me?"

The Duskull looked at me in surprise. I know I had been angry at him--I still was--but I was thinking more clearly now. Information was good, even if it was bad news at the time. He glanced over at Ike again, who narrowed his eyes at the ghost. "_Nothing, comrade. It can wait until after we visit the Spring._"

It took a couple days before we reached Veilstone. I skirted around the city, and only ventured into it to restock some food items and get another battery for my phone. I didn't look at the televisions playing the news in the electronics store. I did hear the terms 'Sayre', 'followers', and 'body count rising', though. It made me sick.

We had just exited the southern guard building of Veilstone when we were assaulted, however. I was lifted into the air and slammed against the building with telekinesis. I looked around frantically for whoever was attacking me. My Pokemon were all returned and in my pocket, and Konstantin had all but vanished.

I finally found the assailant. A blue duck, forehead jewel glinting in the sunlight, was standing just down the path with its arms raised in concentration. Just as soon as I noticed the Golduck, however, it released me; Konstantin had appeared behind it from its shadow and attacked.

"Wait--Furat?" I gasped, dropping to my hands and knees. I immediately got back up, however, running over to the fighting Pokemon. The Golduck paused, stepping on Konstantin to keep him pinned to the ground.

"…_Little human, you have failed._" I stopped several feet short, unaccustomed to her cold mental voice.

"What?"

"_You have failed. We warned you about the future, and we get this!_" She ground Konstantin's skull into the dirt. "_You haven't heeded any of our words, have you?!_"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?! Besides, if I recall, you hardly told me anything!" Okay, maybe in hindsight it wasn't the brightest idea to argue with a psychic duck. Especially an angry one. But really, she was trying to blame _me_ for all of this? _They_ were the ones who had insisted on not telling me anything!

"_And what we did tell you, you completely ignored!_" she snapped, bill clicking to emphasize her words. "_And now--_" Furat let go of Konstantin and raised her arms again, picking me up with a Psychic. She flung me down the path in front of her, carrying me down the oh so familiar path leading to Sendoff Spring. She practically threw me up the side of the mountain and scrabbled up behind me. I lay, panting, on top of the mountain, wishing I hadn't tried to come back here. I hadn't been expecting anyone to be angry with me, but I had expected to get treated with some respect.

Konstantin caught up to us just as Furat marched me down towards the wooden dock leading to nowhere.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw what she was going to do. I twisted and fought the air, trying to stop it. The Duskull behind us screeched and attacked the Golduck, but she waved him off and threw him over the edge. Furat tossed me down the planks, releasing her hold on me. I rolled around and managed to grab the last board before I skidded right off the tip of it. "Furat--you are crazy! I've done nothing wrong!"

"_Nothing wrong?_" her mental voice roared. She advanced on me, eyes narrowed to slits. "_You led that human straight to us!_"

"He's been here before! That was not my fault!" I shouted desperately, legs dangling over the lake so far below. This was worse than before. At least last time I hadn't known what was coming, hadn't had time to concentrate on the lake. I had been too busy concentrating on saving Des.

"_Then why is he suddenly back here, and you arrive not an hour later?!_" she screeched, pointing down at the lake below.

"…Nick is _here_?" I asked in a tiny voice.

The Golduck was cut off as a roar and a massive jet of water erupted below us. I turned and looked over my shoulder, seeing the largest Pokemon I'd ever seen come out of the water, all wings and legs and bellowing and angry. I knew without a doubt that that had to be Giratina. It roared again and breathed a jet of blue fire down at the shore.

A blue shape flew up away from the flames, circling around the giant Pokemon, until it came close enough to identify it as Chase. I was fairly certain my heart stopped. By the looks of it, so did the Garchomp's. He faltered in his flight when he caught sight of us, long enough for Giratina's tail to come down and smash him into the water.

Nick was here. He was _here_, he was looking for me, he was looking for Giratina, he was here and he was battling Giratina and he was going to find me.

My grip slackened on wood planks just as Giratina shot another attack into the cliffside near where Chase had fallen. It was a bad combination, and I was shaken loose of the dock. I reached for it as I was already falling.

I hit the ground way too early. Upon realizing what had happened, however, I _wish_ I had hit the ground. I had landed on Giratina's wing as it turned around to follow Chase, who had apparently gotten back up. The legendary thankfully hadn't noticed my arrival on the scene. My fingers tried to gain purchase on the leathery wing as I slid down it.

Then, suddenly, the wing below me vanished.

It felt like I hung for a moment in the air, suspended by nothing but the wing that wasn't there anymore. Then, I started to fall again.


	61. Hide and Seek

I was plucked out of the sky by Chase before I had to go through the process of hitting the water and trying to swim to shore before I drowned (again). He dropped me pitilessly on the rocky shore before flying up to the sky over the lake again, just as Giratina appeared and slammed him into the rock face with its head.

I watched the battle in awe and fright before I noticed the figure standing not five feet from me. Nick, for becoming a monstrous villain and possible criminal mastermind, hadn't really changed much. He stood in baggy jeans and an overly large hoodie, hood pulled up over his head and low over his eyes. I actually couldn't see his eyes; black hair, longer than I remembered, covered what the hood didn't. He frowned thoughtfully and continued watching the aerial battle going on above us.

Finally, he knelt down beside me and turned to me. I could barely see his eyes through his bangs. "Hey," he said softly, offering me a shy, if warm, smile.

It took all I had not to throw myself at him. "…Hey," I responded instead, hating the way my voice shook. I couldn't believe after a year, we would just be sitting here, watching a battle together and making small talk. Finally, after too long of a silence, the words came up like vomit. "Nick, why--"

"Don't ask me anything you don't want to know," he replied curtly. He shifted position and supported himself with his hands behind him, one knee drawn up, his other leg thrown out haphazardly in front of him.

"…I do want to know why you killed Hanna's Pokemon," I choked out.

"Do you really? Or do you want to continue believing what you want?" he asked in response.

"Just answer my question."

"Most people don't deserve Pokemon."

"And she didn't?"

"Are you saying she did?"

"Of course she did! Hanna didn't deserve having her team murdered in front of her! No one deserves that!"

"Did either of you deserve getting attacked by that Abomasnow? Did battling Pokemon deserve to be raised as pets? Did my brother deserve to die? There are a lot of injustices in the world. You have to pick your battles."

I twitched and tried to remember that he didn't know anything about the warning (that was rapidly becoming a moot point since I had managed to fail epically at it). "I'm picking _this_ battle, Nick."

"Do you _really _want to bark up that tree?" he asked. He sounded tired, but disturbingly unalarmed at my questioning. Or the content of the questions. Which really was, well, _disturbing_. Here he was, an infamous, wanted, hunted, teenage killer, calmly trying to tell me that I didn't want to know what he was doing or why he was doing it. He was still protecting me.

"Yes, I do!" I replied, probably a bit more emphatically then I should have. I could see his shoulders tense underneath his hoodie, and slowly, very slowly, he turned towards me.

And, in that one moment, I thought he was going to punch me.

He didn't, instead saying, "…You're gonna go far, kid. Is there anything rational you're afraid of?"

"What?"

"Your fear of Crasher Wake was irrational--or, your fear of water Pokemon is irrational. But look at this now. Look at how _trusting_ you are. Naïve. You saw the news that day, didn't you?" I didn't need to ask what he was referring to, and he didn't need my confirmation. "You've seen what I can do. And yet here you sit, naively thinking that you can get away from this situation unharmed."

I stared at him, scarcely daring to breathe. Had he just said what I thought he said? Was he threatening me--no, worse. He was telling me that I was stupid for trusting him. I probably was, too. I was trying to have a civil conversation with him about his motives and crimes, and I really wasn't expecting much save words to come from it. Never mind the dragons battling it out overhead. Never mind the whole reason I came here, or the whole reason he was there. "Nick… Do you really mean that?"

"Maybe I do." He said it too quickly, too forcefully, for me to fully believe him. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me. Nick got to his feet with a frustrated sigh and dug around in his pocket. "I'm wrapping this up now," he said to no one, tossing a pokeball out onto the shore. Harlan the Smeargle appeared, wringing her tail nervously.

Above us, Giratina and Chase traded roars. Giratina vanished again, leaving the Garchomp to circle the skies warily.

"There we go. Harlan, Sketch." The Smeargle stopped twitching and begun furiously drawing symbols in the air with her tail. She concentrated solely on the spot where Giratina disappeared, staring at it unblinkingly until it reappeared behind Chase and rammed him into the rocks again. She finished her drawing with a flourish and flick of paint. Nick grinned underneath his hood. Harlan and I shivered at the sight. "That's all I needed. Chase, return!"

"Wh-What did you just do?" I asked.

Nick didn't spare me another glance. "It's what I came here for. I needed Giratina's Shadow Force." He returned Harlan and Chase, too, once the Garchomp got within range. Giratina roared in annoyance at his vanishing act.

I was hardly prepared for what came next. The legendary wheeled around in the sky and focused on us. I stumbled back as I got to my feet, digging around in my pocket for any of my Pokemon. Protection--I needed protection. Again, it didn't even cross my mind that it had to be from Nick, only from Giratina.

Nick calmly called out one of his Pokemon and murmured something to it. I looked at them both. A Hypno stared back at me.

Everything I'd heard about the psychic lock, about tracking people through psychic Pokemon, about the Hypno from Hanna came rushing back to me. Just as that happened, and before even a real moment had passed, Konstantin found me again. I was shoved into my shadow. I was pulled back out deep in the temple, in a corner of one of the many rooms. All I saw was fog around me, not even the ghost Pokemon this time. Konstantin and I seemed to be utterly alone in the sea of fog.

It was then, when the Duskull collapsed in my arms, that I realized what sort of state he was in. His mask was chipped and cracked in several places, and his red eye wasn't as bright as it normally was. One arm hung limply at his side, the paw jutting out at a wrong angle from it. Something that looked too much like blood dripped down from behind his mask, staining my hands from where I was holding him.

"_Comrade, you're safe_," he said softly, closing his eye. "_That's… good._"

"Kostya? What happened?" I asked wildly. My heart was still thundering from meeting Nick and his Hypno--Had it had enough time to get a lock on me? Had the necklace worked at all? Was I safe or not from it?--and seeing the Duskull in this state wasn't helping things. I gingerly set him down on my knees, since I had sunk down to them at some point after getting rushed to safety.

"_Furat will not bother you again_," he replied instead, voice growing ever quieter.

I didn't bother trying to figure out what that might have meant. "Kostya! Are you okay?!"

"_Just… I am glad you are safe, comrade…_"

With that, he exhaled slowly and didn't move. And I was left alone.

-.-.-

I wandered for a long time in the temple, Kostya in my arms, still bleeding silently on me. I figured out that he was still breathing, at least faintly. So he was still alive. That was good. However, I was in my own predicament now. He was the only reliable guide I would have had to the temple, and the only one who could potentially talk other ghosts out of eating me. Oh, sure, I hadn't met any Pokemon yet, but I knew it was inevitable. After all, my luck sucked.

In that time, I reflected on what had just happened with Nick.

We had seen each other, and I was still alive. That was something, right? But he had also pretty much threatened me, and for all I knew, his Hypno now had a psychic lock on me. Why he didn't just Teleport over and kidnap me or something, I didn't know, unless there was the small chance that the necklace had worked, or there wasn't enough time, or Konstantin had done something to make it so that I was safe. I wouldn't put it past the Duskull, but it was also Nick and his team we were talking about. I wouldn't underestimate either of those powers.

So I was half terrified out of my wits, half giddy with the fact that I was somehow still alive. It was an interesting combination, to say the least.

I didn't know how much time passed in that temple. I fell asleep at one point, and woke up what felt like a long time later with stiff muscles and a sore neck. Konstantin was still out cold. I didn't want to endanger my other Pokemon, too, and since there were _still_ no enemies appearing to eat me, I drifted from foggy room to foggy room looking for the way out. It was dead silent, though. No ghosts, no psychics, no Giratina.

At least, there wasn't any Giratina until I accidentally stumbled in on its room.

The room was by far the largest in the stone temple, but also more free of fog. The pillar in the center was several times thicker than any other rooms', and the front of it, from what I could see, was covered completely in what appeared to be a mirror.

"_Calm down, Giratina. The human is gone now_."

There was also another Pokemon in the center of the room, standing in front of the pillar. Giratina was reflected in the mirror, pacing back and forth and missing its legs. The other was calmly staring at it, eyes hard but still somehow seeming benevolent.

I stared in astonishment at the large Pokemon. Giratina I recognized, but not this second one. I knew it to be a legendary, though, precisely because there was no other possible thing it _could_ be. It didn't seem dangerous either, for some reason I couldn't quite put my finger on. It just seemed to reassure me.

Giratina grumbled something I couldn't understand, and both of them turned in unison to face me. I clutched Konstantin tightly to me, taking a step back into the room I'd just come from. Oops. So I'd just managed to intrude on a legendary conversation. That probably wasn't good.

"…_This is not the human who attacked you, Giratina. Please calm down,_" the white Pokemon said evenly, turning back to face the reflection. It didn't seem at all bothered by my presence. Giratina grumbled something else, voice slipping steadily into a growl. The white Pokemon did something that might have been a sigh, and then turned towards me. "_My child, come here and assure Giratina of your innocence._"

The last time I had felt so comfortable and protected around a Pokemon, it had turned out to be a Dusclops that wanted to eat me. It even happened in this very place. I was understandably cautious, but I wasn't going to argue with the giant legendary Pokemon, so I edged reluctantly over. The white Pokemon's expression didn't change, but I got the feeling that it was smiling at me. I took another few steps forward, mumbling, "I-I'm sorry to interrupt…" It wouldn't hurt to apologize, after all.

"_Do not worry. Just come here._" I skittered over, holding onto Konstantin's unconscious body for dear life. Giratina snorted and I could have sworn it rolled its eyes when I stood in front of the two of them. The white Pokemon gave it a stern look. "_Giratina is understandably concerned over what happened earlier. Do you know anything about it?_"

I didn't dare lie, but I didn't want to turn Nick in to angry legendaries. "Um… A bit…"

"_Speak up, child. Do not be afraid._" While I wasn't magically comfortable in the situation, its words stopped me from shivering so much. "_Just tell us what happened._"

"Nothing! It was just a misunderstanding." Hadn't Konstantin told me that Nick hadn't meant to upset Giratina? "H-He just wanted to, um, borrow a move from Giratina--" I was cut off as said legendary roared loudly. I was surprised the mirror didn't crack from the sheer volume of it. I winced, though the white Pokemon beside me didn't.

"_Giratina! Calm down!_" it roared in reply, and while it wasn't nearly as loud as Giratina, it had a much more commanding tone. Giratina quieted, though it was obvious it was still angry. It swished its tail behind it, making sure we both knew it was. "_What do you know of this situation?_" More than what I would have liked in normal situations, that was for sure.

"It's… It's sort of a long story." I didn't dare lie, but I didn't exactly want to tell the truth, either. Stuck between a rock and a very hard place.

"_We have all the time in the world, my child. Please tell me._"

I shakily sighed and sat down, cross-legged, in front of the white Pokemon. It mimicked me and sat down as well, crossing its front paws. Giratina continued floating in the mirror. I started talking, telling them a very abbreviated version of my training story and how I came to meet Nick. I tried to fit in every good thing ever about him, from buying me food, making me fight Gym leaders, cheering me up, just… everything. Because he wasn't a bad person.

I had no idea how much time had passed by the time I was reliving the events of the Champion's tragedy. Neither Giratina nor the white Pokemon ever interrupted me, so I was left to talk and talk and try not to get caught up in what had happened to me.

"…And now I don't even know what he's up to, if he's good or bad, or _what_ is going on. I have no clue what will happen to any of us. I don't know why this had to happen, or why it's still happening, or why someone just doesn't stop it…" I fretted with Konstantin's skull mask.

"_You have been through so much. I'm sorry that you feel so responsible for this,_" the white Pokemon said sadly, bowing its head. It made me feel better, though I wasn't quite sure why. "_I would have had no idea that humans can go through this much turmoil._"

"It's not just humans. Pokemon are involved now--they always have been," I mumbled.

"_This makes it an even sadder situation. Are your Pokemon as current on this as I?_" I paused, thinking. No, they weren't; I hadn't let any of them out since we left for the Spring. So none of them, except Konstantin (who was still unconscious), knew what was going on. "_I see. Do you plan on protecting them like that until this ends?_"

It hadn't been conscious protection on my part. Or, at least, I didn't think it was. "Um…" I hadn't thought about that, either. Could I protect them? I already sort of was, by not letting them meet Nick again, by keeping them inside their balls all the time, by making sure we camped for the night so far away from the normal trainer path.

"_You are a good trainer,_" the white Pokemon remarked fondly, leaning down with its head. It touched what I assumed was its mouth to my forehead. "_Please, continue what you are doing. For better or for worse, though I sincerely hope it's all for the better, it sounds as if you are meant to stop your friend. You must persevere and continue on this journey of yours. Don't lose heart._" That last part sounded eerily reminiscent of the ghost's warning, albeit phrased more happily.

I tried to tilt my head back, but the Pokemon's jaw kept it bowed.

"_I will do all that I can, but I can only do so much for you. I wish you luck, my child._"

-.-.-

I awoke to Konstantin floating over me, tugging at my hair. "Ow, Kostya…" I sat up and batted him away, rubbing my scalp. We were outside. When had that happened? Last thing I knew, I had been snuck inside the temple with Konstantin fainting… How had I gotten out? I stood up, examining myself. I was fine. Konstantin was awake, too, and looked to be in pretty good shape considering his earlier condition.

"_Comrade! Are you okay?!_" he asked worriedly, circling my head.

I wasn't hurt anywhere, and, in fact, I felt better than I had in ages. I made sure I still had my pokeballs (and ultra ball) with me. It looked as if I hadn't lost anything, I was unhurt, and I was feeling happy. That was new. "…Yeah, I think I am, Kostya. I'm finally feeling okay."


	62. So, So Alone

"_Why is Trainer so happy?_" Carlita asked, standing on the tips of her toes.

"Is it a problem that I am?" I asked in reply.

"_Well, no. But… Normally Trainer is so sad!_" I frowned; is that what she thought of me? I suppose I _had_ been a little moody lately, but with all of the drama, it wasn't like I didn't have an excuse for it. I didn't respond this time and instead just hugged her. Carlita hummed in approval, appeased.

"_Bah. Sappiness,_" Ike growled, chewing on a bone Konstantin had given him earlier to stop him from chewing on him.

"_You usually don't complain about it when it suits you,_" Des said casually. He snorted out a plume of smoke at the Luxray, who growled in irritation and laid his ears back.

"Guys, knock it off. No fighting today." I finished packing up my sleeping bag and threw on my necklace. Packed for the day. "Let's go. Today's a training day." There were three cries of joy from my team. If there was one thing they all had in common, it was that they enjoyed training. Even if they were all much too powerful for the local wild Pokemon, it didn't mean that they didn't like showing off their moves.

Training days were routine now, if fun. We would wander along a path and I'd let them all be out. They would battle any wild Pokemon--or, occasionally, each other--while I watched or talked with one of the ones who weren't battling, or did something like that. Very rarely did we come across trainers anymore. Normally, Routes used to have enough trainers for us to have an easy four or five battles a day, and that wasn't counting the ones who passed us without a battle.

Now, however, we hardly ever battled. We might pass a single trainer a day. The last time we'd battled another trained team was eight days ago, and Ike had taken care of most of them easily. I sighed, thinking of that battle. Ike was getting vicious again, but more than that, he couldn't work that out on other Pokemon as often anymore.

I was jarred out of my thoughts as Des licked the top of my head. Or, since his tongue was roughly the size of my head, it sort of started at my shoulders and worked its way up my head, even overlapping a bit onto my forehead. "…_Yes_, Des?" I asked flatly, not bothering to try to fix my hair.

"_I'm worried about you,_" he said simply. I looked at him in confusion. The Camerupt snorted and flicked his ears. "_What are you going to do about the other trainer?_"

"I don't know. Am I supposed to have some grand plan for him?"

"_Well, no. But we haven't done anything constructive with our time since he left. Why don't we challenge the Champion?_"

"No." I didn't mean for it to come out so forcefully. Backpedaling, I added, "I mean--no, Des. We only have three or four, depending on Kostya's mood. Even if you guys are strong, you're too outnumbered."

"_Then let's get another teammate._"

I didn't like that idea. I could barely handle the team I had, let alone adding another to it. Plus, I had no idea what I should even get. We worked well enough together now, and had most types beaten with an advantage. I didn't have a hole to fill like when I got Carlita or Ike.

"_See? We haven't done anything since he left,_" Des remarked as he waddled off. I stared after him. He, unfortunately, had a point. I think he was only bringing up all those things to make that point, too. Sometimes, I missed him when he was a slow little Numel.

-.-.-

Time passed very slowly with nothing really to do. I didn't want to challenge the Elite Four, I had no more Gyms to face, I didn't have a rival, and I couldn't find any places where the wild Pokemon were stronger than my team anymore.

Training days kept Carlita and Ike busy, at least. Des and Konstantin weren't so easy to distract. I usually kept them pacified with vague promises of things to do in the future, but even that wasn't working as often anymore. Des and I didn't fight, but Konstantin and I did. He didn't even have the kindness to do it in my dreams, either, instead forcing me to have shouting matches with him in front of the rest of the team.

It didn't do much for morale. The sense of stagnation slowly closing in on us made it worse.

The worst of all, though, was coincidentally my last fight with the Duskull.

I think what started the fight was Ike. Well, not really, not in any normal sense; he had just been himself, after all. Even if 'himself' was reverting back to a bloodthirsty monster.

There had been some sort of large bird--I never did get a good look at it--and it had attacked Carlita. She'd fainted, and Ike had ended up killing the bird. Whether he was using her as an excuse or he was honestly trying to protect her, I wasn't sure, but the fact of the matter was that I didn't get wind of the event until I caught the stench of blood and found my Luxray crouching over the charred, broken remains of the bird.

"--Ike?!" I only got a growl in response. Konstantin arrived at that time.

I can't remember what exactly he said, but it was something to the effect of, "_Better it than you._"

What happened next was a lot of shouting, a bit of grappling, and, I can't help but remember, Ike grinning sharply over his kill, golden eyes gleaming. Maybe Nick's killing of Pokemon had made my feelings about death a bit too raw, and maybe I had overreacted. But Konstantin was the one who had had to point out the practicality of death. I didn't care that Ike was the one to kill the bird. It was Konstantin who was condoning the action.

Eventually, the fight culminated in the Duskull pinning me against a tree, yelling at me. "_Why are you defending him?! He's a monster who is only waiting for your back to turn before he pounces and sinks his claws into your flesh!_"

"I'm defending him because he is a part of this team! More than you ever were!" I snarled, clawing at his empty eye sockets.

"_And what team have you created for yourself?!_"

"What is that supposed to--"

"_The Camerupt is the only sane one, the only strong one, and you protect him the most! You wouldn't even have the fighter if it weren't for me! You would be broken without her and we both know it!_" I froze, halting in my assault. I went cold.

"…Don't you mention that." I knew very well that Carlita's disappearance would have meant the end of me as a trainer. But for Konstantin to throw that in my face was, well, a little aggravating.

"_Oh, but it is true, comrade!_" Konstantin cackled, his paws digging into my shoulders. "_Your team is more twisted than you realize! You rely too much on Pedestal and take him for granted, while you still hold the fighter as a crutch! You've never let go of the fact that she was the Celia human's, have you? You are holding them all too close and they are blinding you to that fact_--"

"Stop it!"

"_--No, comrade, I will not stop! You are blind and twisted and need to hear this! You won't see the fact that the Camerupt is strong, the fighter is yours again, and that the Luxray is a monster! A black-hearted, bloodthirsty, backstabbing monster who is only waiting for the proper moment to strike! You have never listened to me about him, you've never listened to me about anything, but you will listen to me now!_" To further make his point, Konstantin shook me, banging the back of my head against the tree. I snarled at him and resumed scratching at his mask, trying to gouge out his nonexistent eye.

"Shut _up_, Konstantin! You know nothing of this team and you never have! You've always been an outsider, trying to fit in, but you're only now realizing how much of an outcast you are because you've fallen behind!" If we were fighting with the truth, then so be it. It wasn't as if he was entirely blameless, after all.

"_I've only been looking out for you, you sightless, luckless, faithless, senseless human! If it weren't for me, you'd_--"

"I'd _what_," I dared. Konstantin studied me for a long moment. I narrowed my eyes at him, slowly breaking out into a grin when I realized he wasn't going to continue on with that subject.

Instead, he said, "_Ike has been meaning to betray you the entire time. You coddle Des too much for him to trust you as a trainer. You would not even have Carlita if I hadn't threatened the Celia human for her. Your team is a lie._" Then, he said the worst thing of all. "_I am not surprised your dark-haired friend is out to destroy it. He is right. You do not deserve them._"

I ended up punching him. I punched him right on the cheekbone, where Furat had cracked the mask so long ago. I ended up chipping it. My knuckle was bloody from the punch, but I didn't regret it. The Duskull swung away from me, holding his cheek, hissing at me. Konstantin narrowed his eyes. I glared right back at him. "Get out of here."

The Duskull didn't say anything else and instead floated off. He didn't look back, but I watched him go. I made sure he left. There was no way he was staying after saying that.

That night, I had nightmares again. There was no ghost to haunt me, no goddess of love, no mom smoothing back my hair and telling me how much I'd grown, no TV static and no white world or temple or Pokemon Center lobby. There was only me. And that was the scary part. I'd lost my team, their blood soaking my hands and shirtfront. I knelt down in a puddle of blood, and looked up at a silhouette with dark hair and a hood pulled low over his eyes. He held up a Hypno's charm, swinging it back and forth. I stared in horror down at my hands, then back up at him, looking to him for hope, guidance, a way out of the darkness. The charm swung back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. "Don't come near me," he said. "It will only hurt if you do."

I woke up after that, hastily wiping the tears away from my eyes. I almost missed the normal ghost-induced nightmares. At least they had a train of thought I could usually follow.

I pressed my palms to my eyes and made myself stop crying. I would not lose my team. Not to Nick, not to Konstantin, not to anyone.

I got up after that, knowing I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. I packed up my things, returned my Pokemon without waking them, and shouldered my backpack. If Konstantin was going to come back, he'd return to an empty camp. I was leaving. I took a breath, shook my head to clear my mind of the remnants of the dream, and took off.


	63. A Method To The Madness

Trainers were vanishing more and more often. I deleted frantic phone messages from my mother. I hated to make her worry, but I knew I'd only make her worry more by replying. I did, however, steal back to Jubilife. No, I didn't mean to visit my parents… Or maybe I did. I wasn't completely sure. I just knew that I was wandering back to Jubilife City with no real goal in mind.

Boy, did I ever find a goal, though.

"Hey, kid, you a trainer?" I was trying to get through an alley to get to the street out of town. I was stopped, however, by two thuggish looking men. One of them had a Mankey hanging off his neck. The other was tossing a pokeball in the air, chewing on the end of his cigarette with a grin. "We got a tax for trainers in Jubilife."

"That's nice. I'm not from Jubilife." It wasn't technically a lie; I was from outside of Jubilife. I tried to push past them, but they grabbed onto my backpack and hauled me back.

"You look like a trainer, and you're in Jubilife. That sounds like you qualify. Or do we need to have ourselves an _accident_ for you an' your team? It's not safe for trainers, kid, 'specially not for a kid like you. We're just tryin' to protect you from all the bad things in the world."

I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing. This took the two by surprise. "Ha--haha, that's a good one! Bad things in the world!"

"Uh, yeah."

"Let me tell you--do you even _know_ what those bad things are?" I stood on my tiptoes and leaned forward, grinning evilly up into one of their faces. He reeled back.

Needless to say, I didn't pay their tax. They let me go when I released Ike to share the joke with him. He thought it was just as funny as I did. I returned him again once I got to the street I wanted to get to.

I passed a wall of televisions with the local news playing on them all.

And, it just so happened, that at that very moment, the news was being hijacked.

Like many of the passerby, I stopped and stared at the anchorman, who was being forced down into his chair. A girl with short hair and a sharp smirk smashed his head onto his desk. While he was dazed, another girl ran up and pushed his chair away, sitting on the desk he'd just vacated. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, adjusted her glasses, and turned to the camera. "Ladies and gentlemen, trainers of all ages. This news broadcast has just been commandeered!"

"Thaaaaat's right!" the other girl added. She winked and laughed at the camera. Neither was a kind gesture. "Don't bother changing the channel, either--seeing as we just took over Sinnoh's television network. _All_ the channels are now ours, and they're all playing this! Why, you may ask?"

"That's a very good question!" the blonde one chirped. "And it can be answered quite simply!"

"It's because we're hosting a little tournament, and we want to make sure _everyone_ knows about it, don't we?"

"Oh yes. It would be very bad if someone didn't find out about this tournament. _Very bad_ indeed."

-.-.-

The two girls introduced themselves with the codenames of Houndoom and Stantler. They were the spokespeople for The Tournament. They, along with an unnumbered amount of people, took over Jubilife's television center, hijacked the airwaves, and started broadcasting. The building was now guarded at all times by at least one person and two Pokemon--and no pushovers, either. When I checked it out (since I _was_ in town), it had a Charizard circling the second story and a Victreebel and a rather muscular, intimidating man guarding the front doors.

The pair of girls took the training world by storm. They declared themselves loyal followers of Sayre's teachings and frequently condemned the lightweight trainers of the world. Neither of them could be identified, though they were on television for several hours and had their picture available to anyone. They were known only as Houndoom and Stantler.

Houndoom was the shorter of the two, with the shorter black hair, tips dyed ice blue. One would think that such a girl would be easily identified, but no such luck. Though it was highly possible that she only cut and dyed her hair prior to this. She had an obvious sadistic streak and casually mentioned killing trainers who weren't up to par.

Stantler was the blonde girl with glasses. She seemed to be a little quieter, usually letting Houndoom do most of the talking and raving, but that wasn't to say she was any better. She backed the other girl up frequently, exchanging grins and jokes about dark, bloody things that made me cringe. I would say she was the saner one, but something told me that she really was just as bad as Houndoom.

The two girls talked for several hours on live television, then launched into what appeared to be a pre-recorded infomercial about what they called The Tournament.

On paper, it was simple in premise. It would be a battling tournament for all of the trainers in the region. _All_ of them. For those who didn't participate, it was stated that they would be hunted down and killed with their teams.

For those who entered, well, they had to participate then. It would be a simple sort of tournament, with the winner proceeding to the next round to fight in that one. The one who won all of the rounds would be the winner. What they won, no one knew, and it wasn't even mentioned in the pre-recorded message.

"And, for every round that you win, you get to keep one more Pokemon alive!" Stantler said with a cheery smile, beaming at the camera. "So, if you win in round one, then you may have one Pokemon. Sorry, but the rest will have to die."

"You should have tried harder!" Houndoom added in, faking a serious, stern expression.

"If you win two rounds, you may keep two Pokemon, three will get you three, and so on and so forth. Everyone understand?"

"Don't worry if you don't, because this message will be played again. And eventually, we'll get off our lazy tails and draw a diagram for you all!"

"Um, yes. Anyway, this means that you only have to survive six rounds in order to keep your team. And don't worry, trainers, we aren't counting the Pokemon you have in your PC. These rules only apply to your teams," Stantler continued smiling.

Houndoom elbowed her in the side, grinning. "Even with all of the trainers stopping their training in the region, we'll have plenty for six rounds, right?"

"Of course!"

"See? So there is absolutely _nothing_ to worry about."

They both made me sick.

I stayed in the Center for the first time since Nick left, mostly so I could keep an eye on the television. There were rules to The Tournament in the infomercial--which was played several times throughout the night, presumably while they slept--and it was stated that this was all for the greater good. It was to separate the real trainers from the fake ones, the ones who _really_ cared about their Pokemon from the ones who didn't.

There were a couple other trainers in the Center, all staying there only for the TV like me. One of the smarter ones figured something out that had the rest of us in silence. "If you are allowed to keep one Pokemon per round you survive, what of the ones who don't win the first round? They aren't allowed to keep any? Because if that's the case--that's _half_ of the training world they just eliminated. And it's another half of that half--one fourth of the training world--that will be left with only one Pokemon after the first round."

That was staggering. Seventy-five percent of the training world would have one or _none_ Pokemon. The training world was already shrinking, too, so it wasn't as if there were that many of us left. And most of us would be left with one or none? Half of us none, a fourth of us one single Pokemon… I drew my knees up to my chest, suppressing a shiver.

"If my calculations are correct… The percentage of trainers who will be allowed to keep a full team of six is only… One point six percent."

If The Tournament was allowed to happen, and went according to their plan, that meant that less than _two percent_ of the training population would be allowed to have a full team. That didn't apply to me, since I only had three, but I knew it applied to most trainers. Imagine someone with a full team, losing in the first round…

It was absolutely horrifying. What made it a million times worse, however, was that they honestly thought they were following Nick's orders to find trainers worthy of their teams. I finally figured out what the followers were, and I was rapidly figuring out that they had a bit of a hold in the population, too. It seemed like a lot of the stronger trainers agreed with him.

Still, strong or not, it sounded like everyone was roped into this. The prospect of being hunted down and killed wasn't appealing to anyone. As the days of the broadcast wore on, more trainers flocked to Jubilife. I wasn't sure why I didn't leave, but I didn't. I had to stick around and find out what was really going on, and if someone would put a stop to it.

Four days into the commandeered broadcast, Byron appeared. He was as angry as I'd ever seen him. He stomped into the Pokemon center, panting and swinging his shovel, and demanded to speak with the Nurse Joy. They talked quietly for awhile, making some sort of plans. I kept peeking over the edge of the couch at them, wondering if he'd recognize me if I tried to greet him somehow. Were they planning on getting the station back? Storming the building?

If so, I wanted in.

Houndoom and Stantler made me sick. Sick and mad for what they were trying to do. Sure, The Tournament hadn't started yet--they were still trying to pick a date and location (on air), while encouraging trainers to head to the nearest city until it was sorted out--but it was obvious that that was already happening. They were causing terror and anxiety in the masses. I caught more than one hapless, newbie trainer crying and hugging some weak little starter in the Center.

"Alright, listen up!" Byron banged his shovel against the floor, earning a nasty look from the Nurse but successfully capturing our attention. "Most of you should know me, but for those who don't, I'm Byron. I'm the Gym leader of Canalave, the next town over. Jubilife doesn't have its own Gym, so there's no one really in charge of trying to spearhead this operation. I'm taking that role for now, but other Gym leaders are coming here soon enough to help with the situation.

"Of course, we're going to beat them to that! I am planning on breaking into that building and shutting down that little _operation_ of theirs and whoever else is in on it. We don't need this sort of thing in times like this, so we're shutting it down. What I want to know is if any of you will volunteer to help with this." He leaned on his shovel, pausing for the first time. A couple of us looked at each other. Byron rolled his eyes and continued.

"This isn't going to be particularly hard, especially if I get a good bunch of you to help me. But first--tell me. Has anyone tried to break into the station yet?"

"Yeah, one kid. He got sent to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and broken arm. His Lopunny is still here being treated," the smart one of our group piped up. Nurse Joy nodded with a frown.

Byron growled to himself, grinding his teeth. "…Well, I'd like to see them try something like that with my team. Any of you up for helping? It sounds like it'll be a little dangerous, but just think of the alternative. Are any of you interested in going through with that tournament idea of theirs?"

"I'll help," the smart kid said, raising his hand. Immediately, I raised my hand too. So did two others.

But that was all.

Byron nodded appraisingly. "…I recognize three of you from your Gym challenges. None of you are pushovers. I'll be glad to have your help."


	64. Providence In The Fall Of A Sparrow

It felt a little weird, being suited up for war. Oh, sure, it was just a seizure of a single building… But we weren't taking any chances. Times were desperate, after all. Pokemon and trainer killing was running rampant, and Byron and Nurse Joy both agreed that we should take all of the precautions possible. It wasn't confirmed that they had any firepower aside from Pokemon, but that seemed to be all that they needed.

Still, it was definitely disturbing to have to wear a bullet-proof vest and a helmet. I really felt like I was going to war.

"Each of you, no more than two Pokemon out. This isn't going to be a battle royale. I want you to know where your team is _at all times_, got it?" Byron said gruffly, hefting his shovel. It looked like a weapon in his hands.

I chose to use Carlita and Ike. Not only were they faster than Des, but they were also somewhat more… I didn't know how to put it. But they could take care of themselves. Carlita was a fighter, and Ike was, well, a monster. I was worried, but at the same time, I could trust them to be smart about this and stay out of harm's way. At least, I _really_ hoped so.

Carlita was given a helmet, too, but since we didn't have one to fit Ike, he just got a vest. He didn't seem to like it very much, though, and kept scratching at it. I told him to stop it, since it might very well save his life, but he just gave me a look in response. I wasn't sure what the look was supposed to mean, but it unnerved me nonetheless.

The four of us who had volunteered left our extra Pokemon with Nurse Joy. Just in case. "Now, listen up. We're going to march in there, cut the power, and then take back the building with force if necessary. Don't fight with someone unless it's necessary. And even then, pick your battles. If you come across a Pokemon with an advantage to yours--_don't_ battle it! We don't know the levels of those Pokemon, but we can assume that they're not pushovers. Now, how many of you have all eight badges?"

I was the only one who raised my hand. Byron nodded at me, mouth set in a firm line.

"Alright, kid, then it's you and me. If you come across an enemy that's too strong for you, leave it to one of us. We'll take on the stronger ones. Try not to leave your buddy, but _definitely_ don't leave your team. Got that? We know how these people think, and let's not give them any openings to demonstrate their beliefs."

We left at dawn, because we knew for a fact that Houndoom and Stantler both slept in. We didn't know about the rest of the building, but at least we were guaranteed that two of them would be asleep. Then again, we didn't even know how many were in the building at all, so… Well, going in blind would be putting it lightly.

The muscular man, the Victreebel, and a Toxicroak guarded the entrance. We had an Alakazam with us who quickly dispatched all of them, knocking them out without a sound or movement. The Alakazam and its trainer were also who we were supposed to go to in order to get Teleported out if things went badly. I only hoped that I wouldn't have to leave that way.

Byron gestured us in silently. We followed as quietly as we could, but since we were little more than a bunch of kids, we probably weren't nearly as silent as he was. I stayed close to my Pokemon, biting the inside of my cheek as we tiptoed into the lobby. I was nervous--no, I was more than nervous. I was panicked. This was the stuff movies and video games were made out of, not real life. Not to a fourteen-year-old.

Suddenly, the alarms went off. Byron swore pretty colorfully, pressing himself against the nearest wall. We mimicked him. Beside me, Ike crouched down in preparation of an attack, ears swiveling forward to hear better.

Before anyone else could react, he pounced. It turned out that he timed it just right; a teenage boy and a Machoke had just come down the stairs. Ike landed squarely on the Machoke's chest, pinning in with the force of his jump. The trainer gave a startled yell. Byron swung his shovel out and hit the boy with the flat side. He went down with a grunt and wasn't quick to rise again.

I pulled Ike off of the Machoke, since it was clearly unconscious. I had been worried that this would happen. Ike was enjoying this far too much. I kept my hand firmly clamped on the back of his vest, making sure he wouldn't misbehave further. I mean, it was good that he took down the Machoke, but he didn't need to get so carried away…

Carlita and one of the other volunteer trainers dragged the Machoke out of the way of the stairs. Byron knelt down and searched the unconscious boy, looking for its pokeball. No luck. "Well… We'll just have to hope they don't wake up before we're done. Let's carry them over there to the corner." None of us had thought to bring any rope along for binding captives. We hadn't thought we'd be taking any.

"Ike, settle down," I mumbled, tightening my grip on his vest. He didn't respond, instead looking up the stairway. I dimly heard footsteps coming down. "Uh, guys--?"

I was promptly shocked when Ike let loose a Thunderbolt up the stairs. I fell over, hissing at the burn on my hand, looking up the stairway to where another trainer fell down. There was a Vibrava crawling on the wall, unharmed by the electricity, wings buzzing loudly and angrily. It opened its mouth and shot a jet of blue flames down the stairs at us. Ike and I dove out of the way.

"What's up there?" one of the others shouted, surprised by the attack.

"A Vibrava! We couldn't zap it!" I yelled back. I ripped a piece of my shirt off to bandage my burned hand, giving Ike a dirty look in the process. "Ike, calm down. You don't have to be in such a rush to--Carlita!" She rushed past me up the stairs and out of my sight. I scrambled after her, leaving my Luxray for the moment. I got to the stairway just as she ducked under another attack and grabbed the Vibrava by the wings. She swung it around twice, building momentum, and flung it down the stairs. I barely got out of the way in time to avoid getting it thrown in my face.

Byron looked at the dazed Vibrava, surprised. Then he looked up at us. Carlita grinned and bounced back down the stairs to where we were standing. "Bre!"

"…Good job," the Gym leader said gruffly, brushing past us up the stairs. I had the feeling he wanted to say something else. But that was just a feeling.

I gestured Ike over, and after making sure I wasn't touching him, we followed Byron and the other trainers up the stairs. The ground floor wasn't that hard. But we also lost the element of surprise now, thanks to the alarms going off and the rather loud fighting. I grit my teeth, grabbed Carlita's claws in my hand, and entered the second floor.

The Charizard I had spotted days ago was found, breathing fire. Byron, the smart trainer, and one of the other trainers were crouched down behind his Bastiodon, trying to avoid the flames. He spotted me and shouted, "Some help would be nice! He can't keep this up all day!"

"Ike--" Ike, naturally, had already taken matters into his own paws. He used another Thunderbolt on the Charizard, successfully cutting off its attack and drawing its attention to us. He snarled a warning to the dragon, who roared right back. "Ike, be _careful_!" I ducked out of the stairway, dragging Carlita over to where the other two trainers and their Pokemon, the Alakazam, a Pelipper, and a Staravia, were fighting off two other trainers and their four Pokemon. Carlita jumped into the fray gleefully, kicking a Gastrodon in the side.

Behind me, the Charizard finally went down. Unfortunately, I was too far away this time to immediately stop Ike. I had to run across the battlefield, narrowly avoiding a Nidoqueen's Ice Beam, and physically wrench him away from the Charizard. The Luxray growled at me, dark fur crackling with static as a warning. I ignored him and hauled him back by the vest. The Charizard was already bloody and burned in several places, not to mention unconscious. We were not here to slaughter the enemy. Just to recapture the TV station.

"Ike, stop it! These aren't wild Pokemon!" It was the only thing that came to mind that he might understand. "Ike, _let go_!"

He finally dropped the Charizard's wing, and with a snarl, turned on me.

I was so surprised I couldn't even bring up my arms to defend myself. Sure, Ike had always been a little monster, sure, he had attacked me and my team before, sure, he had never quite adjusted to being a trained Pokemon, and _sure_, Konstantin had warned me about this. But I had never really expected my own Pokemon to attack me. Not viciously, not with teeth and fangs and static.

I fell over, my Luxray on top of me, teeth buried in my shoulder. I felt more numb than anything else.

Someone was suddenly pulling Ike off, shouting and swinging a shovel. Next thing I knew, Carlita was screaming and standing over me, jumping from foot to foot fearfully. The Alakazam was called over, and all three of us were Teleported back to the Center.

Or, at least I thought it had been three. Byron was still here, though, holding Ike by the vest as if he was a kitten. "What do you think you were doing, letting this feral beast out?!"

"Ike isn't--"

"I thought the Machoke was a fluke, but it was going to kill that Charizard if you hadn't intervened! And then it turned on its _trainer_?!"

Ike yowled something incomprehensibly. He kicked at the air, sparking. Byron completely ignored him. I sat up and placed my arm over my bleeding shoulder. I wasn't hurt that badly, all things considered. Carlita fretted over me, craning her neck to try to see the wound, all the while making whimpering sounds. "_Trainer's hurt, Trainer's hurt…_"

"Carlita, I'm fine. Byron, put Ike down. I'm fine. He just… He's just a little overexcited sometimes," I lied, getting to my feet. I wasn't even bleeding that badly. I'd been hurt _way_ worse before. Ike's attacked had surprised me more than anything else. "Let's get back to--"

"No. You remember the deal, right? The second someone gets hurt, they're back at the Center. We all agreed on that," he interrupted harshly, dropping Ike on the carpet. At least he had the sense to look sorry, ears laid back and tail tucked between his legs.

"I'm fine."

"You're bleeding."

"I've bled before."

"You're staying here."

"Byron, you and I both know that I'm the strongest out of them. Without Ike and Carlita, they're at a disadvantage. Not to mention the fact that you're just standing here, lecturing me, instead of helping!" The Gym leader looked down at that, studying his boots. I snorted and looked down at my two Pokemon. "I'm going back there. I don't care if you don't want me there. I've beaten you once and I'll beat you again if need be."

Byron scowled and turned back to the Alakazam. "…Bah! Fine. And here I thought you'd have a bit of sense. But you're getting patched up at the very least."

"…Okay."

It was a tense delay, waiting for the Nurse Joy to wrap up my shoulder (and scold Ike as well). I was starting to think that it really had been some sort of accident, judging on the way he was acting. He really, honestly, acted sorry. It was surprising, but also a good thing. It meant that I could take him back to the station with me without having to worry too much.

Oh, I'd still worry, but reclaiming the station was at the top of my mind. We had to stop the broadcast and those crazy girls and their tournament at all costs.

So with my shoulder wrapped up, Ike apologetic, Carlita calmed down, and what just happened pushed to the very back of my mind, Byron and I Teleported back to the second floor of the TV station. We were horrified at what we found.


	65. Oft We Mar What's Well

"How nice of you to join us, Byron," Houndoom said sweetly, leaning on one of the tied up trainer's shoulders. All three of them were tied up and placed against the far wall, well away from where we reappeared. Only two of them were conscious. Their Pokemon were in varying states of consciousness as well, though most of them were out cold or, by the look of the Staravia, worse.

I could hardly believe it. We were gone for all of a couple minutes, if that, and the station recapture plan was completely blocked. Not to mention the fact that we were now surrounded and, barring Teleporting out, captured as well.

"We were starting to think you two had run off for good," Houndoom added with a laugh. "But then again, I don't see why we'd doubted you. It wouldn't be very good for a Gym leader to abandon his trainers, would it?"

"Are you two really going to sit there and try to lecture me on morals?" Byron deadpanned.

"Perhaps," Stantler said as she raised a hand to cut off Houndoom's reply. "Then again, I think you're right, Byron. Gym leaders don't need any lecturing on morals. Sayre already did that for you, didn't he?"

I bristled and started to take a step forward, but Byron halted me with his shovel. "Quiet, kid. I'll take care of this," he hissed under his breath, eyes still locked on the two teenage girls. Raising his voice, he addressed them. "So then, you have hostages. Now what?"

"Actually, we don't have any hostages. We plan on releasing these trainers. We don't _want_ hostages, and we didn't plan for them, anyway." Stantler adjusted her glasses and shared a grin with Houndoom. "We only tied them up so they'd stop attacking us. So feisty."

"Then release them," Byron commanded, expression darkening. Houndoom and Stantler both laughed.

Then, much to Byron's obvious surprise, they said in unison, "Okay." Before he could form a proper response, both of them leaned down and started untying two of the trainers. The Alakazam between us glanced up at Byron curiously. "See," Stantler said simply, "We don't want hostages. We don't want to be the bad guys here. We're only doing the world a favor with The Tournament. Like Sayre said, not everyone deserves Pokemon. We're just going to figure out who does and who doesn't."

"Why don't people have the right to become trainers if they'd like?" Byron challenged, apparently having recovered.

"Oh, they can. We just have to make sure they're good, capable people. Otherwise… Well, Byron, you're a Gym leader. One of the higher-ups. You should know why." I frowned as Houndoom continued talking as she untied the third trainer. "Every word Sayre said was true. You and I both know it. You've seen some things, gone through some things, that you wish hadn't happened, right? You've seen what Pokemon in the wrong hands can do."

She finished untying the third trainer, laying the unconscious boy down on the ground almost gently. Immediately, Byron was standing above her, shovel raised for a strike. The Alakazam was beside him, holding its spoon against Stantler's chest, right above her heart. I wasn't even aware they'd moved. "Flygon!" Houndoom shouted, right before Byron brought the shovel down on her head with a _clang_.

Byron was thrown across the room with a Psychic. One of the humans guarding the stairwell stepped forward, an Espeon on his shoulder. Byron groaned and tried to get back up, but the Espeon growled, forehead jewel glinting, and he stayed down.

The Alakazam holding Stantler against the wall with its spoon glared at the Espeon. Stantler grinned down at it, though, looking positively demonic. "Your move, psychic. Do you want to fight, or do you want to save the trainers? It's up to you at this point."

Slowly, the Alakazam lowered its spoon. Stantler's grin faded into something vaguely triumphant, and she turned to me for the first time. I took a step back. "You're all monsters for what you're trying to do," I told her flatly.

"Mild-mannered trainers don't make history," she replied with a wave of her hand. She then knelt by Houndoom, checking the short-haired girl's pulse. She nodded to herself, stood up, and turned to the boy they called Flygon. Which was just great, since it meant that they were more of their codenames and more trainers we couldn't identify. Looking around the room, I saw that there were maybe a dozen trainers, with about three times that many Pokemon. Enough to hold down the TV station comfortably.

In fact, I wouldn't doubt it if they'd been expecting some sort of attack.

"So then. Are you going to help the unconscious one out, or are you going to stand there like an idiot?" Stantler asked, gesturing to him. I scowled at her.

"You're… still letting us go?" I half-expected them to execute us on national television to make a statement.

"Of course. You four still have to compete in The Tournament, after all," she scoffed. She adjusted her glasses, crossed her arms, and swung her weight to her other leg. "Get over here and help. You, Alakazam, Teleport them out. And if you try to come in here again… Well, it won't be as pretty as this time."

I made a move towards Byron, only to get my foot encased in ice by an Ice Beam. Stantler narrowed her eyes at me.

"No. I told you to get _this_ trainer, not the Gym leader. Leave him be."

"But you said--!"

"I said the _trainers_ would be let go. Byron doesn't have to compete in The Tournament. So he's going to stay and keep us company. …And, okay, _maybe_ we want a bit of leverage. After all, we were hardly expecting five people to get this far. So, here's the ultimatum: if you attack us again, we will kill Byron. If you stay nice and quiet and participate in The Tournament, we'll let him go when it's all over."

I swallowed, throat dry. I nodded. There wasn't anything else I could do. All four of us were escorted out of the building, after being told to return our Pokemon. One of the other's Pokemon, the Staravia, died. The rest of them were injured, but alive. Thankfully alive. The four of us were given scraps of paper. Stantler explained that they were good for one round, since we had done "such a good job of trying to conquer the enemy, showing your bravery, blah blah blah."

The TV broadcast had caught most of that, too. Our defeat, their win, and Byron tied up and held as a hostage for all the world to see.

Grinning at the camera and now awake, Houndoom exclaimed, "Well folks, we've decided on a time and place for The Tournament! Doesn't that just excite you to bits and pieces?"

"Yes it does!" Stantler agreed.

"The Tournament will be held here, in Jubilife City, in one week's time!" Houndoom spread her arms wide, nearly hitting Stantler in the head. "I think that's plenty of time for trainers from all over the region to appear, don't you think? I certainly do! The opening ceremony will start at noon, so don't be late! For the rest of the week, we will be updating our website--or, actually, the television station's website, haha--with the details. This includes who will be participating at what time, against who, and so on.

"Now, as a reminder, if you don't participate, you will be exterminated. After all, if you can't handle a measly little tournament, you aren't fit to be a trainer, are you? So you have a week to get your tail end to Jubilife--or find one _hell_ of a hidey hole."

-.-.-

True to their word, the girls had hijacked the station's website as well. The trainers in the Center reluctantly checked. "How did they get all of our names?! Even with people quitting… There's way too many trainers in Sinnoh to just gather this information on their own!" That was the common consensus.

Unfortunately, that smart trainer was still, well, smart. "They hacked into the training database. It's not that hard to do with the right equipment--I did it once on a dare. It has all of our information on it, from blood type to age to current team to PokeDex location."

Well, since my PokeDex was still sitting in the bottom of Sendoff Spring, I had a feeling that they didn't have _all_ of the information. Still, it was pretty scary to think that they had all of this information on all of the trainers in Sinnoh.

The website was updated hourly, listing the trainers in alphabetical order, according to their last name. They were told the exact time of their first round, where it would be located, and the name of their opponent.

I had thought long and hard about participating. On one hand, it seemed like they couldn't track me without my PokeDex's GPS. On the other, did I really want to risk that? I didn't fancy being hunted down and murdered in my sleep. Then again, I didn't fancy _any_ of this. I didn't want to battle to keep my team, I didn't want to have to make other people lose their Pokemon if I won, and I didn't want to have to listen to anything those twisted girls said.

Chin in hand, I thought about what had happened and what would happen. Konstantin left, so I was down to a three-Pokemon team. I knew we were strong, though, and the girls hadn't said how many Pokemon would be allowed in a round in The Tournament. I was more worried about Ike.

I wasn't certain where my worries with Ike started. He had attacked me. He could attack others. He could kill others. He could kill me. Would he listen to me anymore? Was Konstantin right all along? Was it some sort of accident or fluke? What if he killed other Pokemon? Was that allowed in The Tournament?

What happened if we _lost_?

That night, I found out that I was to battle at one forty-five against a June Velarde.

I also checked on other names. Hanna wasn't registered as a trainer, or else she had been taken off the list. Jude was not Sinnohan, so he also wasn't on the list. Zoe, too, wasn't from here. My parents weren't trainers anymore, so neither of them were on the list.

Nick's name wasn't on the list.

I couldn't understand that. He was still definitely a trainer, no matter how you looked at it. Especially taking into consideration the followers he'd garnered. Maybe they had left him off the list as a professional courtesy?

But no--I scrolled down the page a little, and I found Stantler. Even _they_ were competing in The Tournament. She hadn't put her real name and instead put in her codename; I checked and found a couple names like that. Stantler, Houndoom, Flygon, Metagross, Fearow, Monferno, and more. So they weren't exempt, but Nick was.

Eventually, I just decided it was because no one had the guts to track him down and tell him he didn't deserve his team. I didn't blame them.

The Center became more and more crowded as the days wore on. I was informed I'd have to share a room--the first time I had done so since the Champion tragedy. It had been an even longer time since I'd shared it with a stranger instead of Nick. I mumbled out a greeting and suffered through introductions, then promptly didn't speak to my roommate for the rest of the week. He didn't seem to mind, at least.

The night before The Tournament was to start, I got a text from Hanna. It simply read, "Are you competing?"

I didn't know how to respond, so I didn't.


	66. Argues Rottenness Somewhere

June Velarde turned out to be a quiet, resigned girl who had already given up. "I'm not going to battle you. I only have two Pokemon, one badge, and I've seen your interview for the Elite Four. I don't stand a chance. I'm not going to put my Pokemon up against you as their last battle," she told me hollowly, staring down at her sandals.

"But…" What could I say to that? We had just met, and it was two minutes before our scheduled battle. I still didn't know what I was going to do. I was half hoping there would be some sort of catastrophe to stop it all.

June bowed at the waist, her long, brown hair falling over her shoulders. "At least you won't have to tire out your Pokemon."

"But--! Just wait a _minute_, will you?" I grabbed her by the arm before she could go off to talk to the judge. She was probably only ten or eleven, and, as she said herself, with two Pokemon and one badge. In a conventional battle, she really didn't stand a chance. It made me wonder how many other trainers there were like her in The Tournament.

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly. I noticed then the dark rings around her eyes and how bloodshot they were. I also noticed that she was wearing an awful lot of black.

She wasn't the only one, either. Almost half of the trainers who'd shown up were wearing a black shirt, or dress, or skirt, or _something_. It made the city look like a giant funeral. And really, that was what it was turning into.

"Don't give up like that! Wh-Who knows, maybe you'd--"

"If I won, _you'd_ lose. Did you think about that?" she replied nastily, jerking her arm out of my grasp.

"Do you think you could win against a different opponent?" I asked her as she walked away. She slowed, but she didn't stop.

"…I haven't got a different opponent. I have to battle you."

"Want a ticket good for skipping a round? You'll be guaranteed one of your Pokemon then, and you'll only have to win in the second round. Against a different opponent." None of us had ripped up our coupons for a free round. We hadn't had the courage to. I saw one of them already hand in the scrap of paper to the judge.

June fully stopped, turning back to stare at me with unreadable eyes. "…Why would you do that?"

"I can't fight a little girl, now can I?" I responded with a weak smile.

That was how I ended up giving away my get out of jail free card. I think it was worth it. June finally gave in and smiled, even if there were tears in her eyes. I had thought naively that I was allowed to skip ahead to the next round, too, since I didn't have an opponent, but I was just given to another person to battle. There were the ones who didn't show up, so there were plenty of people given new opponents.

"What--What happens if this ends in a tie?" I asked as I was pushed out onto the battling field. I didn't even get to meet my opponent this time.

The judge suddenly stepped aside as Houndoom walked onto the field, hands on her hips. She grinned at me. "Nice try, but no cigar. If it ends in a tie, you both lose. We're operating under the principle that you should have tried harder."

"What are _you_ doing here?" I snapped, knuckles white on Des' pokeball.

"You think I'd miss this battle? Stantler and I are paying _very_ close attention to the battles of those who tried to attack the station. Let's see, there were four of you. One of you is scheduled for a later battle, one of you used the coupon, and one of you _lost_. …Alright, battle time! Good luck!" Houndoom cackled and waved, standing beside the judge to watch the battle.

I called out Des, peering across the field to try to see my opponent. All I could see was that it was another girl, older, and dressed completely in black. The release of her Pokemon immediately evicted a sneeze in me. I covered my nose and tried to catch my breath, but instead I sneezed again, and again. I could feel the shiver go down my spine even as I stumbled back, wiping my nose on my sleeve.

True enough, an Electabuzz stood across from Des, flexing and crackling with electricity.

"…Wait a moment… You were the kid who was attacked by the Abomasnow, weren't you?" I blinked, trying to get the tears out of my eyes, to where the Electabuzz's trainer was talking to me. She circled around the field, calling for a timeout. I jogged over to her, sneezing again, thankful for the chance to talk before the battle began. Maybe they'd let me pass if I was allergic to the opponent's Pokemon?

I missed the odd look Des gave the Electabuzz.

Up close, the girl seemed familiar. She was in her late teens and stood taller than I did, and was dressed head to toe in black. Her ebony hair fell over one eye and her black boots clicked impatiently from where she tapped it on the ground. Finally, after looking me up and down, she said, "I remember you. You are the kid who the Abomasnow attacked."

"Y-Yeah," I said. I was almost accustomed to that title.

"You don't remember me." It wasn't a question. The girl sighed. "I was there in the Center, too, during that time. I beat your little friend in chess. I was there to challenge Candice and happened to get snowed in… I'm Lola, remember now?"

I peered up at her, suppressing another sneeze. She _did_ seem familiar… I very vaguely remembered a girl in all black. Rena and I had made fun of her, and she had beat Devon in chess. So we had met before, and now we'd have to battle for the lives of our Pokemon. How twisted.

"So--a-are we going to battle? Or do you have some sort of pl-plan?" I asked between sneezes.

"My plan is to battle until I win. …I just wanted to make sure it was you. Smart move, too, calling out your Camerupt. I'm an electric trainer. But you probably didn't remember that, either." She ended the timeout with a wave, much to my annoyance.

"Wait--what do you mean you're battling--?!"

"Trainers, return to your boxes. The battle is beginning."

I miserably returned to my box. I had the advantage, which was good, and it meant that I could stall with Des. But Lola seemed perfectly intent on following the rules, even if it killed my team in the process. I was pretty sure I could beat an Electabuzz with Des, even if they were equal in strength, just because he was immune to all electrical attacks. I was more worried about keeling over from allergies before that.

"Rain Dance!"

Suddenly, things got bad.

Clouds came together overhead, and slowly, it started sprinkling. Then, pouring. Des snorted in annoyance, shying back towards me, the volcanoes on his back bubbling. Rain Dance as a move wouldn't hurt him, but it definitely wouldn't help him. His fire moves would only be half as powerful now. And if she called out a water Pokemon…

The Electabuzz swung its arms, grinning at Des. I narrowed my eyes at it. It turned and grinned at me instead, blinking at me. It reeled back, stopped swinging its arms and stopped grinning, and stared at me in astonishment.

It was because of its reaction that I figured out what just happened and how much karma truly despised me.

"Lo-Lola, where did you get that--a_choo_!--Electabuzz?" I shouted uncertainly.

"I picked him up in Sunyshore when I left Snowpoint. Why does this matter?" she replied flatly. "Light Screen!" The Electabuzz ignored the order.

It--he--took a hesitant step forward. "…Ele?"

I took a step backward. Oh no. I was right. This was _my_ Electabuzz. I sneezed again, blinking rapidly to try to keep my vision clear. This Electabuzz, out of all the Electabuzz in the world, had been mine once. I'd left him at Sunyshore because I was so allergic to him, and apparently Lola the electric trainer, who followed us from Snowpoint, had decided to pick him up at the Pokemon Center. I'd told the Nurse Joy to give him to a good trainer who could treat electric types right. And, well, Lola certainly fit the bill.

I was simply staggered at my rotten luck and the fact that I had to face my own Pokemon in a battle that would literally decide who would live and who would die.

That also meant that if I beat Lola, that Electabuzz would die.

Nearing panic, I turned to the judge. "I-I can't battle!" I returned Des and turned my back on Lola and the Electabuzz. Even if he was hers, even if he had been for years now, he had been mine once. I couldn't battle him now, not when the stakes were so high.

Houndoom frowned at me. "Are you forfeiting? _Really_? And here I thought this would be a good battle!"

Was I forfeiting? "Y-Yeah, I forfeit!" I wouldn't battle the Electabuzz and condemn it to death. Even if Lola was in the wrong by agreeing to The Tournament, her team didn't deserve to die.

"You're really a disappointment," Houndoom said snobbishly, crossing her arms as she stalked off.

-.-.-

The losers were all put in an almost-empty building to wait out the first round. As if we weren't panicked enough. I managed to secure a corner by intimidating a couple of bawling kids, set my back against the wall, crossed my arms, and sat down.

Okay, so that hadn't gone exactly as planned.

Originally, I'd been hoping to somehow save the day and cancel The Tournament. Maybe defeat Houndoom and Stantler and their lackeys in the process, free Jubilife and Byron, and then go on with my happy life of alternating between running from and hunting down Nick. I hadn't planned on losing in the first round. Sure, I hadn't exactly planned on winning, either, since it meant death for my opponent. But I hadn't planned on _losing_. Somehow winning, rescuing the losers, stopping The Tournament…

I put my head in my hands, sighing. Things definitely hadn't gone as planned, not one single bit. I didn't care that I never had a plan. But at least I had gotten June and Lola into the second round. At the very least, I just saved two Pokemon's lives. Lola was strong, too, and playing to win--she'd go on farther, I was sure. At least those two were okay, provided June won her second round and then dropped out with her team fully intact.

I was still okay. I saved two lives, more by implication. That wasn't so bad, right? And I still had time. I still had my team with me. I could fight my way out.

Yeah--that was it. I could fight my way out. I wasn't a pushover--oh no. I was the trainer of team awesome, and we could take down anyone. Yes, _even_ a water Pokemon. We could easily fight our way out of this, save all of the other losers, and band together to stop The Tournament once and for all. No one actually had to die. We had strength in numbers. They couldn't stand up to half of the training world.

I stood up, breathing a little easier now. Team awesome was back in business.

As more people filtered into the building, most of them crying or wearing hopeless expressions, I released my team. Des was immediately on guard again, looking around him warily until he figured out that we weren't on the battlefield anymore. Carlita and Ike, having no clue what was going on, sat there until they noticed how tense we both were.

"…_What's going on?_" Ike asked with narrowed eyes.

"We're fighting our way out of here." I grinned at them with a bravado I didn't feel. This was worse than getting geared up for war. This _was _the war. Too bad we were missing our gear now. Ike moved, as if to get to his feet, but apparently thought better of it. He was staring at me with an expression I couldn't recognize, though.

I suddenly had the sinking feeling that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. My Luxray curled his lip, grinning at me. "_Master Trainer, why are we fighting our way out of here? This does not seem like the winner's circle to me, unless I am gravely mistaken._"

"_Trainer forfeited the first round to save the Electabuzz_," Des responded with what sounded alarmingly like a growl. Ike shied away from him, ears laid back.

Carlita looked from Des to me, frowning. "_Wait… Our Electabuzz?_"

"_What Electabuzz are you two rambling on about?_" Ike asked sourly.

"_We had another teammate before you, an Electabuzz Trainer had to release because of his allergies._" Once again, Des seemed agitated. I wasn't sure why, either, because we weren't even talking about breaking out of here anymore. It made me antsy. The Camerupt wasn't addressing Ike, though, instead focusing his lidded stare on me.

"_There was another electric Pokemon prior to me? Is this true?_" Ike demanded.

"G-Guys, why are we arguing about this _now_ of all times? I don't see how this matters--"

"_Of course it matters! I have put up with years of being your little electrical pet, you filthy human, in the name of becoming more powerful. Only now do I hear that you had one before me who was let off this hook you're strangling me with because of human allergies!_" the Luxray snarled, hackles rising. He sparked warningly and backed away from Carlita, who was between him and Des. The Camerupt snorted out a plume of smoke, the volcanoes on his back boiling up again.

"Stop it! All of you! Ike, it doesn't matter that I had an Electabuzz. I have you now and you are not going to change this! Stop talking that way!" I shouted. I ignored Konstantin's warning, I ignored what I had seen coming for months now--no, _years_--I ignored everything and tried to get my Luxray to _not do this_. Not now, not with so much at stake. Not ever.

This was happening now, though, and it seemed like I couldn't stop it. Ike roared and leapt at me--and was knocked out of the air by Carlita's tackle. She pinned him, ignoring the howling and electricity, and started punching. "_No! You do not attack Trainer, you are loyal to Trainer, you're supposed to be loyal to this team! You've always been a rotten, mean, terrible Pokemon, Ike! But you do not attack Trainer!_"

"Carlita, stop it!" I rushed over and tried to pry her off of him, since I was beginning to see blood splattering the wall beside them, but I couldn't. I turned imploringly to Des. The Camerupt surveyed me with bored eyes. "Des, don't just stand there! Help me--get her off of him--!"

"_Okay,_" he said in a monotone. He stomped the ground with one of his front paws, shaking the entire building. Carlita was knocked off of Ike and onto me. I barely had time to grab her again before she lunged at Ike. Even with my hold around her middle, she clawed the air in front of her, straining to attack once more. Des watched us flatly. "_Are you happy now?_"

"What--?! Des, _why_ would I be happy _now_ of all times?" Why was all of this happening. Why couldn't it have happened later, when we weren't in danger of dying? We could have rationally talked all of this out and fixed whatever problems our team had and then we could go back to being an almost-happy little family. "Guys, _please_, stop it!"

They didn't.


	67. But Some Become Great

"_I can't believe I ever listened to you for anything! You abhorrent human, I should have killed you long ago and used your blood as an appetizer as I slew the rest of this asinine, filthy team!_"

"_You stupid Luxray! You stupid, stupid, terrible, horrible, stupid Luxray! I don't see why Trainer ever wanted you! You've been nothing but trouble and weak and we've done nothing but try to help you! I wish Trainer had never caught you! I liked the Electabuzz better!_"

"_You reap what you sow, Trainer. You wanted Ike, and now you have to deal with this._"

People and Pokemon started screaming. I wasn't sure if it was because of us or if they had already started the executions. It was just what I needed right then; a time limit in which to calm down my team, make them make nice (at least temporarily), and get out of here. I couldn't even worry about other people now. They had to be on their own. I was much more worried about my team right then.

"_You disgusting plant, if you touch me again I'll rip out your claws and strangle you with your own tail! I will rip that thing off of your head and stuff it down your throat and watch you writhe in agony before you die! Then I'll do the same to that human of yours and I will laugh over your corpses!_"

"_Shut up shut up shut up! Once I get my claws on you again, you'll wish you would have run away or--or killed me! I'll make you shut up, stupid Luxray, and you will never hurt Trainer or Des or me ever again!_"

I was starting to lose my hold on Carlita. Ike was backed against the wall, hackles raised, tail lashing, eyes narrowed. Carlita was straining against my arms to get at him, waving her paws wildly, scratching at the air in between them. Des stood impassively by, watching us with hooded eyes. Carlita finally pushed me away with her tail and sprang at Ike. He used a Thunderbolt on her in midair, but that barely deterred her. She screamed and latched onto him with her claws, not even bothering with punching anymore.

It was then that I took matters into my own hands.

I jumped right into that fray, literally prying them apart. I pulled Carlita away from him, detaching her claws roughly from his hide and putting my body in between them to stop her from doing anything else. Immediately afterward, I turned on Ike, grabbed his ears, and slammed his head against the wall. There was hardly enough force to make him do more than wince, but at least I had his attention. Ike snarled and tried to push me away with his paws, but I ignored the claws and growls and the electricity and instead focused on pinning him.

Carlita threw herself against my back, reaching around me to get to the semi-stationary Luxray. Her claws nicked my neck; I didn't feel too bad about elbowing her in the chin to get her to back off again. I kept my attention on Ike.

"Ike, by everything that is holy in this world anymore, _listen to me_. You listen good. You are going to stay my Pokemon until we are safely out of here, you are going to follow orders, and you are going to loyally cooperate, or I--I'll turn you over to those sadists running this thing! I can guarantee you that they will _love_ a human-hater just as much as I do right now!" I shouted at him. Ike stopped struggling so much, though I hardly noticed. "If you ever try to turn on me again, I will _not_ let it end this happily! You and I have been through too much, and you've seen just what I can do, haven't you, Ike?! There is a _reason_ I've kept you around this long, and it's about time you freaking realized that, you spoiled, overgrown kitten! Life isn't fair, and you're not going to get away from humans! You've been a trained Pokemon for _years_ now, and you and I both know that you aren't going to stop getting the perks of that training anytime soon! You're still benefiting from being a part of this team, so stop your whining, your yowling, and _listen_ to me!"

Carlita opened her mouth to speak, I saw out of the corner of my eye. I let go of Ike, who seemed to be momentarily dazed, and whirled around to face her. The Breloom blanched, probably because I was still angry. And I _was_. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this angry, and it had never been at my own team. Then again, I had never been in this sort of situation before.

"Carlita, you do _not_ attack your teammates! Unless he's going for my throat--no, unless you see _blood_, and copious amounts of it, not my usual bleeding--no, unless I specifically _ask_ for you to help, you do not attack teammates! I don't care if you don't like him! You two have been on this team together for years now! It's about time you got used to each other! You didn't like Ike from the start, you never liked Konstantin, you only seem to like Des and me and that is only _half of the team_! You need to learn to cooperate--well, you all do!"

Carlita now had tears welling up in her eyes, and behind me, Ike was deathly silent. They seemed to be dealt with, however temporarily (and horribly), so I turned on Des. The Camerupt stared levelly back at me, seeming to expect this. He wasn't daring me to start; he was resigned to listening me out. And it was a good idea that he did that, too. I wasn't sure I could handle any backtalk at this point.

"Des, you are the _oldest_ and I think you're the most mature. You're supposed to be helping me a bit with this, aren't you? Isn't that what starters are for?! But half the time, you sit back and do nothing, and I'm getting tired of your passive aggressiveness! You need to--"

"_Trainer needs to be aware of what a hypocrite he's being_," Des interrupted calmly. So much for no backtalk. I cast about for some sort of retort, trying to get my train of thought back for my rant, but it was rapidly fading as he spoke more. "_You are the trainer. You shouldn't have to rely on me to keep the peace in this team. Or, if you had to, you should actually let me. Trainer, I'm strong now. I'm not afraid of water Pokemon. I can fight. I can keep Carlita and Ike in line. You never trust me enough to do that, though. Instead, Konstantin was right. You're too busy concentrating on ignoring Ike's impending betrayal, never getting past Carlita's previous trainer, and the black-haired human's defection has only made these matters worse. If you want to fix any of these problems, you're going to have to face them first._"

I flinched at the truth in his words (and the fact that it was the most he'd ever spoken at one time). It was like Konstantin all over again, only this time, I could hardly turn away my starter. Des stared me down, making sure I didn't look away. I wouldn't have, anyway.

Instead, I argued. "Pedestal, for being a starter, you--you've--I don't even know! I am _not_ being a hypocrite, I am trying to keep this team together! Do you just want me to just sit by and not shout some sense into you--?"

"_Get some sense yourself to start with. You have so many problems with training, but you're usually not this blind to what is staring you in the face. I'm your starter. Shouldn't you be able to trust me by now?_" Des asked, something like venom lacing his words.

"I--I _do_ trust you! Of course I trust you!"

"_Then why didn't you just ask me for help? Why didn't you ever ask me to help you with Nick, or with Ike, or with Konstantin, or during any of your trials? You wouldn't have let Carlita and me in on half of your problems had Konstantin not let it slip._"

"I was trying--"

"_You were trying to protect me,_" Des finished for me, translated voice oddly triumphant. He snorted out smoke and took a step towards me, his back volcanoes rumbling dangerously as he did so. Carlita and I both stepped back. "_You, the weaker human, were trying to protect me, the stronger, evolved Pokemon. Why is this?_"

"You were--You are--the water weakness--"

"_Look at yourself! Look at this team!_" the Camerupt bellowed. Suddenly, our corner of the room felt very, very hot. "_Have we ever come across something that has successfully stopped us?! No! We may have difficulties, but we overcome it as a team! Is that not why you got Carlita, to combat water Pokemon? And then you got Ike as extra insurance, and yet you still worry! Why can't you see how strong we have become? We don't need protecting! If anything, you do--and from yourself half the time!_"

I couldn't say anything to that. I really couldn't. I was left speechless. All of the anger I'd felt earlier evaporated away like my sweat in the face of his own fiery rage. All of the pent-up frustration and annoyance must've finally burst, and not just with me or Des. Ike had finally snapped and tried his rebellion. It just so happened to fail, so he was still a part of this team, at least for the moment. Carlita had finally decided to take out her anger on the Luxray, showing just how loyal she was to this team--at how attached she was to the one trainer she had left. Des was drawing the line, setting me firmly back into the trainer's position whether I liked it or not. He was the one fixing this team. My temper tantrum hadn't done the job, unless it was a catalyst for all the rest of this.

Maybe, somehow, this really would work out for the best. Maybe there was a catharsis in this mess for each of us. Maybe we could still be a team together, even after this.

I looked over my shoulder. Ike, blood staining his teeth and muzzle, looked back at me with an expression I'd never seen before in his eyes. I wasn't exactly sure, but maybe, maybe it was something like respect. I then turned to Carlita, who was shaking violently. She wasn't about to cry anymore, though. I avoided Des' gaze. "…Alright guys, I get it. I've been a sucky trainer. But, you know what, you've all had your sucky moments, too, so I say we're even so long as we all start with a clean slate now. I'll be better, I promise. Okay?"

Carlita gave me an immensely relieved, "_Okay!_"

"_Okay, Trainer_." I could hear the smile in Des' voice, though I still wasn't looking at him.

"…_Alright. For the moment,_" Ike grudgingly agreed.

I let out the breath I hadn't known I was holding. It only occurred to me _then_ how badly that situation could have gone. Not only would Ike have left permanently--no, that might've been one of the better results. Ike and Carlita might've fought to the death. I didn't want to think about that, though, and shook my head to try to get rid of the mental image. "O-Okay. Okay, guys. …Thanks. But!" I continued hastily, "We still have the major problem of a death sentence hanging over our heads."

"…_Oh yeah_," my Breloom said, looking guilty. She wrung her claws. "_Sorry._"

"Oh--uh--it's fine," I lied, reaching over and hugging her. She stiffened under my grasp, I couldn't help but notice, but at least she eventually relaxed into it. "We just need to get out of here soon. Real soon. Like, before the rest of the first round is over--"

I was interrupted by what sounded like a large bell and the sound of massive doors slamming shut. Houndoom's voice, amplified by a megaphone, resonated in the building packed full of panicky trainers and Pokemon. "Listen up, you lousy losers! The first round is over, so, well, you know what that means! None of you have been declared fit to be trainers. You don't deserve your Pokemon. Now we get to start the process of taking them away from you."

Being told I didn't deserve them, especially after what we'd just been through, rubbed me the wrong way. I even heard Ike growl. Then again, that was just our luck. We'd just have to be especially awesome now to make up for the time lost with our argument. There still had to be a way to save everyone in this building, including ourselves, before they started executing.

I glanced up at the sole television in the building, which had been broadcasting the end of the first round. It showed Houndoom, Stantler, and a couple other people and Pokemon standing outside of the building. Houndoom did indeed have a megaphone and was shouting at the building. "If anyone tries to escape from this, keep in mind that you will be hunted down! Of course--if you can get away, then props for you."

"What?!" _That_ was it?! They were hoping--no, _planning_--on people trying to escape. They wanted them to. After all, escaping would be much more entertaining for the hijacked broadcast.

But not only that, I realized. They knew as well as I did that trainers who _did_ deserve their teams (well, all of us did!) were in this building as well, and were giving them a semi-honest chance to escape. They were daring us to try to get out of here alive, probably operating under the principle that if someone could get away, then they were a real trainer. This was another test of theirs--and also a way for them to show _mercy_.

And that really pissed me off.

I hardly got a chance to renew my anger before the television showed Houndoom and Stantler barricading the main door to the building. A quick montage showed that the other escape routes were also blocked and guarded, as well as most of the windows. (A couple of the higher ones were left unboarded and somewhat unguarded, though, I didn't fail to notice. An open invitation for whoever had the courage to try for it.)

Then the TV showed Houndoom ordering a team of fire Pokemon to set fire to the building. The building I and numerous others were currently located (and locked) in.


	68. The Look of Accusation In Your Eyes

"_Oh, perfect. I've managed to lower myself to reconciling with a human just in time to taste the fires of hell_."

"Shut up Ike," I responded absently, looking around me wildly. Already, people were starting to panic. Hundreds of Pokemon were returned, their trainers probably thinking it was an act of mercy to take them out of the burning building. The television above us still broadcast what was going on outside. Fire Pokemon were steadily feeding and spreading the flames, while flying Pokemon hovered over them, fanning it. With such great help, the fire was spreading at an alarming pace. Already an entire side of the building had flames creeping at the highest windows.

Think, think. There had to be a way out of this. The windows, obviously--but there was all of four or five unblocked, and I wasn't the only one who had noticed that. People and Pokemon were trampling each other to try to reach the high windows. Bird Pokemon rammed themselves against the glass. Eventually, one of the windows broke. They were all abysmally small, though. I had to watch as a Fearow, screeching in fear and pain, tried to fit through the broken glass and tiny opening. It didn't make it and instead fell into the crowd below, shedding feathers and blood.

These were the first round losers, so it probably was too hopeful of me to think that there were many stronger trainers among the panicking masses. Even if there were, I couldn't pick them out. There was too much going on. Hundreds of Pidgey, Starly, Spearow, and other unevolved bird Pokemon flocked around the ceiling, squawking and making things worse. Fear and panic were spreading just as fast as the fire. That meant that I didn't only have to deal with the fire and imminent death. If I wanted to somehow be the hero, well, I couldn't get caught up in the mass hysteria and try to keep a level head.

It was sort of hard to do when Carlita was running circles around me screaming, however.

"Carlita, _really_?" I finally grabbed her by the tail and kept her still. Her screaming fell into a faint whimper. "Okay, I know the fire is freaking you out, but I need your help right now. Can you still lift me? Des, you're going to have to stand right there--no, up against the wall--now get on top of him, Carlita--" After my Breloom had calmed down enough (though she was still shaking) to pick me up, she clambered on top of Des and tried to push me up as high as possible. There was a window above us, and it appeared to be missing boards over it. It was too far out of my reach, though. We couldn't get out by window, then.

I hadn't really been expecting to, anyway. Carlita and I got back down and surveyed the situation again. So there was, what, a thousand or so in here? Maybe more? I wasn't a good judge of a crowd, but there was a lot of people, and a lot of Pokemon. A couple water Pokemon were spraying water at the front wall and at the flames that were creeping up under the door. That would buy us time, right? Another window overhead was broken, and this time, a trainer managed to get out. I didn't know how he got up there, but he did, and he dropped to the ground outside.

The television cameras followed him, which meant that the depraved girls in charge of it knew about the first escapee. Sure enough, Stantler appeared to challenge him, and ordered a Nidoqueen to attack him.

Still, it was hope. Someone had gotten out. It meant other trainers could, too, right?

At least, it was hope until we saw the Nidoqueen rip apart his Chimchar on live television.

The screaming and panic redoubled. The fire was starting to eat away at the front doors and had broken two of the boarded-up, ground-level windows, too.

Okay, so we had a pretty bad situation on hand. There was a fire, a locked warehouse, panicking masses, broken glass, and homicidal crazies waiting outside for us if we managed to get that far. But I had just managed to avert a personal crisis, so a real-world crisis would be nothing now. That was the (flawed) logic I was operating on, at any rate, and I clung to it stubbornly. I'd been in worse situations. I could handle a burning building and complete chaos.

"Des, can you knock down part of a wall?" I asked, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

The Camerupt shook his head. "_We tried that when we first came in, remember?_" We had tried a number of things when we first were shoved into the building, but I had been sort of hoping for some sort of comeback win from my starter. "_The wall is just too strong. Even if we tried to break through the fire-weakened wall, well, it's concrete. I can't._"

"I guess--wait. …You can't break down fire-weakened concrete, right? What about fire-weakened door that I'm pretty sure was made of wood?" Whatever it had been made of, it seemed to be highly flammable and was so much charred, flaming material at this point. It certainly looked weakened. The question was if a several hundred pound fiery camel could break it down…

It was the best shot we had.

"Ike, go find me a water Pokemon! Carlita, you come with me and Des. We're going to get out of here."

By the time I managed to fight my way through the hysterical crowd to the front door, Ike had rounded up a Pelipper. It seemed panicked, but I hardly blamed it; Ike had that effect on others. We'd have to fix that--but later. Everything later, once we were sure we'd survive the next ten minutes.

I craned my head around to try to find who owned the Pelipper, but no one came forward. I didn't know what to make of that. On one hand, this _was_ a literal madhouse we were in, and it was hard to fight through the masses. On the other, I didn't know what to think of a trainer who lost track of their Pokemon at _now_ of all the times in the world. It only seemed like it was driving the point home.

But nevermind that. "Ike, get the Pelipper to soak me. Carlita, return. Des, here--" I handed him Carlita's pokeball, making him hold it in his mouth, "--hold her and spit out her pokeball and let her go on the other side. They probably won't be expecting anyone to come out this way, but it seems like there are guards outside."

On the television looming above us, another trainer got out. This time, the girl managed to release her Pokemon and started putting up a fight. She had a team of three, and while they weren't newbies, they weren't exactly veterans either. They were fighting a losing battle. The trainer was screaming at the cameras and building behind her, pleading for someone else to come outside and help her.

"Okay, thanks," I said to the Pelipper, trying to smile as it dumped a mouthful of water on me. The water was lukewarm and felt too much like it had really just spit up on me. Still, with my hair dripping into my eyes and my clothes clinging to me, I figured I'd stand more of a chance of getting through that door now. I didn't know how much Des could knock down, but at any rate, I wasn't letting him and Carlita go out there alone. I returned Ike, tried to shake off the Pelipper, and turned towards the door. The heat emanating from it was already starting to dry me, so I figured we'd better hurry.

Of course, rushing through a burning door was easier said than done. I hadn't exactly done it before, and I wasn't looking forward to it, either. I shoved my hands into my pockets, tightly holding onto Ike's pokeball, and took a calming breath.

"Des, you run out in front of me. It won't hurt you, right? You and Carlita get out there and start beating some sense into those sadists, and I'm going to be right behind you."

"_This is dangerous_," he said quietly, shuffling towards me.

My water cover was still evaporating, and the hot air and smoke were starting to give me a sore throat. "We're getting out of here. You said to take charge, so I am. Go through that door. I'll be right out." I didn't need anyone second-guessing my plan right now. It was the only one we had. On the television, the girl and her three Pokemon fell. More people were guarding the windows now. The door was our best bet.

Aside from, you know, the flaming part.

"Okay." I took one last breath. "Let's go."

Des surprised me with the smart idea to use a Flamethrower on the door. While more flames were hardly doing anything productive (and were actually counterproductive, since now quite a space of the inside was burning merrily), the force of the attack made the doors _crack_ loudly. Still breathing fire at them, my Camerupt charged at the doors. At the last instant, he lowered his head like a battering ram.

I didn't see what exactly he did to the doors, since I ran after him. I ducked my head down, pulled my hood up, and held my breath. The wall of hot air before it was nothing compared to the fire itself. Whatever water I'd had on my body was immediately gone, and I could feel my skin heating up and burning.

But then, just like that, I tumbled out into open, albeit hot, air again. It was only a door, after all. I sucked in several lungfuls of smokeless air, clambering shakily to my feet. It felt like I had a bad sunburn on my face and neck, but other than that, I was still alive and more or less okay.

I turned back to look at the doors. There was a Des-sized hole broken into them, but there were still flames. I could see the panicked Pelipper on the other side, squawking and trying to douse the flames. The water attacks didn't seem to be doing much, though. Eventually, the bird gave up and flapped off, and the fire roared up once more, blocking the entrance to anyone save those who were stupid enough to try to get through them (like me).

"Hey! You got out, after all!" My head snapped around to find Stantler staring at me, a grin slowly spreading across her face. She jerked her thumb over towards the edge of the building. "Houndoom just left--you just missed her. She was waiting for you to come out. She wanted to be the one to fight you out here." Before I could stop her, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Houndoom!"

As most of the front wall was already in flames, there weren't many Pokemon on this side of the building anymore. It made things easier. Then again, we still had to face down Stantler and the Nidoqueen standing behind her, and there was no telling what other Pokemon she had with her or had access to. If I thought I could have outran her, I would have just returned my Pokemon and did just that. But she was tall and lanky, so I wasn't too confident on that.

But what I was confident in was my Pokemon. "Des, Flamethrower! Get a wall of flames up to separate us!" It was absolutely terrible of me, but I was thinking that if Nick could use that tactic, so could I. It worked for him, too, and he kept a great deal of people and Pokemon away from him. I needed to do just that.

The Nidoqueen just charged right through the flames, however, before they could even get that strong. Stantler ran down the line of fire, but Des circled around and kept making the line longer, until eventually, we had a half-circle around us and the opening.

Carlita leapt at the Nidoqueen, grabbing her tail and pulling. It was enough to stop her and make her roar. Carlita screeched at her in reply and used an Iron Tail on the Nidoqueen's leg. She roared again, but this time in pain, and limped hastily away from my Breloom.

While the two circled around each other, trading growls and insults, I released Ike. The Luxray looked annoyed at all of the fire, but as there was really nothing I could do about that and it was currently saving us, I ordered him, "Make sure none of the birds fly over the fire. You and Des make sure no one gets inside this circle, got it?"

"_Fine_," he grunted.

"Watch his back, okay? That's an order, too!"

"_Fine, Master Trainer,_" he replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

I ran back towards the entrance. It was still on fire, but more people had taken notice of it now. I could see a couple of Buizel and a Wooper using Water Guns on it, and it seemed to be starting to take effect. I gestured encouragingly to them and their trainers, since we couldn't hear each other over the fire. I wiped my brow; okay, it was _seriously_ getting hot.

So Carlita was taking care of the Nidoqueen, Des and Ike were making sure the entrance was safe for the moment, and some of the trainers still inside seemed to be cool-headed enough to try to extinguish their so-far only safe route out. Things were actually going _well_ for once.

Just as I thought that, however, I spotted Houndoom and a couple of Pokemon that were presumably hers run out to meet up with Stantler. There was a Floatzel with them, which was my initial worry, since it was probably strong enough to deal a whole lot of damage to Des. Plus, it could easily get through the line of fire.

Ike made it think twice about attacking with a Thunderbolt.

I turned in surprise to him, but he paid me no heed and grinned triumphantly at the wounded Floatzel. Houndoom screeched in anger and made a rude gesture at us all. Stantler laid a hand on her head (since she was the taller one) and pointed towards the flames separating us. A Rapidash jumped forward and over the flames effortlessly, landing beside Des with a delicate snort.

Des snorted at it and tried a Flamethrower, but the Rapidash countered with its own fire attack. Ike snarled at it, too, but the Floatzel soon took his attention again as it tried to get through the ring of fire once more. Carlita managed to finally bring the Nidoqueen down and stood triumphantly on her unconscious body, but that unfortunately made her a target. The Rapidash tore itself away from Des long enough to fire an Ember at her. It went over her head, but she shrieked and covered her head with her claws nonetheless, hastily jumping down.

She ran over to me, hiding behind me worriedly. She couldn't do anything against a Rapidash, so I patted her head and kept myself between them. If only I had another Pokemon. Another would even this out. Ike had his paws full trying to keep birds _and_ the Floatzel away. Des was still trying to feed the protective circle around us, trading fiery attacks with the horse. A ground move would take care of it pretty quickly, but we were all too close to him for him to risk it.

For the first time, I wish Konstantin hadn't left.

I saw a shadow pass overhead, and Ike looked up with his lips curled. I mimicked the action, wondering why he didn't take care of it. I soon saw why as Chase the Garchomp landed outside of the circle. Nick jumped off of him, holding something that looked to be a shovel. My breath caught, and by the look of it, so did everyone else in the area. Stantler and Houndoom looked as if they just met their hero--well, that wasn't too far from the truth.

I watched in horror as Nick raised the shovel over his head. He had a look in his eyes, visible even from this distance--I had never seen that look before, but I recognized it for what it was: he had murder in his eyes. With the fire roaring all around us, his black hair already stuck to his forehead from sweat, Nick swung his shovel at the two girls and screamed, "_What_ are you _doing_?!"


	69. It Is Cruelty To Be Humane To Rebels

I only watched as Stantler went down, something like blood suddenly staining her blonde hair red. Houndoom, shocked into silence for once, turned and watched her friend fall. Nick raised the bloody shovel again for another strike.

"Ike, _jump_! Des, Magnitude!" I yelled suddenly, only half aware of the fact that I was speaking at all. The Luxray leapt into the air as the Camerupt brought both of his front paws down onto the ground, cracking it. The Rapidash's legs buckled and it fell with a whinny. Carlita and I were both knocked off our feet, but not too much worse for wear. The fire around us suffered a bit, completely going out in some places, but that wasn't even on my mind.

Most importantly, Nick lost his balance and dropped the shovel. Houndoom fell, as did the Floatzel. Ike landed lightly on the ground, looking almost smug that he didn't get any of that attack.

Nick looked around for the source, and his eyes finally found mine.

Almost immediately, he looked away, something unreadable as his expression. He cast about him for something and knelt down. When he stood back up, the shovel was once again in his hands. Houndoom was getting up in front of him, not even looking at him and the shovel about to come down on her head.

"Someone--Stop him!" I shouted to no one in particular, wishing now more than ever that Konstantin was still with us. Then he could have just floated over and spooked Nick, or attacked him, or brought me over to him with a Shadow Sneak. I only now realized that the circle of fire that was once protecting us was now keeping us in.

Ike sent a Thunderbolt at him, but Chase intercepted it in the air easily. He did it again when Ike tried again. Des shot a Flamethrower at the Garchomp too, but once again, Chase effortlessly combated it with one of his own.

Carlita shot past me, and with a running jump, made it over one of the smaller patches of flames. She ran right into Nick, sending them both flying and skidding to a stop well away from the rest of them. He tore her off of him and sat up, trying to get to his feet. She tackled him from behind, digging her sharp claws into his shoulders. She hung on, even as he struggled to his feet and tried to force her off of him. Finally, he managed to get her off. It ripped a good portion of his hoodie and smeared blood over his exposed shoulders, but he got Carlita off all the same.

He ran over to where he'd dropped the shovel while she was getting back to her feet. For one heart stopping moment, I thought he was going to attack my Pokemon with it. I was almost _relieved_ when he swung it at Houndoom instead. She went down to the ground, obscured from my sight by the fire between us. Carlita screamed at him, but Nick ignored her and continued beating Houndoom with the flat side of the shovel.

Over the shouting, flames, and Carlita's screaming, I couldn't hear what he was saying. But he was speaking the entire time; I could see his mouth moving. With each swing, I noticed something splatter up onto his clothes. The shovel was dripping with the stuff. Stuff that looked red, that looked alarmingly like blood. Carlita, even as I shouted to stop her, lunged at him again--only to get halted by Chase. The Garchomp picked her up and, with a growl, tossed her back into the ring of fire. When I turned back from her, making sure she was okay, Chase was pulling Nick away from the fallen girls, snapping the shovel casually with one of his claws. He growled something softly and picked his trainer up, glaring at me over the fire. I backed up a step. Instead of attacking, however, he leapt into the sky.

Chase circled around us once, and then breathed down a jet of fire towards where the girls had fallen.

Behind me, trainers finally poured out of the burning building, screaming and gasping and sobbing as they did so. From around the corner, more of the supporters ran out, only to be confronted by the ever-growing flames. I only watched Chase and Nick fly off into the blood red sunset.

-.-.-

I hung my head in my hands. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried not to… Cry? Throw up? Scream? I didn't know. I didn't know so many things, but these unknowns were piling up on me, suffocating me, crushing me.

Video cameras, at least until they were burned up in the inferno, had taped the entire thing and played it _live_ on the air. No one stopped it. So all of Sinnoh got to see two teenage girls lock thousands of lives in a building and set it on fire. All of Sinnoh had seen the early escapees murdered. All of Sinnoh got to see my daring breakout and subsequent attack.

All of Sinnoh, once again, saw Nicholas Sayre murder.

The police, no longer blocked and beaten by the rebellious group, were still digging bodies out of the wreckage. Either all of that group were dead or had long since fled Jubilife. Not everyone had made it out of that burning building, either.

Not even _half_ had.

There was so much confusion and pain in the leftover of The Tournament. People weren't even sure where to begin. The death toll kept getting higher and higher. Investigators weren't sure who died of what--was it smoke inhalation? Trampled to death? Burned alive? The fire made everything ridiculously chaotic and blurry, since it destroyed so much. So much evidence, so many rationales, so many _lives_.

The media and public couldn't even begin to figure out who to blame. Nick's last-minute role in everything seemed to shock everyone. He had, after all, publicly, loudly, and violently renounced what they were doing. He beat that much into them. But hadn't Houndoom and Stantler been following his philosophies on training to begin with? The television station, now under its own control again, had a heyday trying to figure it all out.

Byron was dead, too. No one could figure out how he fit into it all. Did Nick kill him, too? He _had_ appeared with his shovel. But then again, it was the other group that had been holding him hostage and freely declaring they'd kill him if need be. Most people seemed to agree that it was Nick who did it, if only for the fact that they had a Gym leader serial killer on their hands to gossip about.

The Gym leaders hadn't known what to do. Roark and Gardenia were in Jubilife now, but what they had been doing, no one knew. The Elite Four and Champion were silent on the matter. The training government hadn't seem to do much--or, if they had, it simply hadn't worked. The trainers had been left on their own. It made for hushed, angry conversations and rebellious glares. Gym leaders and the Elite Four hadn't done anything. It was the trainers who had fixed it, however badly. Another Gym leader was now dead, which left their number at six, and the training population had been decimated far beyond that percentage.

I clenched my fists and rubbed my eyes, pressing my palms against them. I wasn't crying. Far from it. I took another deep breath. I had survived, my team and I had survived. We had minimal injuries. My shoulder was burned. Des had nearly exhausted his fire sac, and had taken a nasty hit on his leg from the Rapidash. Ike was worn out, too, sulky and rebellious still. Most of his injures came from Carlita. Carlita, however, was the most injured of us. She had minor burns and scrapes all along her body, the Nidoqueen had fractured her tail, and she was still shaken from the entire ordeal.

I still had to figure out what to do with them all, too. I wasn't looking forward to that part. Des and I seemed cool enough with each other now, but Ike was openly angry with me, and Carlita wouldn't stop shivering or whimpering. Not for the first time, I found myself missing Konstantin.

The day after the catastrophe, television crews found me. Someone had managed to put two and two together and identify me from the Abomasnow attack. More than that, though, they wanted to interview the hero who saved so many from the burning building.

Too bad I had aimed to save _all_ of them.

I continually brushed off reporters and cameramen, dearly thankful that they didn't figure out I had been friends with Nick, once upon a time. They pestered me, though, so I routinely had to retreat to my room in the Center for any semblance of privacy. I was putting off talking to my team, and I knew it. But I wasn't going to hold that conversation in Jubilife, and I couldn't easily get out of Jubilife without a squad of cameras following me.

Oh, if only I had known then what fate had in store for me. I probably would have rather dealt with them.

My phone had been ringing off the hook all throughout The Tournament. Most of it was calls from my parents or Hanna. Eventually, though, it stopped ringing. I didn't bother with feeling grateful for the small miracle. I found out soon enough, though, why the calls had stopped.

I peeked out into the Center lobby. There was a reporter and cameraman in the corner interviewing one of the trainers who had won the first round (and thus got out of the death fire that followed). As long as I could sneak by them, it looked like I would be home free.

Oh how wrong I was.

I took three steps out into the lobby, completely passing by the couple talking urgently to the Nurse Joy. I halted, however, when one of them turned around and demanded, "Where do you think _you're_ going, young man?!"

"…_Dad_?!" I hadn't been expecting my parents. The thought that they'd come to find me hadn't even crossed my mind. Sure, they were only a couple hours from Jubilife by car, but they weren't trainers. They didn't have to participate in The Tournament or worry about some of its ramifications. Nevermind the fact that their only son had been forced into it and lost in the first round, only to break out of the burning building in time to stop _nothing_ from happening--

My train of thought was cut off as my mother threw her arms around me and managed to lift me. I felt wetness on my forehead. I craned my neck back to see that she was crying. Not even little tears, either; she was fully crying, sobbing even, and by the looks of it, had been for the last couple days. "Y-You almost _died_!"

I didn't mention that that was _not_ a new occurrence. Instead, I flailed a bit until she set me back on the ground and let go of me. I tried not to notice that we'd caught the attention of the camera. "Mom… I'm fine." It was all I could say, really. And even that was a partial lie. What did one say to one's mother after _that_?

"You almost died!" she repeated firmly, voice shaking. "Those horrid, vicious people, trying to put on that--that barbaric fight! And making _you_ fight!"

"Mom, I'm fine. Really. See?" I waved my arms to demonstrate this fact. "Nothing's broken this time. I--I got out." My voice caught on that last part. Not for the first time, I realized how lucky I was to have survived that. The death count had already broken a thousand, and it was hardly starting to let up. In between the tear jerking recounts of what had happened, another story going on was how many more trainers were dropping out of training. So far, from what I could tell, about three-fourths of those who lost the first round (and survived) stopped training. About a third of those who won also quit. I wasn't very good with math, but I knew trainer numbers were dwindling.

"Y-You are coming home _right this instant_. You a-are stopping this dangerous training of yours--oh, I knew we shouldn't have let you start in the first place--an-and you are going to stop this! You will b-be safe at home with your family again!"

I pushed my mother away. My father, standing over us, narrowed his eyes warningly at me. I squeezed my eyes shut and balled my hands into fists. "No."

"Are you talking back to us? Are you _serious_ about trying to continue training after all of this?!" he said, voice dangerously quiet. He only got that tone when I was _really_ in trouble, but somehow, it didn't scare me as much as it did when I was younger.

"M-Mom… Dad… I _am_ serious about this. I have my team. We're all still alive. I'm sticking with them. They're my family, too--"

"_We_ are your family as well! We're not saying you have to get rid of your Pokemon! Of course they can come live with us--!" my mother cried desperately, trying to capture me in a hug again. I ducked out of her arms.

"These are _battling_ Pokemon, mom, not pets!" I didn't even want to _think_ what Ike would try to do if I announced he'd have to become a house pet. "I'm staying a trainer."

"We'll pull your trainer's license," my dad growled.

I narrowed my eyes up at him. "You legally can't after a trainer earns four badges. I have _eight_. …Don't you see? I have a _good_ team, I'm actually _good_ at this! This--Training makes me happy, and even if I have to--to try not to get distracted by all of these injustices in the world and try not to get angry, or bitter, or turn dark, or any of that, I'm still good at this and I'm a good trainer and I have a good team and this makes me _happy_!"

"It's still too dangerous for you," my mother said with a note of finality.

I really didn't want to get into this argument. Then again, I was already neck-deep in this argument, so I couldn't help it at this point. I reigned in my runaway emotions and tried logic. "…I have three Pokemon. They're pretty aggressive, too. You remember Ike, my Shinx? Well, he evolved and he's a Luxray now. He will _not_ be a good pet. An--And I have a fighter, too! A very energetic fighter who couldn't stand to live in one place all the time. She would get into _so much_ trouble. And mom, I have Des. That Numel you gave me evolved into a Camerupt and he got _big_. We can't support a giant, fiery camel. But I can. I'm a trainer, and I can keep all of them as my team. _Not_ pets."

"You are not returning on this journey of yours! The training world right now is too dangerous. Even Gym leaders are dying left and right! That Sayre kid is on the loose, and look at what he did just _yesterday_! Do you know how close that came to being you?!" my mother said with a half-suppressed sob.

My father took over from there. "You've gotten your eight badges. You became a good trainer. You can retire now. We have plenty of room for your Pokemon, and I think they will behave better than you'd think. You _are_ retiring now."

"You _can't do that_." Something in me just snapped. I took a step away from them. The pokeballs and ultra ball in my pocket felt much too heavy. "You have no right! _I_ am the trainer here! I have my badges--you can't stop me from being a trainer--I am not going to _stop_ being a trainer! Not after all this! I--I have to finish this."

"_What_ do you have to finish?" my father asked icily.

"Nick." It was the first time I'd ever said it aloud, the first time I admitted it. "I have to stop him. I have to get to the bottom of this. If _I_ don't stop him, who will, dad?! The police are scared of him, the Gym leaders can't stand up to him, and he's crippled the Champion!" I shouted, throwing my arms out wide.

"Why do _you _have to?!" my mother demanded, crying again. She stepped closer, but I just backed away again. "You're just a child! You can't fight him--"

"I'm the only one who can, didn't you hear me?!"

"He has a full team! If there's one thing about trainers I know, they're supposed to have six Pokemon, and that Sayre does. _You_ don't."

"My Pokemon are strong enough! I-I can catch more if I need to--but it has to be _me_ to stop Nick from becoming the monster!" I howled, unable to stop myself any longer. I had to stop Nick. I had to ask him what the heck he thought he was doing, abandoning me and becoming evil. He wasn't _allowed_ to. He never had been. I had to stop him, beat some sense into him, and drag the answers out of him if need be. I had to.

"You have three! Even if I was going along with this, I would not put my son up against that terrorist with those odds!" Even my father's voice was rising now.

I was about to continue my raving, but then cool, soft paws wrapped themselves around my eyes and head from behind. My head was pulled gently back, resting against teeth. "_My comrade has four Pokemon. And he will stop the monster, given time._"


	70. Forsake Not An Old Friend

"K-Konstantin?" I asked, anger evaporating instantly.

"_Yes?_"

"…" What did I say? That I was sorry--I was. That I missed him--I had. That I didn't want him to leave again--I didn't. That I was still angry with him for saying such a thing--I was that, too.

"And who is this?" my father inquired in a carefully restrained tone. My mother had recoiled from the ghost fearfully and he put his arm around her, almost protectively.

"This is Konstantin. Kostya. He's… my Duskull," I guessed. He sort of was, and sort of wasn't, in equal measures. We'd been together for quite some time now, but he'd never had a pokeball. I only put a translator on him because I was tired of his dream visits (though it didn't exactly deter him from those). I fed him occasionally, but he also got his own food. He slept with me when it was cold or I had nightmares or after Nick left. Did that really make him mine?

"Since when?"

"_Does this matter?_" Konstantin asked with a smile in his voice. He seemed to enjoy trying to intimidate my dad.

"…Even if you _suddenly_ have four Pokemon, that is _not_ a full team!"

"I'll catch more, then! It's not that hard to fix…!"

"You'd still have to train them, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, but that's what I _am_! A _trainer_! Get it now?"

"Stop fighting, both of you," my mother interrupted, firmly. Properly chastised, my father and I glared in opposite directions. _I_ certainly wasn't going to give in. My mother sighed. "…Sweetie, I'm proud that you have a team. A team of four, apparently. But it's still much too dangerous out there."

I glanced back at Konstantin. "…Can you prove that it's dangerous out there?"

"Wh-What? Of _course_ it--"

"It's only dangerous if that danger can catch me, right?"

"You don't have a bird to Fly away from danger with," my father pointed out.

"I have Kostya. Dad, if you can lay a hand on me, I'll stop training. But if you can't, then I will continue being a trainer. It's not dangerous if the danger can't catch up with me, right?"

"That's a stupid and rash idea--"

"That's just because you know you can't catch me," I shot back, perhaps a little masochistically. I didn't like cornering my own parents like this (or even fighting them in the first place), but I wasn't going to stop being a trainer. And it was true that I could dodge danger with the best of them. Konstantin's Shadow Sneak helped with that. Moreover, they just couldn't grasp that I had a pretty good team and could handle myself against other trainers.

My father reached out for me, and reflexively, Konstantin shoved me down into my shadow. We reappeared behind my parents by a good few feet, leaning on the front desk. My parents turned to me in flat-out shock.

"See?" I deadpanned, gesturing to the Duskull.

"That will not work against someone else with Pokemon. You're coming home. This argument is over." My father put his foot down, crossing his arms over his chest.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "…I was going to run away when you gave me Des. What makes you think I wouldn't think _twice_ about running away now when I already have him and practically have a head start to boot?"

"We raised you better than that!"

"No, apparently you didn't! I'm _not_ going to stop training, no matter what you say. You can try and call the cops on me, but just watch the news. They're not going to arrest the _hero_, are they?!" Calling myself a hero left a bad taste in my mouth. I wasn't a hero. I hadn't stopped any of this from happening. But that's why I had to continue with this journey, to be out in the world to stop future things from happening.

To stop Nick.

"You are out there all alone, with only those beasts to protect you…! Why can't you understand our worry?" my mother cried desperately, trying to guilt trip me into going back with them.

I cringed, but I would not be swayed. At least not enough to change my mind. "I have four Pokemon. That's a small army, isn't it? I told you--I'll catch a full team. Will that be enough protection for you?"

"Find a traveling partner." My dad spoke up again, cutting across my mother's guilt-inducing verbal attack. He gave me a level stare. "Get a full team and travel with someone else. Otherwise, we'll disown you."

"Dear!"

If we were playing low, then so be it. I stuck my tongue out at both of them, ignoring the unsettling feeling I got in my stomach for doing so. "I haven't even seen you guys for months! I've been living on my own anyway! What would it matter if you _disowned_ your only child!"

"It _would_ matter and we're _not_ doing that!" my mother insisted, glaring at my father momentarily. "Can't you just see that we're worried about you? We don't want you to get hurt or--or worse. Training lately has been so dangerous, especially for young trainers--"

"Mom, I'm fourteen! I've been training for years now! It's only dangerous for the little kids with the one or two Pokemon who think they can conquer the world! I know that training is hazardous to your health lately, but I'm fine. I will be fine. I will come out of this fine."

"_When_ will you come out of this, then? You already have eight badges. What else do you have to do?!" my father demanded.

"I told you--I have to defeat Nick--"

"Sayre is just another trainer! What will that accomplish?"

"I don't know, maybe rid the world of--or it'll--" What _would_ that accomplish? I didn't necessarily want to call him a serial killer like the rest of the masses. He was a killer, but he was also my best friend. Had been. Was. Is. I wasn't quite sure on that one. "…It'll be a good thing for me to take him down."

"I still don't understand why this has to be _you_--"

"Because I _have to_! Because he was my best friend and he helped me and trained me and got me through most of the badges I have now! Because I had to watch as he turned into this _monster_ that I couldn't stop, that I could've stopped, and it's always been my responsibility to try to keep him from doing this, but I _failed_, and I sort of feel a little guilty about that, okay?!"

Konstantin used a Shadow Sneak to get me out of the Center. I was done with my parents. They wouldn't stop me from continuing this. We walked away from the Center rather quickly, since it'd be better to avoid a scene with my parents bursting out and yelling at me some more. Konstantin floated around to my other shoulder, glancing back at the building with a nervous chuckle. "_…I've almost missed that nerve of yours, comrade._"

"_We_ still need to talk, too, you know," I muttered with a sigh. This whole ordeal had been too much stress in too little time. My parents were probably going to worry themselves into heart attacks now. I probably should go on to catch a bird, if it would put them at ease (for whatever reason).

Oddly enough, I was already attached to that idea, too. It wasn't even the pokeballs that were like heartstrings anymore; my imagination was plenty.

"…Kostya, do you think that was the right thing to do?" I asked, tilting my head back to look at him.

"_What do you mean?_"

"Just… all of that. How much of that did you hear, anyway?"

"_Comrade, if I may, once again, be the one to knock some sense into you…_" He floated closer and leaned his arms on the top of my head. "_I would be much less worried about what I, an ally, heard, and more worried about what that human with the camera heard. It probably was not the smartest idea to say you were once best friends with the Nick human. Especially that it was all your fault._"

I halted in mid-step. I'd been so wrapped up with my parents that I had forgotten about the cameraman and reporter right there in the Center with us. That… really hadn't been one of my smarter moves. "Kostya, you're not above scaring humans, right?"

"_What would prompt you to ask that?_"

"Go steal that camera from them and destroy the tape inside it. I don't think that conversation needs to work its way onto television just yet. Make sure it doesn't."

Konstantin chuckled darkly, saluted, and floated off. I continued putting distance between me and the Center. My phone was already buzzing in my pocket, but I ignored it. So what if I'd been rash. They also were. I was going to keep training and that was the end of it.

To make matters worse, I'd admitted aloud a lot of things in that conversation. That I was definitely going after Nick. No more stalling. No more paranoia, right? Just… necessary precautions. I tugged at the necklace around my neck. I was still safe, so it must've worked. I'd have to train harder, too, and work out a whole bunch of problems with my team. I sighed, realizing I _still _had to deal with that problem.

Plus, apparently I needed a full team. I had toyed with the idea for awhile now. The Tournament also helped to reinforce that idea; if I had a larger team, I could take down more. But getting two more Pokemon--or was it three? Should I officially catch Konstantin?--required time, and effort, and training them up to par. I hadn't had much fun doing that with Ike, so I wasn't looking forward to that.

I also had to make sure another pair of personalities meshed with my already haphazard team. Des and Carlita were still good with each other. No doubt they weren't fond of Ike right then, and Konstantin wouldn't be welcomed with open arms, either. I had better smooth all of the ruffled feathers and figure out what to do with the Pokemon I _had_ before going off and trying to catch more.

The phone continued buzzing in my pocket. My parents just would _not_ give up, would they? I eventually had to finish _that_ argument, too (wow, my track record with the world at large wasn't very good), but it didn't meant I was happy about it. Irritated, I finally whipped it out and glared at the number.

It wasn't my parents calling.

It was Hanna.

I hesitantly opened the phone and squeaked out, "Hello…?"

"_Finally_! Now stop your stomping off and let us catch up! We've been yelling at you and trying to call for the past ten minutes!" she shouted into the phone, then hung up with a click. I halted and stared at the phone with a blank expression. Not a minute later, a teenage girl tackled me from behind. The running start she'd had meant we both went face-down into the sidewalk below.

"H-Hanna?" I ground out, trying to push myself off the ground with her still on top of me.

"Okay, get up now." She got off of me, dusted off her skirt, and extended a hand down to help me up. As soon as I was on my feet again, she wrapped her arms tightly around me. The hug lasted for a beat longer than what was strictly necessary. "…I've missed you, idiot."

"I've missed you too. But why are you here in Jubilife?" I asked softly, hesitantly putting my arms around her as well.

Just as soon as I did that, however, she jerked away and held me at arm's length. She glared fiercely at me. "Are you kidding me?! First there was those crazies with the TV and their tournament, then there's _you_, and then there's Nick, and now there's the TV again broadcasting it all!" That hardly made sense, and I was there for most of it.

"What miss Hanna here is _trying _to say is that we saw you on the telly and had to come investigate. It's not often you see an acquaintance or two making the news, right?" I jumped as Jude spoke. I hadn't noticed him come up, not with Hanna suddenly in my face. He waved and offered a smile. "And since you were _obviously_ in town, we decided to drop in for a visit."

"Right. But you two didn't need to…"

"We came anyway," Hanna said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "…Are you okay?"

I cringed and tried to maintain my smile. I couldn't help but think that _I_ should be the one asking _her_ that. If Jude wasn't there, I probably would have. I scrutinized her, still smiling blankly, and found the same girl I'd known for so long. She didn't have any casts or bandages on this time, but her brown hair was the same, her fashion-conscious outfit was the same, her grin was the same. What wasn't the same was the black bracelet tied around her wrist, or the fact that her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm fine," I replied.


	71. Should Make No Enemies

"…And so I basically just ran away after that. At least they stopped calling. Kostya should be returning sometime soon, too," I explained, gesturing vaguely to the empty air, as if expecting the ghost to randomly appear. I told them the entire story. I was a little nervous telling it to Jude, too, but Hanna seemed fine with the idea. So no matter how reluctant I was, he also got to hear all about The Tournament from firsthand experience (and its aftermath, including my fight with my parents).

"Do you actually think you ran away? I mean, are you going to, like, reconcile with your parents anytime soon?" Hanna asked, leaning in. I shrugged.

"I'm going to go catch a bird Pokemon and see if that helps the situation…"

"Didn't they say they want you to have a full team?" she asked flatly. "One bird does not a full team make."

"I can just sell you a couple Pokemon real quick, if you'd like. I even have a Pidgeotto on hand," Jude offered with a bright smile. I shook my head.

"No, I'll go catch one myself. They'll get suspicious if I show up with two more Pokemon suddenly. I have a feeling they already don't like Kostya for that." I set my chin in my hand with a sigh. Why were they so intent on the parental part of that? Weren't they worried about the training world?

"They also want you to get a traveling partner," Hanna pointed out. She leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes to think.

"I'll just ignore that part. I'm practically running away as it is, so I technically don't have to listen to them anymore, do I? Isn't that part of the whole 'running away' thing?"

"Yes, but--"

"You two, go together." Hanna interrupted without opening her eyes. Jude and I stared at her. "It'd solve both your problems, wouldn't it?"

"What problems does he have?" I asked curiously. Jude was a breeder, not a trainer. And while he did seem to train Pokemon a bit, he didn't keep them long and he sort of trained them like a pastime.

"He's been looking for someone to help train his Pokemon," Hanna replied airily.

"Hanna! That's none of--"

"So you two go together. You can help train his Pokemon, you know, give them practice battles and stuff, and he can be the person you travel with. You can keep each other company. Your dad never exactly said that you had to travel with another _trainer_, right?" She opened her eyes to smirk at us both, knowing full well she had a strong point. Jude and I looked at each other appraisingly.

"…Hanna, I think you misunderstood me when I said I wanted a surrogate trainer. I want someone who knows how to handle Pokemon--"

"And I don't?" I deadpanned, a little miffed.

"That's not what I meant!" he said hastily. "I meant that I wanted a trainer who is used to taking on a breeder's Pokemon to train temporarily. I already know a couple trainers who do that for me, so I really don't need him. No offense!"

"You don't have any Sinnoh trainers to help you, and guess where you are," Hanna said with a dismissive hand. "I think this would be good for the both of you. Mister trainer hasn't been doing much socializing, and mister breeder hasn't been doing much of that, either. And you _both_ need to train your Pokemon. The only difference is that you're eventually going to sell yours, and he isn't."

"But--" we both started in unison.

"Nope, not going to hear it. You two are going to travel and see the world and all that nonsense with each other. And you will have _fun_, okay? And catch and train lots of Pokemon," Hanna decreed. I almost missed how her voice hitched on the last word.

Because of that, neither of us could object. Jude and I glanced at each other. We hadn't ever really interacted, not without the buffer that was Hanna. Oh well. This wouldn't last that long, right?

"Do you…" Jude started. He took a short breath, and started again. "Do you want me to get you any Pokemon, Hanna?"

I felt bad. I wasn't sure if it was because _I_ hadn't offered, or if it was just because he was trying to fix what had been done, or if it was just for the situation in general. I immediately felt worse when I saw Hanna's expression--before she hastily covered it up with a snort and the movement of running her hand through her hair. I saw her heart break all over again.

"Of course not. I--I don't want anything. Not yet," she said, too quickly. "N-Now go! The day is still young! You could be out of Jubilife before the masses start _really_ evacuating!"

Jude and I were literally pushed and shoved and elbowed to the city limits of Jubilife. I couldn't say anything else to Hanna, not after that. Not after The Tournament and coming that close to losing my team as well. I really, just then, realized what she had gone through. The physical injuries might've been gone, but the emotional ones were still there, still all too visible.

Hanna crossed her arms and glared at us until we shuffled off onto the trainer path. She watched us until we were out of sight. And then she called us to make sure we were still walking away from her.

Jude didn't complain when I turned around and ran back towards Jubilife. In fact, he raced me.

He reached Hanna first and threw his arms around her. She staggered back, catching her balance again just as I reached her and likewise tackled her in a hug. It was only fair, after all. She had done the same thing to me. "Hanna, Hanna love, please come with us!" Jude pleaded, laughing weakly as we picked ourselves apart off the ground.

"Seriously! We--We can get you new Pokemon, more Pokemon, it'll be just like old times! Come travel with us!" I added.

"Don't shoo us off! Come with us! You don't have to be alone!"

"Guys, get off of me! I--I'm not going with you, okay? I can't! I can't…" Hanna shoved us both away, trying her best to muster up a glare. "And shouldn't you two be riding off into the sunset about now?"

"Not without you, love," Jude said, trying to keep his arms around her, much to her embarrassment. I was unused to seeing flirting, especially used as a weapon, and it was a little weird to see it done with _Hanna_ of all people. Okay, more than a little weird. A lot weird. Hanna finally stopped fighting him with a giggle and let him hug her. "Why are you so keen on getting rid of us?"

"You've been clingy lately, so I'm trying to pawn you off on someone else," Hanna replied primly, not even bothering to pull her punch. I winced, feeling sorry for Jude.

"Aw, come on, you don't mean that… Just come with us. With another fellow around, I promise I'll be a perfect gentleman. Plus… I can go get Elizabeth and Octavian, you know you still like them…"

I was starting to feel awkward, and while I didn't want to intrude on their moment, I didn't feel like getting ignored, either. "Come on, Hanna. It'll be more fun with you along. It can be another expedition."

"Guys, I can't. That's it. I can't be around Pokemon again. You two go now. I'm going to go shopping." And that was the end of our argument. Hanna practically ran away from us, and while there was no dramatic sobbing or angry outbursts, it still hurt.

Jude sighed. "She's been doing that lately. Whenever I mention Pokemon in any serious context, she says she can't and goes shopping."

"I think it's how she copes," I remarked. Or maybe she just _really_ liked shopping.

"Should we, uh, actually go then? I mean, she'll eventually find out if we're not together and we really shouldn't upset her any more than she already is… Let's get this over with, eh? It shouldn't be too painful."

"…That's a comforting thought." I had never traveled with someone I hadn't gotten along with before. What if Jude and I clashed? What if our teams clashed? This seemed like a bad idea, especially considering I still had to have a serious talk with my team. I still had to get that bird, and possibly even a sixth Pokemon as well. It didn't seem fair of me to subject someone else to my team's version of 'teamwork' while I smoothed all of that out.

"Oh, it won't be that bad." Jude smiled uncertainly at me, rubbing the back of his head. "What harm could this do?"

"_Comrade, there you are!_" I jumped slightly as Konstantin appeared beside me, panting. He held out the mangled remains of a videotape. "_That story will not be known to anyone else anytime soon._"

"Thanks, Kostya." I had almost forgotten about him. Heck, I had almost left him behind. Oh yeah, this would go over _real_ well.

I looked over at Jude, who had taken several steps away and looked to be very pale. "Y-You still have that Duskull, I see. Hanna's told me, ah, a lot about him."

It would go over spectacularly.

-.-.-

Jude and I agreed to travel together and called Hanna to let her know of the official decision. She hadn't seemed to think that we really had any say in the matter, so she just asked us why we weren't halfway to Floaroma by then.

The first night together, things were already awkward. I was used to sleeping in a pile with my team. Sure, it varied a bit night-to-night, but we more or less woke up in a heap together. Jude was used to sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent with his pokeballs under his pillow.

We sat on opposite sides of the fire, trying to think of something to say to each other. What _could_ we say? Not much. We hardly knew each other, after all.

"So… Why don't you return your Duskull? Konstantin, was it?" Jude asked, a little nervously. Konstantin circled around my head to hover over my other shoulder, putting a paw up to his mouth to stifle a chuckle.

"You can call him Kostya if you'd like. And… He… Um." How to explain the situation to someone who knew little to nothing of it, save what Hanna told him.

"Is he still stalking you?" Jude asked cautiously.

"…A bit?" I guessed, glancing at the ghost. He looked at me in response, saying nothing. "Kostya, your input?" I prodded, annoyed.

"_I have no comment,_" he said simply.

I resisted the urge to growl at him. Yes, I still needed to have a talk with _him_ too. There would just have to be a whole lot of talking going on. I turned to Jude, pointedly ignoring Konstantin, and asked, "Are you afraid of ghosts?" I clearly remembered him with a Froslass in Johto, though…

"Maybe a mite bit."

"…You had a Froslass, though."

"It was a personal favor to a friend. She was a fine Pokemon, but I still couldn't quite warm up to her. No pun intended. I usually make it a point not to train ghosts," he admitted. I could understand that.

"I don't think I could ever train a water Pokemon. I would just be so scared of what would happen to it." Even if it had an advantage over Des, Carlita and Ike had an advantage over it, and I could only imagine how they would flaunt that advantage. Ike was already at a disadvantage and he was aggressive enough. I didn't need to try to train up a water Pokemon while he hung over it.

"Because of your Camerupt?" Jude asked curiously.

"…Just how much did Hanna tell you about me?"

He laughed. "Enough, apparently."

-.-.-

Note For The Lulz: It has come to my attention that I'm apparently a total ship-tease and I need names for my ships. (Well, I've had names for a couple of them for awhile now, but those are total crack ones, so I don't count those.) The fan-given name for Hanna x NamNar is "Abomasnowshipping". The me-given name for Hanna x NamNar is "Expeditionshipping". Use whichever one you will. :D

Also, Nick x NamNar, according to one of my readers, is "Mentorshipping". Yet again, I've decided to come up with my own because I'm a dork: "Heroshipping". See how much more positive I am with these names?


	72. The Capacity To Endure Uncertainty

Much to our relief and glee, Jude and I got along. Oh, sure, that first week was awkward, but that soon passed. As long as we avoided the subject of Hanna and stuck to Pokemon-related topics, we were fine with each other.

Hanna was a very sticky subject. Several times I almost asked him if they were going out or something, but every time, I backed down at the last second and chatted about the weather instead. The few times we actually _did_ talk about her, it was in low tones and late at night, as if we were superstitious. And even then, we just talked about how she was coping.

It seemed as if she was getting along, albeit with more retail therapy than what was probably healthy. She didn't want any more Pokemon, and she didn't particularly like it when Jude let his out around her, but she wasn't sobbing every chance she got, either. It sounded like she was slowly getting past the loss of her team.

During that week, I hadn't had the time to have my talk with my team. We still all got along with each other, though, so I figured that was a plus. Even Ike behaved (more or less). I wasn't going to ignore the talking to, though, even if we were making progress as a team. And I definitely needed to get that out of the way before I caught any more teammates.

In Eterna, a week and a half after we started traveling together, I finally got the chance to have my talk. Jude had to meet with a couple of people who wanted to buy his Pokemon, and left me alone for most of the day.

I headed to the outskirts and the edge of the forest and out came Des.

"Okay, Des. We need to talk."

"_About what?_" he asked curiously, as if he had no idea. He even had his head tilted in slight confusion.

"About us. Me. Me as your trainer. Am I a bad one?"

"…_No. Why do we have to talk about that?_" he persisted.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Des, you remember the burning building right? Actually--you remember The Tournament, right? Where you chewed me out for being such a bad trainer?"

"_I never said that. I was just correcting a couple of your misguided beliefs._"

"No, you pretty much chewed me out," I deadpanned. Des stared at me with his flat gaze. I looked away from him with another sigh. "Is there anything _else_ you'd like to correct?"

"_Why?_"

"You seemed keen on it at the time."

"_You needed it at the time._"

"Is this funny to you?"

"…_Perhaps,_" he admitted with a tiny smile. He shuffled over and pressed his snout to my shoulder, nuzzling. "_Trainer is such a worrier. It's a little amusing at times._"

I huffed. "I give you that one, but we still have to talk about this."

"_You haven't given me a specific answer. Talk about what?_"

"…Everything."

"_That may take awhile. Is there anything more definite on your mind?_"

"It's just… You basically told me I had to be the trainer again and stop my worrying. But that only made me worry more. I made you angry and yeah, I _know_ you're strong now, but I still see my little Numel whining in the rain."

"_I never whined,_" he replied indignantly.

"Yeah, you did." I grinned at him and scratched him behind the ears. "You had this weird little sound you'd always make when it rained. It was what led me to the conclusion that you're at a disadvantage against water. But I still see that. You understand why I'm still worried about you and water Pokemon now?"

"_No._"

"Why not?"

"_Because I'm stronger than you and you survive water. You even bathe in it._"

"…Do you have some sort of alpha male complex now?" I asked shrewdly, squinting at him. "You've mentioned that 'I'm stronger than you' bit a couple times now."

"_Aren't I supposed to have one?_"

"You _do_," I groaned.

"_It works for the best because I'm the strongest on the team,_" he replied in the most dignified voice a Camerupt can create.

"What if I get a water Pokemon? Even if I have to train it up, after awhile, it'll flounce you."

"_We just went through this, Trainer. Water doesn't bother me that much anymore._"

"Fine, if you say so." I probably wouldn't dismiss water as no threat, but maybe I was on the way to recovery. Maybe. "…Say, Des. What do you say to another teammate?"

"_I'd say it had better not be another Shinx or ghost. They're too much trouble._"

"So you're cool with it?"

"…_I'm a fire Pokemon,_" he said, puzzled. I laughed and shook my head.

-.-.-

Out next came Carlita. I decided that chronological order was the best, because I could get my two well-behaved Pokemon out of the way first and then deal with the two biggest problems on the team. She came out with an uncertain grin upon finding herself alone; it wasn't often anymore that the team was released one at a time, as opposed to all at once. "_…Are we battling?_" she asked in confusion, looking around for her would-be opponent.

"No. We just need to talk is all."

"_T-Talk?_" she asked nervously. She backed away from me and wrung her claws, suddenly looking nervous. I frowned. What was _that_ about?

"…Guilty conscience?" I asked, trying my best to seem like I knew what I was talking about. Had she done something wrong or gotten into some sort of trouble I'd been unaware of?

"_No. It's just that Trainer said that before she left…_" she said quietly, lowering her head so her hat-thing obscured her eyes.

"Trainer?"

"…_The girl one. Celia._"

"I _knew_ you could use names," I remarked dryly--before what she'd said registered. "Celia? Your… previous trainer? When did she say that?"

"_We were in that one city, and I went to play with her for the afternoon. Then she said that to me and I came back to you and beat the Quagsire you were worried about._" Did I _really_ worry that much about water Pokemon? Even she was insinuating it now… "_And I haven't seen her since. Are you going to leave now?_"

She said it with such heartbreaking, sincere fear that I had to hug her. "I'm not going to leave, Carlita. I promise." I would've fought Celia for her, and I would fight anyone else who tried to take Carlita--or any of my Pokemon!--away from me. "But we do have to talk."

"_About what?_" she whined, wiggling in my arms.

"You attacked Ike."

"_He started it. He attacked you first._"

"Carlita, you can't attack him. That'll only make him angry and rebellious. If we're going to fix Ike, then we have to treat him nicely." It'd take more than that, surely, but that would be a start. Jude had suggested that part of Ike's behavioral problem was the fact that he was constantly at odds with and competing with the other members of the team. We weren't really a _team_. "You and he are going to have to get along. And with Kostya. We're going to become a team, and then maybe we'll get some more Pokemon."

"…_Really?_" she asked in astonishment.

"Um, yeah. Don't you want more teammates?"

"_Of course I want them! Can we please get more? Please? I want more to fight with!_"

"No! No fighting--we just went through this!" I cried, exasperated.

She whined again. "_No… Play-fighting. Sparring. I want someone who will do that with me._" I knew she was a fighter, and that she liked fighting for fun, but I realized then that she really didn't have anyone to do it with. If things were different (oh, how I hoped they soon would be), maybe she could tussle with Ike occasionally… She couldn't really fight with a bird, so maybe the sixth teammate would have to be someone she could spar with.

"I'll see what I can do."

"_Thanks!_" With that, she hugged me, and all was well again.

-.-.-

Then came the problem two. In a last-minute fit of apprehension, I ignored the ultra ball in front of me and called, "Kostya, stop slinking around the shadows now! We have to talk."

He peeked up out of my shadow beside me, red eye glowing with curiosity. "_…Yes, comrade?_"

"You know what I'm going to say."

"_Yes, I do,_" he admitted easily. "_It's why I'm staying in the shadow._"

I glared at him, a little annoyed. "Get out of there. I'm serious--we need to talk."

"_I'm sorry for saying such a thing_," Konstantin apologized, quickly and shamelessly. He really did seem afraid of me (for some reason I couldn't begin to guess) and didn't want to come out of my shadow. "_It was rude and rash of me to say. I did not mean it._"

"…Things can't be fixed that simply." The apology _did_ make me feel better, though. It meant that it wasn't all my fault. I closed my eyes, half-turning away from him, and tried to think of everything he'd said and what I would potentially still be angry about. I really only remembered him telling me I didn't deserve my team, and then anger. Not a whole lot before.

"_I was angry at the time. You didn't seem to want to listen to me. But… But it seems as if you've grown, comrade. I've noticed that you get along better with your team now._" He said it was _my_ team, not _our_ team. I looked at him shrewdly. He sunk down lower into my shadow, only the top half of his skull visible now. "_I'll still help you in any way that I can. I promise I won't leave again._"

"…It's not just that, Kostya. I-I'm sorry for hitting you, and for fighting at all. It's just been stressful lately." He made a little noise of agreement. "I know you were right about a lot of that stuff--but not that last part. Not that I don't deserve them."

"_I know--I'm sorry--I didn't mean it!_"

"Stop cowering and get out here." I'd had enough of his kicked Growlithe routine. This was supposed to be a discussion, not a smack down. The Duskull sheepishly rose up out of my shadow, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't think I'm angry at you anymore. And… Can't we just drop it? I don't want to remember it anymore. Let's just forget it ever happened." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. This was more aggravating than I'd though it would be.

"_Agreed. And I will not leave again. I'll help you._" He saluted, though I also noticed he was keeping a safe distance from me.

"Do you really want to go back to how things were?"

"_I thought we just--_"

"You introduced yourself to my dad as one of my Pokemon. Are you or are you not?"

He stared at me. I had a feeling that if he'd had a bottom jaw, it would have dropped. Red eye shining with something that looked alarmingly like tears, he dove at me and wrapped his arms around my head in a hug. "_Oh yes! I would love to become your comrade--I mean you are already--we will be true comrades now!_"

"Mmph!" Roughly translated, this meant 'Kostya get off my head I can't breathe'. Evidently, he didn't speak that language, because he didn't let go. I flailed and fell over, trying to pry him off my face. It wasn't until we hit the ground that he released me. I gasped for air, glaring at him. "No more of that. Ever."

"_Sorry,_" he said, obviously not meaning it. "_Do I get a pokeball now?_"

I rolled my eyes and pulled out the pokeball I'd had in my pocket. I had sort of been meaning to catch him for awhile, but never got the opportunity. Konstantin looked delighted as I maximized it and showed it to him. "If you struggle and break it, I'm not wasting another on you and you can just follow along like you used to."

"_It's really mine?_"

"What is _with_ you--mmph!" He tackled me again, and I hastily pressed the pokeball to the back of his head before he could suffocate me. I wheezed, glaring daggers at the shaking ball in my hand. Eventually, with a little 'ding', it stopped moving. I hesitantly let him out again--just to get the Duskull in my face once more. I returned him again.

This went on for a couple more times before he finally got the message that I wouldn't let him out unless I had a guarantee of being able to breathe. On the sixth or seventh attempt of letting him out, he stayed away, emanating contrition.

"What the heck is with you?! You've never been that clingy before!" I exclaimed, holding the pokeball in front of me like a shield. It was only after I'd said it that I realized it was a lie, though; he had always been that clingy. Just never at once. It had taken over a week for him to even let go of me for more than five minutes after Nick left.

"_I am happy that I finally have a trainer. I'm helping to the best of my ability now._"

"It'd help a _lot_ more if you didn't tackle me every time I let you out."

"_I'll try to stop that._"

"Please do."

"…_Why does Ike get the special ball?_" Konstantin demanded, noticing the difference between his pokeball and Ike's ultra ball for the first time. I groaned and buried my head in my hands.

"Return, Kostya."

-.-.-

"_You look harried_," Ike said immediately, giving me a cool once-over when I let him out. I glared at him, not replying. He huffed and turned away from me. "_I suppose you are going to try to punish me now, correct?_"

"Not really punish. Just lay down some ground rules."

"_What if I choose not to follow them?_"

"I'll enforce them. With, uh, force."

"…_I am fairly certain I could take you in a battle,_" he sneered, obviously trying not to laugh.

I shrugged. "Possibly. Then again, I'm fairly certain that you'd lose in no time flat against Des."

"_That's not fair!_"

"I'm a trainer. I fight with my team." I beamed at him. I had worked out this much beforehand. Ike followed strength, and if I could show him that I was the alpha male here, I stood a chance of keeping him and keeping the team in once piece.

He growled at me, but made no move to attack. I considered that progress. "_…What if you couldn't release him? I could rip out your throat right now--_" I held up Des' pokeball in my hand. I also held up Carlita's and Konstantin's, minimized, in my other hand. Ike snorted. "_Even if you released them, I'd still be on top of you at that point. Even if I would lose in the long run, you'd be dead before they could stop me. What makes you think I wouldn't want revenge like that?_"

"If you wanted that, you would've already done it, Ike." I called his bluff--and knew I won by the way he laid his ears back and hissed. I smiled triumphantly at him. "You're on this team, whether you like it or not. You've gained your strength and evolved, like you wanted, so I'm not seeing why you're complaining this much."

"_I am complaining because you are a human and I am subjected to being your Pokemon!_"

"Is it really that bad? You don't look starved to me, you're a healthy Luxray, and you know more electric moves than you could ever learn in the wild. I don't abuse you, I haven't turned you over to the police for turning on me, and I haven't--yet--let any of the others have their way with you yet. Why is this such a bad thing?"

"_It is a great indignity._"

"A great indignity would be by releasing you back into the wild now." Ike sat back on his haunches, ears rotating forward in blatant curiosity. "Think about it. You can't get any stronger in the wild because you're already stronger than the wild Pokemon. Sure, you could have fun killing innocents and smearing blood around the place or whatever you like doing in your spare time, but you'd soon lose the thrill of the hunt. And you'd be _bored_. You could never have a challenge ever again. You'd stagnate. Does this sound like a good idea to you?"

"…_No,_" he admitted after a great deal of thought. He narrowed his eyes at me. "_But it does not mean I like being a trained Pokemon._"

"Then kill me right now and go free. At least you'll get your revenge, right? …I wonder if you'd feel guilty about that," I said suddenly, tilting my head back to think. "You've gotten strong, and while you will never admit it, I think you've had fun with all of the battles. You also have that whole code of honor thing. I dove off a _cliff_ to save you, remember that, Ike?"

"_You missed my ball. I fell right along side you,_" he replied bitterly, anger back again.

"Oh yeah." That part sort of backfired. "I _meant_ to, anyway, and I returned you as soon as I got your ultra ball back. I saved you from all of the ghosts. I got beat up by a couple of Haunter to get you away from them, remember that? And then--when we got out of there, I got you medical attention and your leg has healed. You wouldn't be able to use your leg nearly as well if that had happened in the wild."

"_I've come to realize there are perks to being a pet, but it does not mean I enjoy it in the least_," he said with the most dignity he could muster. He realized, though, that he was fighting a losing battle against me at this point. I felt an odd surge of pride at that.

"I'll let you moan and groan about being a trained Pokemon all you want, Ike. But you are going to behave from here on out. You remember how Carlita was acting in that warehouse?"

"_Yes._"

"If you attack me or any of your teammates again--including future teammates!--I will not restrain her this time. See this?" I pointed to my neck. The spot where Carlita had scratched me was scabbed over, still all too visible. "I defended you against a potentially lethal attack. I think you owe it to me to stay my Pokemon after that."

"_Doesn't that mean that you can't control your own Pokemon?_"

"It means that I managed to subdue you both when you were fighting. It means I'm stronger than both of you."

"_That is not quite how it went--_"

"I'm being metaphorical. Ike, you're going to stay my Pokemon. I know you, and I know you'd only be bored to death if you went back into the wild. You don't mind being a trained Pokemon as much as you say you do. You get to battle other strong Pokemon now. You're staying with me." I had to be forceful, and I think I managed to get that across.

Ike surveyed me for a long moment. Just when I thought he'd start arguing with me again, he bowed and said, "_As you wish, Master Trainer._" I breathed a sigh of relief. He sat back up, and with narrowed eyes and a cold smile, he added, "_When you die, however, I am going to fight the ghost for your corpse. You are my first trainer, and you will be my last trainer. I do not care how bored I will be at that point; when you are gone, I'm leaving, too._"

I supposed I could live with that. Or, rather, not. If I was dead, he wasn't my problem anymore. "You're not allowed to kill me, then. When I die of _natural causes_ you can go on your merry, bloodthirsty way."

"_Deal._"


	73. The Chapter Of Accidents

"I actually don't think I've been here before."

"Really? It may not have a Gym, but it's still a pretty nice town. It's quaint in the best sense of the word. Plus, it has quite a lot of history. Down there, in the center of town, there is actually a cavern with cave paintings. I haven't had the chance to investigate it, but I've heard it's interesting."

"And what's the name of this town again?"

"Celestic."

Celestic Town was nice. Like Jude said, it was quaint, but in a very nice way. Most of its population was old people, usually retired trainers or breeders or even a retired Gym leader, but it was nice. It had a very relaxing, calm air to it.

At least, it did until I made the mistake of letting out my new and improved team.

Konstantin, as per usual, immediately attached himself to my face. I flailed about and managed to trip over Ike, who let lose a jolt of electricity as a warning. This made Carlita scream and Des snort in annoyance. He stomped the ground, shaking it, and throwing Konstantin, Ike, and I off balance. This would have been all fine and good had we been on solid ground. Instead, we had been too close to the edge of the depression that was the middle of the town, and as a result, all three of us fell down several yards onto the grass below.

Des and Carlita peeked over the edge. "_Sorry…_" he said weakly.

I finally managed to pry Konstantin off of my head. "And to think, this is _after_ we had our talk."

And, of course, Jude managed to miss all of it. He seemed to miss a lot of the drama of my team, but I think part of that was subconsciously my fault. I tried not to let out my entire team around him, precisely because this sort of thing tended to happen all too often.

So he came back half an hour later with a fistful of cash and asked, "Why do you have a bloody nose?"

I tilted my head back and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Because my team loves me too much."

"Are you still looking for a bird?" He didn't seem at all bothered by my injury--even if it _was_ a minor one. I tilted my head curiously at him. "I talked to the couple who bought my Pidgeotto. They said that there's a whole flock of Noctowl, not far from here. They're pretty fierce, which is why they didn't catch one. You could handle one. Or, to be more precise, it would probably make things infinitely worse but you could handle it anyway because you're sort of used to that sort of treatment by now, right?"

I glared at him. He smiled brightly at me, unperturbed. "…Fine."

Noctowl. Those were already evolved, so at least I wouldn't wind up with another metaphorical baby Shinx again. And it could hold its own against my team--which was my primary worry. Although we were now more of a team than we had ever been before, it didn't mean that any of us were entirely safe. Konstantin, when not stuck to my face, had taken to haunting Ike, who responded, more often than not, with some sort of electrical attack. Carlita would usually get mad at that point and lash out. Des would then end it with one of his strong moves and, by the end of the day, I would end up hurting.

But a Noctowl could handle itself. It could fly well (or so I assumed), it could use wings and claws and a beak, and it could use a Hypnosis. I learned that last part from personal experience when we battled one on our way to Celestic.

Though knowing my luck, I'd be the only one it'd ever attack.

"Are we ready to go now?" Jude asked, adjusting his backpack. I double checked. Stocked up on food, great balls and the one ultra ball I could afford, and some more bandages. Somehow I figured I'd need more.

"I guess. You sure there are Noctowl around there?" More than once, he had told me that someone had told him that someone had told his informant that there were Pokemon somewhere--and when we got there, there were no Pokemon there.

"I'm positive. And even so, it's only an hour or so out, so it won't be a long way out of our way. Promise." He chuckled awkwardly and looked away. It wasn't reassuring. "I don't see why you don't just buy a bird, anyway. Wouldn't it be easier? I would give you a discount, too--"

"I'm starting to think about that option. I'll think about it more seriously if there aren't any Noctowl."

"I could get you one if you wanted one."

"Maybe. I just know that I want a bird."

"I have another Pidgeotto. It wouldn't take but a mite bit of effort to train it into a Pidgeot." He swung around so that he was walking backwards in front of me. Jude was a pretty charismatic guy and was not opposed to using charm in order to sell a Pokemon, but I was getting used to it. I silently hoped he'd trip; I had heard several spiels on various Pokemon of his more than once and was getting tired of them. "I could get you any variety of birds."

"I only need one, and you know I'm next to broke, anyway." If it wasn't for Hanna's free Pokemon food deal, I probably wouldn't even have enough to afford supporting another Pokemon, anyway. I didn't actually know what Jude's prices were, but since he seemed to be a bit of a celebrity, I could only surmise that they were expensive.

"What about your sixth Pokemon? Depending on what it is, I could give you a _really_ good deal. Buy one, get one free type deal? Or--I know! Eggs are cheap! You could raise it all yourself then, catch it in your very own pokeball, but you'd be guaranteed a Pokemon either way."

"Still seems sort of cheap. I'll just catch one. I'll catch my bird, anyway. I'll get back to you on the other one." I wanted to make sure that the mythical fifth Pokemon of my team (stupid mental pedestal) would get along fine first. I didn't want to chuck two hapless newbies into that nightmare. One at a time would suffice.

The area outside of Celestic was rocky and foggy. It got foggier and rockier as we progressed, so since we couldn't see the nose in front of our faces, we tried to stick as close to the town as possible. At least then we could see--to some degree.

Jude was right about the Noctowl, too. We saw one almost immediately, though I didn't have any time to do anything. It just hooted at us and flew off. A couple of Meditite chattered at us, too, so it was obvious that there were wild Pokemon in the area. That was good.

My traveling companion sat down by a rocky wall and I stashed my stuff with him. I decided to take Des and Konstantin with me and leave the other two with him. "Don't stray off too far. I want to be able to watch how such a great trainer catches Pokemon." In other words, he wanted to see me bleed. We both knew this would be a painful experience, looking at my past track record, but I needed a bird and a fifth Pokemon.

"Whatever. I'll come crawling back eventually."

"Looking forward to it then."

I crept into the fog, grass rustling nearly silently around my pant legs. It was creepy. It was too quiet out, especially for an area with Pokemon (and supposedly other trainers). I heard another Noctowl hoot out in the silence, far off.

I stepped right off a ledge.

I landed painfully on one knee and swore loudly. Jude shouted, "Language!" but I ignored him. Several Pokemon scrambled away from me, crying out in panic at the human who suddenly and literally dropped in on them. I scrambled to my knees and tossed out a pokeball--at that point, I didn't care which--anything to try and get a Pokemon before they all fled.

Des appeared and looked around him curiously. "Wild Pokemon--get one!" I gasped out, still trying to stand properly. I hoped my leg wasn't broken. It didn't _feel_ broken, but it also hurt more than my usual scrapes and bruises.

My Camerupt waddled off, and a moment later, I heard a screech and saw a burst of fire. Next thing I knew, a slightly burnt and a very frightened Noctowl flew at me. It saw me, stopped just a yard short of me, and paused a moment in confusion. It didn't appear to have expected to see a human. The Noctowl circled around in midair, looking at Des and back at me.

I took my chance and threw my only ultra ball. I didn't know how badly it was hurt, since it was still flying with relative ease, but it would probably be my only chance before all of the ruckus scared the Pokemon out of the area. And really, we didn't want to venture out any further into the fog. Knowing my luck, I would step off something worse than a ledge next.

The Noctowl bounced the ultra ball back at me with its wing. It smacked me in the face and fell onto the ground, breaking cleanly open. I growled and whipped out a great ball. I had four of them, and then a sparse handful of pokeballs. I would be _mad_ if I didn't get another Pokemon after all this was said and done.

Des shuffled up and used an Ember. It was an obviously weak attack by his standards, but I was glad he recognized that a Flamethrower would easily incinerate any of the wild Pokemon around here. The Noctowl flapped out of the way, shedding feathers in its panic. As a result, I had to dive out of the way to avoid the sudden fire.

Des followed its movements with fire, and eventually, he got it again. Now, the Noctowl couldn't fly, but was flapping desperately regardless. I tossed a great ball at it, and it went in. It came back out but a moment later, though. Des hit it with another Ember, and I used another great ball. In, and back out. I only had two left.

The Noctowl limped away from us into the fog, shedding charred feathers as it went. Des shot another Ember into the mist after it, and was rewarded with a loud squawk. I ran after it, but it was already losing me.

"Des, help me find it!" I called, eyes searching the white all around me. It reminded me too much of the stone temple.

"_Here it is_," he said simply, voice floating eerily from beside me. He was holding the Noctowl down by one wing, breathing soot at it. It was staring at him with something akin to horror. I crouched down carefully beside them, knee giving me a painful twinge, and held out the great ball.

It pecked my hand, causing me to drop the ball. It sprang open and sucked the Noctowl in as I drew my hand back with a hiss. Okay, so a hurt knee and a pecked hand. It wasn't that bad, all things considered. The great ball shook once, twice, and finally, three times.

And then broke open.

"Really?!" I shouted in frustration as the Noctowl, once again, hobbled off. It tripped, and since I could see its form clearly through the fog, I chucked my last great ball at it. I figured that the extra force would help seal the deal.

A flash of light, silence, and then--_ding_.

"Finally!" I crowed, stomping over. So I finally had a fifth Pokemon, and it was the bird my parents thought I needed. Five Pokemon. I just need to make my team work with five, and then six, and then thankfully, that was the cap. I could barely handle what I had.

I stood over the great ball, sitting innocently in a patch of grass. Beside it, looking shocked, was the Noctowl.

"…Wait, _what_?" _What_ had I just captured?! I picked up the ball, shot the Noctowl a very dirty look, and released my fifth Pokemon.


	74. Life Is A Song

"Get a bird for yourself?" Jude asked curiously. He surveyed me up and down as I came back, Des following me rather complacently. _He_ didn't seem too worked up over this.

"Yes. Barely," I spat.

"I heard quite a lot of squawking." He stood up and dusted off his pants. "How injured are you?"

"Just my knee and my hand. You owe me five hundred."

"Fine, fine. But I'm going to want to see this new Pokemon of yours."

"…You sure?" I had barely managed to get it back into the ball the first time after I released it. Apparently it was flighty (no pun intended) and panicky. The capture had come as a surprise to _all_ of us, then.

"What harm could it do?" Jude questioned. Before he could properly prepare himself, though, I held out the great ball and released my fifth Pokemon.

With a high-pitched screech, the blue and white bird dove at his head, clipping him with its small claws. He yelped and covered his head with his hands, ducking down. My bird circled around, but before it could get far, I returned it again.

"Yeah. I didn't catch a Noctowl."

"Lucky it wasn't. That could've taken my head off!"

I rolled my eyes. Sure, I was used to taking a beating, but he could at least try to grow a spine. "It's a small bird. It wouldn't have hurt you."

"It was a Swablu, wasn't it?" he asked, eyeing the great ball with obvious distrust. I nodded. "At least you got the bird you wanted…"

"I lost all of my great balls on a Noctowl, and then I tossed the last one, and caught this by chance."

"The universe does like to poke fun at you."

"Yeah, yeah it does."

Des kindly gave me a ride back to the Celestic Center. I think he was trying to be a nice Pokemon, since the Swablu wasn't doing a good job of that, or maybe he honestly felt bad for me. I didn't ask him.

I had to wear a brace for my knee, but otherwise, I had escaped pretty much unharmed. Nurse Joy informed me that my Swablu was female, and healed Des' minor injuries from the Noctowl, and then we were on our happy little way. Well, we were going to stay in Celestic for a little while, just until I got a better hold on my new Pokemon, but that was it.

"What are you going to name her? She's a beauty, though…" Somewhat predictably, Jude knew how to handle her fairly well. I chalked it up to the fact that he had a conglomerate of birds lately, and the fact that I'd never owned a bird before in my life.

"I don't know." I held out my hand. The Swablu cautiously hopped onto it. I marveled at her; she was so light, and her wings looked just like clouds. "You're a tiny little thing, aren't you?" The Swablu puffed up her chest and whistled shrilly at me. I winced. "Okay, sorry. I think I'm going to name her something… I don't know. Girly. Because you're a pretty little girl, aren't you?" I cooed. She settled down and beamed at me.

"When are you going to put the translator on her?"

"When she won't scream at me for it. I'll wait on it for a couple days. But you're behaving now, aren't you, girl?" Somehow, it was easier to talk to her in a baby voice than in anything else. She didn't seem to mind.

"Bluuuu," she chirped, now all too happy to nuzzle into my hand. Maybe she wasn't so flighty (again, no pun intended) as I'd originally thought. She was probably just scared, suddenly being caught and carted off like that. But she was fine now. This could work out, after all.

"We need a pretty name for a pretty little birdie, don't we?"

"How long are you going to continue to talk to her in that tone?" Jude deadpanned, interjecting. I snorted at him.

"She likes it. And since she's _my_ Pokemon, I think that that's what matters."

"Bluuuu!" she sang, fluttering her cloudy wings. She hopped off my wrist and landed lightly on my head, nestling into my hair.

"You've calmed down, haven't you, girl? You're a good girl now, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are." Maybe it was just my habit of acting like a mother to my team, or maybe it was just because she was just so tiny and light and delicate that I was talking to her in that sort of tone. I wasn't quite sure, but I couldn't seem to stop. "We'll have to get a name for you and introduce you to your teammates, won't we? Uh, let's get that name for you first, though…"

"Tweet," Jude suggested. He crossed his arms with a grin. "Birdie, since you like calling her that. Misty, Blue, Sweetie…"

"I want an actual name, not some sort of baby name."

"That's how you're treating her, though."

"Is it wrong to baby my newest Pokemon?"

"No, but as long as you don't keep it excessive…"

"I'm not being excessive. I'm just calming her down. Smoothing all of the ruffled feathers." Bird puns were a little funnier than they'd been hours earlier. The bird atop my head tweeted in response, snuggling into my hair. "I think she's making a nest out of my head…"

"I'd have to agree with that theory." Jude, being taller than me, looked at the Swablu on my head. He reached over, but she pecked at his hand and he hastily drew back. He constantly wore thick, leather gloves because of just such things happening, but it was obvious he wasn't going to try again. "Name her Missy. She looks like a Missy to me."

"I'll name her something I come up with. Something girly like… I don't know."

"Like what? You have to have _some_ sort of idea."

"The second I suggest something, I'll become attached to it. I'm not saying anything until I come up with something good." I knew it would be true. The second I said something aloud to myself, it usually stuck, which is why Ike was still Ike, I had decided on a bird almost immediately, and why I generally didn't change my mind about such things.

"…Oh really." I didn't like the look in Jude's eye about them. I stepped away from him, mindful of the Swablu perched on my head, and made sure I was out of arm's reach. "Say, have you heard that new song? What was it called… _Misery Loves Company_ or something? It's by a new artist… Something Autumn."

"Emi--_no_. Stop it. I didn't mean that if I said something I would _literally_ use it--I'm not going to name my Swablu after some name you trick me into saying," I snarled, one hand reaching up to steady her while I tried to smack him with my other.

"What's your mother's name?"

"--I'm not saying."

"What about Hanna?"

"What about her?"

"You could name your Swablu after her."

"Stop mentioning it. I'll get attached. I don't think she'd want a Pokemon named after her right now."

"True… You could name her Joy."

"I'll come up with my own name."

"I'm not going to leave you alone until you do. It's healthier for Pokemon to learn of their names as soon as possible, especially wild Pokemon. It'll help you get along better in the long run if you name her now," he said diplomatically, waving his hand vaguely at her. She made a disgruntled sound and shifted in my hair.

"I'll name her soon! Just--when I think of a good name."

"There's this other song by--"

"No more bands or artists or anything! I'm not guessing."

Jude responded by humming. I narrowed my eyes at him. The tune sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it--and I sure as heck wasn't going to start guessing.

He continued humming, and I could feel the Swablu shift again so that she was looking at him again. I gave up, rolled my eyes, and asked, "What song is that? I'm not guessing what it is."

"_Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds_," he responded cheerfully. "I think she could be a Lucy. And she _would_ be in the sky, and stars or clouds or raindrops could be the diamonds--"

"Stop it! I'll come up with my own name for her!"

He started humming again. I glared at him while trying to place it. "_F__ü__r Elise_," he supplied helpfully. "Elise is a good name. Sophisticated, but pretty."

"No."

Hum. Sly grin. "_Habanera_ from the opera _Carmen_--"

"No."

More humming. "…_Roxanne_. I'm not sure if she could be a Roxanne, but she could be a Roxy--"

"No. Stop it."

Even more humming. I was about to plug my ears. I concentrated on not listening to any of the names he was suggesting, because healthy or not, I had the right to name my own Pokemon and in my own good time. "_Tuesday's Gone_."

"That's a day of the week."

"It could be a name," he replied with a frown. "Just like Monday or Wednesday. I once knew a girl named Tuesday. I wonder what ever happened to her…" I took the opportunity, while he was distracted, to shuffle away. My hand was still on the Swablu's wing to prevent her from falling off. Or pulling on my hair in an effort to stay upright. "Hey!"

"I'm leaving."

"…Not at that pace." With two steps, he was already caught up to me. The bird atop my head tweeted angrily at him. Worse--he was humming again. "Your relationship with your new Pokemon is a very fragile thing. It's best to solidify it while it's still early in the development of said relationship."

"I'll come up with a name!" I insisted, still trying to shuffle away from him.

"When?"

"Later. Sometime." Sometime when I didn't have half a dozen songs stuck in my head. "I'll name her, okay? It's not like I don't name my Pokemon."

"There's _Desert Rose_ and _Lola_ and _Rosemary's Baby_--actually, no, don't name her Rosemary." Since he mentioned it twice, though, it was the only name of his list to penetrate my mind. "But there really is quite a variety of songs out there with female names in them. That's not even counting the artists themselves, eh?"

"Why do I want to name her after a song?"

"She sings, doesn't she?" Jude looked up at her and whistled a quick scale. She happily repeated it back to him. "See? Music for a musical Pokemon. Plus, all trainers have their quirks with naming."

"Oh really." I didn't think I had any quirks. Then again, so far, I had only consciously named Des. Carlita and Konstantin came with their names, and I had been very drugged when I'd named Ike (I still wondered where that name came from, too). A name was not something to be taken lightly. It's not like it could be changed later.

"Sure. I've named almost all of miss Hanna's Pokemon for her, and I've had my trends. One whole Eevee litter I named in four-syllable names." I mentally counted out Isabella and Alexander. Four each. "I went French there for a little while, too, and she ended up with Tenny that way. She named Millie on her own…"

"So why music?"

"Musical Pokemon. Swablu and their evolution both sing. Quite well, from what I've heard."

"Stop being knowledgeable."

He started humming again. I groaned and looked around for the nearest available hard surface to bang my head against. Wait, no--the Swablu was still on top of it. "…_Little Angel_, _Barbara Ann_, there's more. You can either fight this or let me help. Because I'm set on helping you either way."

"_I_ will pick the song--I mean the name!" Great, now I was attached to the song idea. I quickly ran through all of the girl name songs in my head. There weren't a lot, at least not many that he hadn't already mentioned.

"_Alice_! There are two songs--no, probably more--named Alice, so chances are you'll like one of them! I can think of two…" Jude exclaimed, suddenly and excitedly.

"Alice?" I repeated cluelessly.

"Yeah! It's sweet and cute like she is, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess… I want to listen to these _Alice_ songs first--" It was then that I realized my mistake. I'd already managed to say it twice, and I was _already thinking of the Swablu on my head as Alice_. Now that it'd been suggested and said aloud and I was thinking about it, I couldn't think of her as anything _but_ Alice. "…Aw crap."

So that was how I managed to not-quite-name my fifth Pokemon, Alice the Swablu.

-.-.-

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the songs mentioned in this chapter. Though I do listen to a lot of them.


	75. Surprise, Surprise

So now that Alice had been (reluctantly and semi-accidentally) named, it was time to introduce her to the rest of the team. This was much, _much_ easier said than done. I figured out why she was so calm now; she took one look at Des, shrieked, and flapped off in the opposite direction.

It was a good thing I'd had the forethought to introduce her to the others one at a time, otherwise I might not have ever caught back up to her. I finally did, however, though I was sweating and panting by the time I rescued her from a roof. She calmed down again once she was in my arms.

But one look at Des caused her to panic and squawk. He stared at us both in bewilderment, obviously not having a clue as to why she was behaving like that. I returned him, and almost instantly, she was perched on my shoulder again, preening her wings.

"…Why are you so scared of Des?" I asked worriedly. Would she react that badly to the other three? If so, that would be a _big_ problem.

"Did he attack her?" Jude asked.

"No--I told you. I caught her by accident. We never even saw her."

"Here, you hold her tightly this time. You can borrow my glove if she scratches you." He took one off and tossed it to me, and I gingerly moved her to that hand. He had showed me before how to hold a bird's claws to prevent it from flying away, and I was thankful for it now. Alice eyed me with obvious suspicion. "Try releasing one of your other Pokemon. I'd suggest Carlita. They're both female and Alice should know instinctively that she had a type advantage, so that may work to calm her down."

Holding my arm and Alice out away from me, I tossed the pokeball down on the ground. Alice surveyed Carlita with remote interest, nothing more. Carlita, on the other hand, was immediately in front of us, standing on her tiptoes to inspect the new teammate. "Hey! Carlita--back off!" I held Alice away from her, scared of a catfight breaking out. Alice tweeted in annoyance at the sudden move, but otherwise, she really didn't seem to mind Carlita's close presence at all. "…Huh. Good call, Jude."

"I have those sometimes," he replied with as much dignity as he could muster.

I instructed Carlita to sit down in front of us, and reluctantly released my grip on Alice's feet. She hopped over onto my elbow, stared at Carlita for a long moment, and then looked back at me with a glance that very clearly said, "Well, what do you want me to do now?"

"_What's her name?_" Carlita asked, practically vibrating in her effort to stay still.

"Alice," I said. Alice twittered and bobbed her head in agreement. At least she seemed to like the name, too. Or maybe she was just easily attached to things like I was. "Alice, this is Carlita. She's the other girl on the team."

The Swablu hopped over and landed neatly on Carlita's hat-like thing. She said something quietly and fluttered down to the ground, regarding Carlita with something like a grin. Carlita snorted at her. "_Yeah right._"

I opened my mouth to ask, but Jude gestured frantically at me. I shrugged in confusion at him. When he didn't respond, I returned my two girls (two! That was something I'd have to get used to) and asked, "What?"

"If they're having a conversation, don't ask them about it! They could be bonding, and if you need to be privy to what they're talking about, Carlita would have translated for you," he said impatiently. I somehow doubted my Breloom would translate for me. Not for a lack of caring, but for a lack of thinking about it. "They seem to get along, so don't question it. Just be grateful."

"Yeah, but that's one for two right now. Kostya creeps the other three out as it is, and Ike… I don't know, he could be pretty vicious to her." I hadn't expected her to dislike _Des_ of all of the team members. But at least she and Carlita were fine…

"I'd suggest your gh-ghost next. He'll at least behave, won't he? And we can see if she's just scared of Des, or male Pokemon." Oh boy. If Alice didn't like guys, that'd be a major problem.

"But--wait. She likes me."

"You're human."

"But--_still_."

"Fine, maybe she only dislikes Des because he's bigger than her. I don't know."

"Carlita's bigger than she is, too…" I mumbled defensively, glancing down at the great ball in my hand. Alice came back out with a flurry of cloudy wings. A beat later, Konstantin came out, too--and predictably, went for my face. I managed to duck in time, and as a result, he latched onto Jude instead. The breeder screamed _very_ shrilly, which thankfully caused the Duskull to let go of him in confusion.

"_Comrade! I_--"

"Kostya, no tackling! Meet Alice!" I held up the Swablu almost like a shield. Alice looked back and forth between us, alarmed, but didn't start panicking. I slowly lowered her, surprised--and thankful.

"_This is Alice? A new comrade already?_" Konstantin now lost interest in me and studied her intently, one paw covering the teeth of his skull mask. Alice tweeted at him and fluffed up. He giggled guiltily. "_You did get a bird. She can fly, correct? She's so small…_" In response to the jibe, Alice flew out of my hands and pecked at his face. "_I'm sorry! I-I apologize_!" he shouted, covering his face with his hands as he tried to get away from her. She followed him, however, still chirping and squawking loudly.

"Is this considered progress?" Jude, having recovered from his fright, stood behind me now. He peered over my shoulder, squinting at the two.

"She's not afraid of him… And I think I like this turn of events. I'm not the one getting my face attacked for once." I shrugged, feeling a little guilty for it.

"_Call her off! I am sorry, I did not mean to call you small!_" Konstantin shouted, vanishing into the shadow below him. He reappeared behind Jude--I had never seen another human being go so pale so fast--and hid behind my head, panting. Alice swung around in the air, looking around for just moments before spotting him again. "_I'm sorry!_"

"Promise to not attack me every time you come out and I'll stop her," I told him.

"_I'm not attacking you, comrade, I just--Yes, okay!_" He ducked back into the shadow as Alice pelted at him again. I threw out my hands and caught her in midair, very grateful for the glove Jude loaned me. Konstantin reappeared in the shadow of a nearby building, looking _frightened_. I looked down in amazement at the Swablu in my arms. She wasn't struggling or fighting me, though she was glaring at me reproachfully. Maybe this team would survive her addition after all.

"Alice, don't attack Kostya anymore. He's your teammate." She looked down at her wing and murmured something I assumed was an agreement. "Kostya, you don't attack my face anymore."

"_I'm not attacking you! It's just--I am not used to not being near you at all times. I worry about you. I'm glad you're still safe whenever I see you._"

"Still safe? I can take care of myself--a bit--!" I said crossly. His excuse didn't hold much water. Then again, with his personality and sense of duty, not to mention the look on his face right then, I wouldn't doubt it if he really did feel like hugging me every time he came out.

"_A bit_," he replied, sounding much too smug.

"Return," I deadpanned. Alice made a sound that might've been a giggle. So she had issues with Des, bickered with Konstantin, and got along more or less with Carlita. That left only Ike, and I had to work out her and Des' problems.

Ike, much to my (and Jude's) surprise, didn't do a single thing to Alice. He barely even spoke to her, instead mumbling out some greeting and then requesting to go back into his ball. Alice looked vaguely miffed at being mostly ignored like that, but I figured it was one of the better results of their first encounter with each other.

"Okay… So what's with you and Des, huh?" I asked peevishly, plucking her off of the top of my head. She had settled there earlier and seemed to like the spot; I didn't want it to become a habit of hers. Alice looked away from me, clicking her beak. "Alice, why don't you like Des?"

"Swablu," she replied shortly.

Right. I still had to buy a translator for her. I sighed and released her. She fluttered over to land, light as a feather, on the ground. She practically floated. She hopped about, tweeted a bit, and pretended to otherwise ignore me. Curious, I decided to experiment.

I released Des. She didn't start to panic until she saw him; it wasn't any Pokemon being let out that bothered her, just Des. That was worth knowing, right? He flicked his ears back in annoyance at her shrill cry. I returned him again. It took a couple moments, but she calmed down again, glaring at me with watery eyes.

"Alice, I'm going to release Des," I told her slowly. She nodded.

And this time, she didn't freak out.

"So she doesn't like surprises?" Jude remarked, chin in hand. I shrugged. It made sense, I guess. "But then why did she freak out the second time you released him…?"

"I guess we didn't announce it with trumpets or something. But--I didn't really say it for any of the others, and Kostya came out without a warning, too."

"…Maybe she just doesn't like him. I don't know. Maybe she was just doing it for the attention."

"I don't think she'd do that. She seems too sweet to me." To prove my point, Alice hopped over and batted her eyes at us. Des snickered. "I think it's something else."

"Then what?"

"I don't know! Isn't that what we're trying to figure out?" I said in exasperation, throwing up my hands.

"_Maybe she doesn't like fire Pokemon?_" Des suggested, leaning against me. I nearly fell over because of it.

"Maybe she just doesn't like Camerupt. The Pokemon in this area are a little used to seeing strong trainers, so she could've come across one before and had something happen," Jude suggested.

Alice tweeted angrily at our feet, drawing our collective attention. Jude and I just stared at her, however. Des sighed and translated, "_She, uh, demands to know why we're not just asking her._"

"…Alice, why don't you like Des?" I asked, a little nonplussed by her attitude.

She chirped something rapidly, hopping once. Des translated once again. "_She says that she doesn't dislike me. That's good._"

"Then why were you carrying on earlier?"

More chirping and tweeting. Jude was right; she _did _have a pretty musical voice. "_She says that she thought it was appropriate._"

"Appropriate for what?" Jude and I said in unison. We looked at each other, and then back at the Swablu on the ground in front of us.

This time, she talked for the longest period of time yet. She even gestured to us with her cottony wings. Des nodded in approval by the time she was done; that only made us more curious. I'd have to get that translator soon. "_She says she was frightened and alarmed at being captured like that. She also asked if you'd like it if you were suddenly sucked into a pokeball and whisked away without forewarning._"

"Um… No?"

"_She says she's fine with it now, though. She just wanted to panic a little to see if you'd let her go or not. …Trainer, I like her. She's funny_," Des remarked simply. Alice beamed at him. She said something else, and he added, "_She does say that she doesn't like surprises. She asks you not to surprise her anymore, especially like that._"

"But then--why was it only _you_--ah, nevermind." I gave up at that point. Alice twittered, which I assumed was her version of a giggle. Unfortunately, that set the tone for more of our relationship after that.

Even more unfortunately, I couldn't keep my word that I wouldn't surprise her anymore. For at that moment, a Gallade Teleported onto the scene. Alice shrieked and immediately took to the air. I dove after her and grabbed her by one foot, but my forward momentum meant that I didn't stop her. I was just dragged along behind her.

The Gallade grabbed me by the back of the shirt, reached over and grabbed Jude by the upper arm, and said, "_I believe the English term for this is 'yoink'._" Then we all Teleported away.


	76. Every Great Mistake Has A Halfway Moment

Alice immediately calmed after Teleporting. Although it'd probably be more accurate to say that she'd been scared stiff. The Gallade dropped us off in some sort of large room. One whole wall was windows, overlooking the sea, and the rest of the room was richly decorated.

"Jacques, you could have warned us!" Jude scolded, rubbing his arm.

"_I do apologize. I was just told to bring you with all haste._"

"Jacques?!" I stared in surprise at the Gallade. He stared evenly back at me.

"_Yes?_" he asked politely.

"…I left Des back there! Ack--all of my stuff is back there!! Take me back _now_!" It was rude of me, but I had just left Des, the rest of my team, and all of my worldly possessions behind. I was understandably upset.

-.-.-

Twenty minutes later, everything was sorted out for the best. Jacques took me back to Celestic and I picked up our stuff and a very distraught Des. He nuzzled me when I returned to him, and I scratched him behind the ears, and it all seemed to be good again. I did catch him growling at Jacques, though.

The place we'd been kidnapped to was a secluded beach house that was owned, predictably, by Robert Beaumanoir. "Why'd you call us here?" Jude asked conversationally, reclining on the couch. He seemed at ease, but yet again, I was at odds with the richness.

"Rather suddenly, I might add," I put in.

"_My apologies. It seems as if Lady Cossette wishes to have another Pokemon, and since we have done business with you in the past, we thought it appropriate to turn to you once more,_" Jacques told us, arms folded behind him. His red gaze flicked towards me. "_I was not aware you two were acquainted…_"

"We met through a mutual friend," Jude replied. It might've just been me, but I thought he said it rather stiffly. "Since this _was_ a rather sudden visit, though, I'm afraid to say that I don't have many Pokemon with me. We'd have to go back--"

"_That is not necessary. We have a PC available here. Lady Cossette has been rather inconsolable as of late, so time is of the_--" Jacques was cut off by his surprise as a blonde girl threw open the doors at the far end of the room. She sprinted across the space and threw herself--not at Jacques, not at Jude, but at _me_.

I hardly recognized Cossette. She was much bigger now, for starters. Her hair was actually shorter, cut just below her shoulders and tied back with a ribbon, but her face had lost a bit of its roundness and she seemed to have a bit more awareness in her eyes this time around.

That, and she was speaking English.

"Hello, hello! _Bonjour! Ben…_ How are you doing?" She had an accent and stumbled a bit over her words, but she was perfectly understandable. I could only gape at her. Cossette frowned and drew back from me, tears suddenly filling her eyes. She turned to Jacques. "_Il ne se souvient pas_--?!"

He must've talked to her telepathically, because he didn't say anything more to us. Jude was looking at me with an expression of trying very hard not to laugh. I glared at him for it. "Um--"

"_I apologize for Lady Cossette. She thinks you do not remember her. Please inform her that you do._" There was something faintly threatening in his tone. I hastily turned back to the little girl who still had her arms around my neck.

"Um, hi, Cossette. I see you remember me--I remember you, too." Oh, how could I forget _that_ little adventure. "Um… Why am _I_ here with Jude if she only wants a new Pokemon?"

"_Je veux… Non!_ I want a new Pokemon."

"You learned English," I couldn't help but say. She blushed and grinned at me.

"_Oui_! Yes! I speak English now!" She had an awkward way of speaking that told me she was still learning, and she was obviously having trouble keeping herself from speaking her native tongue. "I am learning still. _Mais_, I speak it now!"

"Good for you." Even that tiny bit of praise made her glow with pride and she threw herself at me again. I started to get an inkling of what was happening then, but it wasn't until Jude accidentally laughed (and immediately clapped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing further) that I knew what had happened. I stared hard at Jacques, thinking at him as loudly as I could. He smoothly ignored my plight, however.

"I want a new Pokemon. Papa will get me one, he said so. _Qu'est-ce…_ What do I pick?" She looked up at me, eyes shining with admiration. I looked away, feeling very uncomfortable right then. So it wasn't just a feeling. There was some sort of hero worship or, dare I say it, a _crush_ on me. _How_ she even remembered me, though, was beyond me. It had been years. Several years. And she had been so young at the time…

"_Lady Cossette has not forgotten you. She has watched your Gym battles and journey as avidly as any other. She saw you in Jubilife, too, and she believes you to be a hero._" Oh, now Jacques decided to invade my mind. Of course. I thought at him again, but he ignored me. Again.

"Cossette, I don't even get a hug?" Jude asked. Cossette finally let go of me and flounced over to him, curtsied, and then hugged him as well. I breathed a sigh of relief. Just as soon as it was over, though, she was back to sitting beside me. Jude gave me a 'oh well I tried' look. "…Well now I feel snubbed. What sort of Pokemon are you looking for, miss Cossette?"

"_Non_! No! I want to…" She looked up to Jacques for help. He must've replied to her telepathically again, because she continued, "I want to catch a Pokemon. My Pokemon."

"Then why am _I_ here?" Jude asked Jacques, narrowing his eyes.

"_Monsieur Robert requests that_--"

"I can speak for myself, Jacques." All of us turned as Robert Beaumanoir, accompanied by his wife, strode into the room. He still carried himself purposefully, though I noticed that the past couple years had changed him, too. He had the beginnings of grey at his temples, and his wife's smile was a couple watts dimmer than I remembered. He nodded to us both in greeting, and got straight down to business. "My daughter wishes to catch a Pokemon, but in today's training climate, you can understand why I am worried. So I wish for her to be won over with one of yours instead, Monsieur Jude."

Cossette frowned as she visibly puzzled out what he'd said. I hoped she wasn't sharp enough to catch onto everything, especially if the conversation centered around her. Jude leaned forward on the couch, pulling at the cuff of one of his gloves. "That's perfectly acceptable, of course. But the question is whether or not miss Cossette will want a Pokemon just given to her."

"You know how young girls are. The moment she sees one, she will fall in love with it. This will not be a problem."

As it turned out, it _was_ a problem. Jude let her play with a Meowth while he accessed the PC they had and talked over possible choices with Cossette's father. Cossette was perfectly delighted to play with the feline while they spoke. I sat on the ground beside them, wiggling my toes and trying not to wince when the Meowth pounced on them.

"_Ma cherie_, do you want that?" her mother asked.

"_Non,_" she replied easily, though she was still smiling brightly at it. She glanced shyly at me. "I want to catch a Pokemon."

Even when Jude came back with three new Pokemon for her inspection, a Butterfree, a very young Growlithe, and a Pachirisu, she wasn't swayed. She played eagerly with all of them, but she kept repeating that she wanted to catch a Pokemon. Jude and I shared a grimace.

"…What about an egg?" he asked, looking up at Robert hopefully. "She could hatch it herself. That'd give her a sense of properly owning it."

"But what would it hatch into?"

"Oh, I have a variety of eggs. I know what hatches into what, so don't worry about surprises."

Cossette wasn't pleased with this idea, either. She seemed to catch on that we were all trying to pass off a Pokemon on her, too, which made things infinitely more difficult. "_Non!_ No! _Je veux_--I want to catch a Pokemon! My Pokemon! Not a gift! _Je ne veux pas un cadeau!_"

Her mother took her aside and tried to explain that it was too dangerous (or something to that effect, since she was wearing the same expression my mother wore when telling me that), but the little French girl shook her head and ran back to me. She tugged at my sleeve insistently.

"Do I have to get in the middle of this?" I whispered, not having the heart to shake her off.

"She wants to be a trainer like you." Her father sounded as if he blamed _me_ for that. "Cossette--"

"_Non!_ I want to be-become trainer." What she said next was completely lost on me, since she reverted back to French to deal with her father. I could see him crumbling with every word. He still doted on his daughter too much. I hardly caught it when Cossette switched back to English. "I have Jacques, and Manon, and Rose. I have three already. Only one more, please?"

Yes, Robert Beaumanoir doted on his daughter _far_ too much. Jude returned all of his Pokemon and withdrew his offers to appease Cossette. She settled down after that, and was back to her cheery self when her father gave her permission to be a trainer long enough to get one Pokemon.

Of course, Jude and I were instantaneously enlisted. We were to be her bodyguards and watch over her while she went on her little journey. Cossette was possibly even more delighted by that part. All three of her Pokemon would accompany her, which meant that Jacques could take her back once she got her new Pokemon. It also meant that we'd have a quick getaway if we ever needed one.

I couldn't help but remember the last time that I helped them. I felt guilty for thinking that, but still. I had almost died. A couple different times.

"How did you find us, anyway?" Jude asked casually, watching with evident amusement as Cossette reached up to hold my hand. I started wracking my brain for ways to get her to let go--both of my hand and of whatever outrageous admiration she had for me. Really; I wasn't fit to be anyone's hero, let alone a young child's.

"_I believe the term is a 'psychic lock'?_" Jacques replied, tilting his head back in thought. I stopped short, feeling a chill go up my spine.

"D-Did you just say a psychic lock?"

"_Yes. When a psychic Pokemon meets a human or another Pokemon, they can easily put what is commonly called a psychic lock on their mind. It will not affect them in the least, but it allows the Pokemon to find the person or Pokemon again with minimal effort. It took me just moments to locate you from across the region,_" he explained unnecessarily. I already knew what a psychic lock was. I'd been trying to avoid one for the past couple months, after all.

The problem was that the necklace around my neck was supposed to stop them.

I took a couple deep breaths to try to calm my racing heart. Jacques had met me _before_ I got the necklace, so maybe that's why he could just Teleport in and spirit me away. Nick and his Hypno still hadn't shown up, so it was entirely possible that it didn't have a lock on me. It had to be. Jacques had known me before, so that was why he found me. I couldn't read too much into this.

"_Your necklace?_" Oh yeah, and psychics had that annoying problem of reading your mind. Jacques looked down at me with a completely unreadable expression. I broke out into a cold sweat, sidling away from him. "_…It's not much more than the remains of dark Pokemon. You yourself are not dark, though it is obvious that you are trying very hard to become so._"

"Wait--what--?!"

"_Are you trying to become dark?_" Jacques repeated, now sounding worried.

Not only had I just lost the peace of mind that the necklace gave me, but I had just learned something much, much worse. I had messed up another part of the ghosts' warning. They had warned me not to become dark, and I had foolishly believed it to be evil or gloomy. All the while, I'd been desperately trying to figure out a way to become as _dark_ as possible in an apparently vain attempt to keep psychics away.

I messed up again. I failed again. I let go of Cossette's hand, not noticing the dismayed look, and tore the necklace away from me. I had messed up _every single_ part of the warning, hadn't I?! I could hardly remember most of it. I was angry and bitter, I was distracted by injustices left and right, I hadn't stopped Nick, and to top it all, I had been consciously trying to become dark.

"I--I have to go. I have to be alone for awhile." With that, I turned and ran.


	77. Compassion Is No Substitute For Justice

"I'm so stupid so stupid so _stupid_!"

Four Pokemon watched me silently. The fifth had his skull mask buried in his paws and hadn't moved since hearing of my latest mistake.

I needed them right then. I needed my team, if only for the support, but also for the fact that they were my _team_ and I wouldn't keep secrets from them any longer. Even if it was the news that their trainer had potentially ruined the future _again_ that they were receiving now.

"So stupid, so stupid, so stupid!" I howled. I had kicked trees, I had kicked rocks, I had kicked grass. I had punched all those things. I had tried beating my head against the nearest tree, but it was then that Des interceded. So I was left on all fours, beating the ground until my knuckles were bloody and bruised. I had messed up _again_.

So what if I had eight badges? So what if half the world still thought I was a hero for breaking out of a burning building? So what if I had Cossette's admiration and a new Pokemon and had worked out most of the problems with my team? I had still failed when it came to everything else.

"Kostya—what was the full warning?" Voice raspy from shouting and screaming and generally throwing a tantrum, I looked over at the Duskull. He jumped and floated away from me.

"…_You must not die, comrade_," he said hollowly, avoiding looking at me. At least I'd accomplished one thing. "_You will face many trials, do not get sidetracked with the injustices of the world, do not become dark, do not become angry and bitter, and let go._"

I was still alive and I _had_ faced many trials—though I had fought those trials kicking and screaming, so I wasn't sure if that wasn't a win or a loss. Otherwise, I had failed in everything. I was still pretty angry and bitter, especially as of late (this didn't help), I was so sidetracked about the injustices of the world that I couldn't think of anything else, I had tried my hardest to become dark, and I wasn't letting go, either. I took that part to mean that I was supposed to let go of Nick.

But did that mean they had known I'd fail all along? It _was_ true that it had only been the Froslass, Lassie, who had wanted me to help her trainer. The other ghosts hadn't even mentioned stopping him. So they had given up on him, marked him as a lost cause and sacrificed him to the future.

"…I've failed. Guys, I've failed. I've failed in everything about that—"

"_You haven't failed as a trainer,_" Des interrupted firmly.

"_Trainer has eight badges, so he hasn't failed with that._"

"_You've managed to tame me, however temporarily, so you can't have failed that much._"

Even Alice spoke up too with an emphatic, "Bluuu!"

Konstantin stayed silent, covering his mask with his paws again.

I was touched, though. "Guys…"

"_So what if you ignored a bunch of ghosts? They're the stupid ones, not you,_" Carlita told me matter-of-factly with a nod.

"_Well, I agree with that statement,_" Ike added wryly.

"So y-you don't care that I'm a failure?"

"_You've only failed in unimportant matters. When it's counted, you've always come through,_" Des pointed out. He stepped forward and nosed my back. "_It's okay to not be perfect. It's overcoming these challenges that makes you a great trainer._"

"_Comrade, the future is not always something you can stop or even change. For all I know, this could have been the path you were meant to take all along. You mustn't let this dishearten you. You can still turn things around._" Konstantin dejectedly floated over, half-hiding his face with his paws.

"_That's right! You can still stop the Nick human!_" Carlita bounced on her toes, grinning at me. Alice fluttered over and perched on her head, whistling something. Carlita nodded, nearly knocking her off, and continued smiling. "_We still have time to win!_"

"_We had better win. I won't tolerate anything less from you after all this,_" Ike said with a slight growl.

"But—"

"_No buts. We will still win. You will win against your Nick. Nothing bad has come from ignoring the warning yet, and nothing will. Do you think anything has the power to stop us at this point?_" Des asked softly, still nuzzling me. I moved so that I could hug him. Carlita immediately tackled us both in a lopsided hug, Alice falling off her head with a squawk. The Swablu fluttered over and took her spot on my head, settling her wings over my head in what I hoped was another hug. Konstantin wiggled up under Des' chin and wrapped his arms around my stomach and rested his skull mask against my chest.

Ike stayed off to the side, ears laid back, and deadpanned, "_I'm not joining that._"

"_Get over here before I make you_," Des replied, just as flatly. Grumbling, Ike slunk over and curled around my back, setting his chin on my shoulder. My Camerupt snorted in triumph.

"…Thanks guys." I still felt bad, I still felt guilty, I still felt so incredibly _stupid_, but at least I felt better about all of those things. I wasn't going through this alone. I still had my team.

-.-.-

With a dose of self-confidence and an even bigger dose of lingering guilt, I trudged my way back to camp. Much to my surprise, Jacques cut me off before I could find them; he swooped in out of nowhere, picked me up, and carried me off before I could do so much as yelp.

"Wha—?"

"_We need to speak privately. Forgive me for the rudeness, but I feel this is necessary_," he said smoothly, setting me down once we were well away from Jude and Cossette and anyone else who might've overheard us. Though with him speaking to me telepathically, someone could really only eavesdrop on half of the conversation…

"Wh-What is it?" I asked nervously, rubbing my arm. I avoided eye contact and instead studied a flower near my feet.

"_This was yours?_" I peeked upward only enough to find him holding the necklace I had thrown away. I nodded and looked back down at the flower. "_You obtained it to ward off psychic Pokemon._" It wasn't a question, which made me a little irritated, knowing he'd been rooting around in my mind without my permission. "_You want to ward off psychics to prevent yourself from meeting your… friend again._"

"Use that term very loosely," I warned him, not wanting to get into this at all. It looked like it would be impossible to get out of it, however. I still didn't know what Nick was to me anymore, but I didn't want to encourage his suspicion. …Though it was a moot point, since he could easily read my mind and sift through my memories at his leisure. Yeah, I definitely wasn't getting a psychic anytime soon.

"_If such a thing were to occur when Lady Cossette is around_—"

"Take her and Jude and Teleport away." I raised my eyes to lock gazes with him. He tried to stare me down, but I wouldn't look away. "…Jacques, you owe me this much. I returned Cossette to you, though I risked my life to do so. Twice. So protect your little girl again and Teleport her away if you ever see Nick or his Hypno."

"_What of you?_" he inquired dispassionately. I couldn't hear any sort of emotional reaction in his voice. I half-wished I could read _his_ mind, if only to figure out what he thought of me right then.

"I'm going to have to face him, aren't I? And, I guess you guys will need some sort of distraction so he doesn't chase after you." If he was hunting non-trainers like the media proclaimed, Jude and Cossette would be ideal targets. Not that I believed the media. I just wanted to be prepared, of course. I would never believe that Nick was anything but a victim of a tragedy and misunderstood and angry and we just needed to meet up again and _talk it all out_—

"_Your nobility is refreshing._" Jacques set his paw on top of my head. "_I am afraid I will have to continue to entrust Lady Cossette to you. …Do not hurt her._" There was more to his words than he let on. As such, it went clear over my head.

"I'll make sure the big bad real world doesn't touch her. She'll be fine. She'll catch her Pokemon in a day or so and you two can go back to your little beach house." I shrugged.

Jacques shifted and pressed his arm against his eye. "_…This is going to be a difficult endeavor._"

"It always is, isn't it?"

-.-.-

"You are back!" Cossette cried cheerfully, rushing to meet both of us as we returned to the camp. She ran up to us and captured each of us in a one-armed hug. Jacques delicately detached her arm from me in order to pick her up, but she whined and instead let go of him in order to throw both arms around my neck and hang there like a very heavy necklace. "You are back," she repeated.

"Y-Yeah." It took all of my strength just to stay upright. She wasn't heavy—okay, actually she _was_, but that was just because all of her weight was currently on the top of my spinal cord. I hastily bent over to set her down on the ground, worried for my neck, but she didn't let go. I tried to stand up, but it was easier holding her when she was already up as opposed to lifting her. As a result, I remained awkwardly bent over.

"_Come, Lady Cossette. It is time to go. Don't you wish to capture a Pokemon?_" Jacques asked, prying her away gently, but firmly. She nodded emphatically, giving her Gallade a serious look. "_What sort of Pokemon are you aiming to catch?_"

"_Ben…_ I do not know yet." This hardly seemed to bother her and she gave me a radiant smile. "I will be a trainer like you!"

"You don't have to catch your Pokemon to be a trainer." I was proof of that little fact. "You already have three…"

"I want to catch my Pokemon. I want to. I want to be…" She turned to Jacques, and he must've answered her privately, because she continued a moment later, "I want to be like you." It occurred to me then that he must be like some sort of translator for her. No wonder she picked up English so quickly.

"I didn't exactly catch all of my Pokemon. My first two were… gifts." There. Who said I couldn't be tactful when I wanted? "And—" Oh yeah, I had caught Ike when I was with her. It would be better not to mention that fact, since she hadn't recognized him yet. "It doesn't matter where they come from. Pokemon are Pokemon, and humans can be their trainers if they want to. It's all up to the team."

"Well put," Jude chimed in, watching the scene unfold with a smile. "Miss Cossette, you could be given a Pokemon, or hatch a Pokemon, and it would be exactly the same either way. Or—you know, when you hatch a Pokemon from an egg, you still have to _catch_ it when it hatches. You'd have to catch the baby Pokemon that came out of it."

The little blonde girl looked at him suspiciously, and then whispered something to Jacques, her hands cupped around her mouth. He nodded thoughtfully, and replied to her telepathically; Jude and I didn't get to hear what he'd said. "…Maybe," she said at last, still giving him a very cautious look. "I will think about it. Maybe."

"_Until then, why don't you two show Lady Cossette what it is like to be a trainer?_" Jacques suggested mildly. He set her down on the ground and she dusted imaginary dirt off of her dress. Jude and I exchanged a look. "_Have a battle with her team. Or with each other first, so she may grasp the proper process better._"

"Battle… each other? But he's a breeder—"

"I can still battle, you know. I seem to recall my Pokemon stomping you into the ground when we first met."

"I didn't even have any of my Pokemon out!"

"Then let's give the lady a proper show, shall we?"

"…Fine." I glanced sideways at Cossette and her Gallade. Jude mock-bowed to me, and I awkwardly returned the gesture. He then called out a Lapras. A water Pokemon. I stared at him, mouth agape; he beamed at me. "You did that on purpose!"

"Can't lie and say I didn't."

I curled my lip and let out Konstantin. Jude took a step backward, paling. "I did _that_ on purpose, too."

"_Maybe a battle wouldn't be the best of ideas,_" Jacques said, realizing his mistake a moment too late. He didn't realize that two teenage boys would become so competitive so quickly. But really, what else had he expected?

-.-.-

Quick Note: NamNar name is not "Ben" or "Benjamin" or anything that can ever be construed as having "Ben" in its name. It is more or less the French equivalent of "Um" Cossette is/was saying. That is all.


	78. The Best Way To Keep One's Word

The gap between Konstantin and the rest of the team became apparent when he battled against the Lapras. He won—but it would've taken less time and effort if he was, say, as strong as Des. So when Jude let out a Sneasel afterward to try to beat my Duskull, I simply let out my starter.

From there on out, it was insanely easy.

Des beat the rest of his team. Sure, Jude was a breeder, not a trainer, and I knew his team was made up of primarily weak, pretty little things, but I had to be amazed at Des' ability. He even took down a Poliwhirl (though admittedly, only because he wouldn't let me return him; he tried to roast me with a Flamethrower whenever I tried to).

"…Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting to win," Jude sighed, running his hand through his hair and messing up his ponytail. He strode over and patted Des' side. "I don't think Des appreciated your paranoia about the water Pokemon."

"I know."

"But you did good. Even considering Kostya…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shook his hand when he offered it, but regarded him suspiciously.

"He's still a Duskull. Not that I _want_ the little monster to evolve and get any bigger, but shouldn't he have by now?"

"He's waiting until he…" Oh. I blinked in confusion upon this sudden revelation. Konstantin had said that he was not going to evolve until he learned Future Sight—but he had. He might've mentioned something else about not evolving before, but if he had, it had completely slipped my mind. "I don't think he wants to evolve."

"That's odd. Is he—" Jude was cut off when Cossette pranced over and threw her arms around my waist. I was getting used to her hugs, but I was also a little curious as to what he was going to say.

"You won!" she cried happily, turning to look over her should at Jacques. "Jacques, he won! He is a good trainer! I want to become a trainer like him!" She said this as a fact, not as a desire. Then again, an imaginative little girl who pretty much got anything she wanted (as evidenced by this trip) and now wanted to become a trainer? I didn't see why she couldn't believe she could do it. She probably could, too, if only for her Gallade and Kangaskhan. "May we battle now?"

"Wait, what?"

"You two battled, and now it is my turn to battle with you." She gave me such a charming little smile that I could hardly say no. Jude shook his head behind her back, which I took to mean 'don't thrash the little girl into the ground like you did me'.

"Um, okay."

I was a little leery of battling Jacques, but I was confident in my team's ability to defeat a Happiny and Kangaskhan. Cossette skipped over to her side of the makeshift battlefield, and called, "Rose!" What came out wasn't the tiny little Happiny I remembered, though; what came out was a Chansey.

I decided to call out Alice. She needed leveling up, but she was still the weakest member of the team. It should be fairly even if it was her against Rose, right? "Alice, use Peck! A-A little one, though!" So what if I pulled the punch at the last moment. I felt bad for beating a little girl.

My Swablu gave me a look that clearly asked what I was thinking, but she swooped over and pecked Rose on the head nonetheless. The Chansey squealed and skittered away, looking a little watery-eyed. Cossette, a very serious expression on her face, glanced at Jacques. Probably for an attack name. I gave her props for the English, though. "Ice Beam!"

I suddenly didn't feel so bad battling her.

Alice shrieked and dove out of the way, just barely managing to miss it. Without waiting for another order, she Pecked Rose again and again, until the Chansey managed to hit her with another Ice Beam. Alice went down. She wasn't unconscious, but I decided to return her before she did faint.

Jude suppressed a snicker. I scowled at him. So what if that hadn't gone as planned? It wasn't like I was going to _lose_. I called out Des and instructed him to use an Ember. (A little one.) It hit Rose, and while she looked hurt, she was still very conscious. Des kept breathing fire until she fainted, at which point Cossette ran onto the field to check on her.

I jogged over to them, now feeling bad again. "M-Maybe we should call this match a draw?" I suggested. Cossette suddenly looked far too much like June Velarde, my opponent from The Tournament, for me to feel comfortable. "It's a draw, okay, Cossette? We each won one."

She said something in rapid French and then returned Rose. Jacques knelt down beside her. She turned to face me, looking a little morose. "…A draw, yes. It was a draw."

I sighed in relief. When did battling become so stressful? I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but watching out for Alice was hard, too. I had better work on getting her stronger, too. And wouldn't she evolve at some point? I couldn't remember what Swablu evolved into (A-something, right?) but I knew she would evolve at least once. I wonder if I could train her and Konstantin at the same time.

"_Chouette!_ You are the best trainer in all the world, and we had a draw!" Perky Cossette was back again. I fidgeted at the attention. Was I ever this bad? "I want a Des."

"Huh?"

She pointed at Des. "I want one."

Even Des seemed surprised by that move. He scuffled his toe in the dirt, looking bashfully away. I rolled my eyes. "Des has already evolved, so you'll probably get a Numel first."

"A Numel. I want one." She scratched the ruff of fur on top of his head, much to his delight. He licked her face, severely messing up her hair, but she didn't seem to mind and only giggled. "I will name my Numel Des, too!"

I didn't bother telling her that Des was short for Pedestal. In fact, I was flattered. Apparently I was an awesome enough trainer for a young girl to not only want to idolize me, but she also wanted a Numel as well. And name it Des.

I caught Jude's eye, though, and he wasn't wearing a pleased expression. I left Cossette scratching Des and snuck over to him. "You just got her heart set on a Numel. Do you really think that was wise?" he whispered.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Do you know where Numel are located in the wild?"

"Um… no." I had never come across a wild one, and they were fairly rare in Sinnoh.

"Up north, and in _Hoenn_. Not Sinnoh. How are we going to find a wild Numel for her to battle and capture?" I saw why he didn't sound happy now. That was an unforeseen problem.

"…Where up north?" I doubted they'd be in the vicinity around Snowpoint, and that was the only north-ish area I knew of.

Jude gave me a secretive glance and leaned in even further. "It's for Champion-bound trainers. It's really top-class, and I've heard its selection process is fierce. I've had to pay a pretty penny just to get up there—and that was once. It'd be very expensive for me to get up there again, and I'm fairly certain you wouldn't be allowed up there at all since you're a trainer. I have no idea if Cossette will be allowed or not, since she falls into the grey area between trainers and pet owners…"

"You could just take Cossette up there and—"

"I'm _not_ a trainer," Jude interrupted, almost irritably. "The Pokemon up there are powerful beasties. I had Molly with me last time I went up there, and it still nearly kicked our butts. And—"

"Molly?" I couldn't help but ask.

"A Tyranitar I've been training up for a couple years. A pet project of mine. She's ridiculous, not unlike your Des, but that's beside the point!" he said hastily. "I was able to get by last time because it was pre-Nick Sayre. Security has been tripled since then, and I highly doubt I would be able to get up there just to get a _Numel_, of all things."

"Hoenn then?"

Jude groaned and hit his forehead with his palm. "You don't grasp the concept of upped security and a lack of funds, do you?" I shook my head, if only to further frustrate him. "Listen, I'm all for getting her a Pokemon, any Pokemon her little heart desires. But the world doesn't turn on wishes and hopes."

"I could ask my parents where they got Des…"

"Probably from another breeder. Which would, yet again, take money. She wants to _catch_ one."

A sudden idea struck me. I glanced over at Cossette, who was still happily distracted by Des. Jacques stood over her, staring at us levelly. "…Why do we need funds? Ask Jacques if he's been to Hoenn before."

Jude looked over at the Gallade, hurriedly ducking his head back down a moment later. "I don't think he'd approve of that plan. It would involve either taking her into an unknown area, or him leaving her. What are you doing?!" I gestured Jacques over. Jude made a sound that could only be described as a hiss before straightening and giving him a charming smile. I smirked.

"Jacques, Cossette is set on a Numel and—" I started, but he held up a paw and sighed.

"_I can read your minds._"

Jude and I exchanged a guilty look. "Eh… Then you should know that she really wants a Numel, and that they're only found in certain places. And as I doubt you've been up north, Hoenn is the only viable option at this point—"

"_I do not approve of leaving Lady Cossette._"

"We could make a trip out of it. We'll both come along." I didn't like that idea, but Jude seemed to have control of the situation again. "Of course, it would be unfamiliar territory, and it could be a bit dangerous. It would be _much_ easier to simply go to Hoenn, leave her here with a guard, catch a Numel, and release it in a safe, general vicinity of Cossette… Wouldn't it be? She would get to catch her very own Pokemon, the one that she wants, and she would never have to be any wiser for the fact that her Numel has been imported. Wouldn't it be easier in the long run to take that quick jaunt over to Hoenn now without her, so that you and she may get back to the safety of her own home—?"

"_Fine. You have made your point._" Jacques didn't sound happy about it, though. Jude grinned at him, and I couldn't help sharing in it. That had gone over unexpectedly easy. Maybe if he'd use his charm for good, we'd get more accomplished. "_Do you know where they are found?_"

"Vaguely. If all else, we could get directions once we're over there… I have a couple contacts, and they may be able to help us. It should only take a few hours, a day at most. How about we leave tomorrow morning?"

"_And we would leave them here alone?_" Jacques gave me a look that demonstrated his enthusiasm about the idea. I glared up at him, feeling miffed.

"Might I remind you who the strong trainer is here? She'll be _fine_ with me. I wouldn't let anyone or anything touch a hair on her head. I promise." I would come to regret making that promise in the next couple of days, especially since it would almost get me killed on several separate occasions by several separate individuals.

Still, none of us knew it at the time. Instead, we went to sleep. I tried my best to fall asleep and ignore the niggling seeds of doubt concerning the ghosts' warning and the horrible, horrible feeling that I had somehow messed it up _again_ (or further?). Eventually, though, I fell asleep and dreamed of a dark-haired silhouette that was laughing at me.


	79. All The World's A Stage

"Okay, I'm leaving most of my stuff here with you two. Be good, don't get into trouble, and don't die." The parallel to the prophecy made my smile become strained, but I kept up appearances and waved goodbye to Jude and Jacques. Cossette didn't ask where they were going, taking the explanation of 'business' at face value. Plus, she seemed happy at spending some alone time with me.

I hadn't exactly thought that part out ahead. I grimaced as Cossette latched onto my waist. "What… What are we going to do today?" she asked. Her speech was more faltering and awkward without Jacques around to correct her, but at least it was in a language I understood.

"Um… I don't know."

"_Je ne sais pas_," she repeated cheerily. That was one of the phrases I had picked up rather quickly, since it meant 'I don't know'.

"Uh… Want to watch me train up Alice? She's my Swablu—the bird." Alice needed more training than Kostya, and I trusted her more around the girl, too.

"Ah, yes! That would be very amusing. Fun! I can release my Pokemon, too?" It was in that way that it somehow ended up releasing seven Pokemon to play together. I fretted from Pokemon to Pokemon to make sure they were all behaving, but apparently, with Alice, Manon, and Rose there, it seemed to offset my team _just_ enough that they didn't cause a catastrophe. Alice kept Konstantin busy, which meant that he wasn't bothering Ike, which meant that he was off on his own and wasn't bothering anyone else. Carlita's boundless energy was immediately taken by Manon the Kangaskhan as they tussled and wrestled. Des sat down beside me and Rose chatted idly with him, watching the others.

This might've gone well if it had only been that.

"Want to listen to the radio?" Jude had brought along with him from Johto a rather ratty old radio, but one that picked up Sinnoh broadcasts just fine. Music would help lift the mood, and if all else failed, the music would be a guarantee to keep Carlita and Alice out of trouble. The two girls like to dance and sing, respectively, I had figured out early.

"Yes!" Cossette chirped, trying to beckon Alice over. The Swablu smoothly ignored her and continued trying to avoid Konstantin.

Since we were now just south of Eterna, I figured that it would be the best bet to point the antenna in that direction. After several moments of adjusting, smacking, and static, I finally got a tune. I sat down beside Des, relishing the small break from chasing down my team, and Cossette came and joined me. She curled up in the space between his front paw and his head, leaning against his neck and scratching his ears. At least she knew how to treat Camerupt. Hopefully a Numel wouldn't be too bad of a Pokemon for her. Good thing she didn't have any water Pokemon…

"Des," she said suddenly. I opened an eye to glance sideways at her. She pointed to Des, and then to Carlita. "Carlita. And Alice. And…"

"Ike," I supplied. She nodded solemnly. "Kostya." It made sense that she wasn't very familiar with either of them, though she'd technically met Ike before. She remembered Des and Carlita, and she rather liked Alice right off the bat. The other two were more background characters for her.

"Des, Carlita, Alice, Ike, Kostya."

"Good job." Of course, complimenting her, no matter how offhandedly, only encouraged her. She climbed over Des' leg and snuggled up against my side with a contented sigh. I tensed and tried to scoot away, but she whimpered and followed. Eventually, I found myself leaning against Des' hind leg, one arm around her shoulders, Cossette laying against my chest. I had a sneaking suspicion that the sound my Camerupt was making was laughter, too. "Um, Cossette…?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you… um… like me so much?" I still wasn't completely positive if it was a crush or admiration she had for me, but with the way Jude carried on, I had a feeling it was more than hero worship.

"You are a very good trainer. Very good. Very strong!" she said simply, hardly hiding the grin in her voice. That made me feel a _little_ better. So what if I had messed up and was a failure and hadn't managed to do _anything_ with my life since my eighth badge? Someone still thought I was an awesome trainer. And really, that was good enough for me.

Alice, perched on one of Des' back-volcanoes, started whistling along with the music on the radio. Cossette started humming along, too, which made me start as well. Carlita dislodged herself from Manon and started dancing; Manon was visibly disappointed, but Rose was ecstatic and joined in.

"You are my favorite trainer!" Cossette exclaimed suddenly. It caught me off guard, but made me smile.

And for one brief, fleeting moment, I tried to remember if Nick and I had ever been like this.

The song ended and Alice stopped singing. Carlita and Rose stopped dancing as well. They did it every time between songs, which was weird, but faintly funny at the same time. They were like windup toys. The music made them move. "…And we interrupt the music broadcast with an important news bulletin!" the radio declared. I snorted in annoyance and tried to nudge it with my foot. "Earlier today, two unknown trainers took two hostages, armed with Pokemon and a single pistol, according to the police."

Sadly, such stories were not all that uncommon anymore. The training climate had indeed changed. The trainers were figuring out that _they_ had the power. Not the police, not the government, but the kids who went out into the wilderness and trained up their teams for years on end. Once in awhile, someone else would figure that out and take advantage of it. So far, no one had been killed in these sort of situations—The Tournament had seemed to make killing taboo again—but two had been arrested and another was supposedly in a mental hospital.

I crawled forward and changed the radio station. We didn't have to listen to this. I didn't want Cossette to learn about such things, either.

The next two stations had the same news story, apparently. I really should've figured it out then, but I had thought at the time that it was just the next big scandal because firearms were involved. I gave up on the third station where it was _still_ playing. I leaned back against Des again with a huff, and told Cossette, "We'll just have to wait for it to end. They'll start playing music a—"

"—and they have just now started making demands again! Predictably—oh, shoot—" there was a burst of noise and static, "—a warning shot! The man has just fired a warning shot into the air! He is telling the police at the scene that he will kill his mother if Sayre himself does not appear within the next twenty minutes!"

I stared at the radio. I knew instinctively that I had heard it correctly.

"The wanted criminal Nicholas Sayre's parents have both been taken hostage, and the man holding them captive has only one demand: Sayre comes to him! It seems that the man and his accomplice, what looks to be his son or nephew, had a family member that was killed in The Tournament, and they are hoping for revenge, though it is not known at this time whether or not it was _actually_ organized by Sayre or merely his followers—"

"_Trainer?_" I jumped when Des nudged me with his leg. He had craned his head around to look at me worriedly. Cossette was also staring at me, eyes wide and frightened. "_You look… angry._"

"I-It's nothing. Let's turn the radio off now, 'kay?" I shakily crawled over and shut it off, perhaps a little more forcefully than what was needed. So what if Nick's parents were being targeted by a couple crazies? The _world_ was crazy, and while it was so incredibly stupid and mean of them to target someone's family, it was bound to happen. The world was too angry with Nick. The trainers were too angry with him. And it was the trainers who had the power now.

"What was that?" Cossette asked with a tug on my sleeve.

I tried my best to smile at her, but it came out as more of a grimace. She let go. I was thankful that it had been spoken too quickly for her to catch most of it. "Just a news report. Some trainers are… stupid."

"_Mais, pas toi!_ Not you." That seemed to be enough of a reason for her, because all of her concern was gone and was replaced by the prettiest little smile possible. I chuckled nervously and looked away from her. Me, stupid? Of course not. Not me, like she said.

At least, never _that_ stupid.

I didn't dare turn the radio back on, even an hour later. Instead, I had Carlita try to teach us both how to dance, which distracted her and Cossette well enough. I caught Des and Konstantin both giving me looks occasionally, so I pretended to be absorbed in the dance lesson. On the inside, I was still stuck on the report, but I couldn't show it on the outside. Besides, we were in the wilderness south of Eterna. I had no idea where his parents' house was, but it had to be far away and I couldn't get involved even if I wanted to.

Nick didn't have a radio, though. Nick didn't have contact with the outside world. How would _he_ know about his parents? What if he didn't find out? What if they were killed? His little brother's death nearly caused a bloody coup. What would happen if he found out his parents had been killed, and not of neglect, but of sheer cruelty and a need for (misguided) revenge?

…And people thought the world was messed up _now_.

I could only imagine what would happen if Nick decided to go on an actual rampage. Anyone who was actually smart knew that if he had wanted to, he could've done a lot worse than attacking the Champion and killing half her team. While the media was fond of pinning most trainer killings and The Tournament itself on him as well, I knew it wasn't true. There was no way he'd had a hand in such things. Still, if he had lost his family and had nothing left to lose…

An image of Chase ripping into human bodies with a bloody snout flashed into my mind. My stomach churned and I immediately halted in my dancing lesson, hand clamped firmly over my mouth. The feeling passed, but slowly. I smiled weakly at the dancing girls and waved them off. I shuffled over and sat beside Des again, content to watch them. I tried my hardest not to let my mind wander, but it was hard. Nick was once again making headlines.

My phone went off, making me jump. I pressed a hand to my chest and checked it. At least it was my text ring tone and not someone calling. It was from Hanna. So she had probably heard the news and was going to pass it along, lovely. It would be like the Champion's tragedy on Route 222 all over again, which was something I couldn't handle right then.

I debated over opening it or not, and in the end, I decided to at least tell her that I had already heard so she wouldn't call me or call Jude who was still currently MIA in Hoenn and didn't need to hear of this. (Besides, Nick was sort of our thing. Just me and Hanna. Jude only came in later.)

The text merely said, "he was just arrested".

I dropped the phone. Before it could hit the ground, however, Konstantin caught it. He looked it over curiously. I had no idea if he could read or not. Des snorted at him and the Duskull fled, though. Des then turned to me. "_Are you okay?_"

"Nick… He was just arrested."

Somehow, the thought of him being arrested never really crossed my mind. He was just too untouchable. He had gotten away from half of the Elite Four almost _easily_! He had evaded capture for what, a year and a half now? He had appeared in Jubilife during that tragic tournament and got away. He _always_ got away. He never had to face judgment, because really, he wasn't a bad guy, he was just angry and wanted to save his little brother. His only problem was that he cared too much. And he'd just been arrested for trying to save his own parents which only furthered the fact that he had to get away for his _own_ good and leave us all behind—

Alice interrupted my crumbling state of mind with a shriek. Everyone winced; I think she hit notes that only canines could hear. Next thing I knew, I had a Swablu buried in my shirt and Carlita and Cossette were screaming as well. I jumped to my feet, Alice pinned against me, and turned to where Manon and Ike were roaring and snarling; a dark speck had appeared in the sky. A dark blue speck with a red underbelly and a wounded wing that splattered us all with blood as he landed.

Chase the Garchomp.

He staggered over to me, favoring one leg, but paused halfway there when Des got up and started bellowing at him. Chase roared back, eyes narrowed, but Des used a Flamethrower—which was countered with another one.

"Carlita, Kostya, protect Cossette! Alice—let go—go stay near Cossette and her Pokemon, okay?" I forcibly tore Alice away from my shirt, and set her flapping over to the panicked blonde girl. I ran over to Des and stood beside him, Ike joining me on my other side. Chase continued growling at them all.

It was then that I noticed the sort of state the dragon was in. I doubted I had ever seen him so beat up. In addition to a hurt wing and leg, he had blood dripping out of his mouth (though whether or not it was his was still up in the air) and two of his teeth were chipped. He was also breathing laboriously, chest heaving. He growled something to Des, who simply responded with a "_No_".

Chase darted forward, once again making me his target. I backed up and Des tried to block it, but it was Ike who jumped in and tackled Chase. They went tumbling into the dirt in front of Des, growling and snapping at each other. Chase immediately took the upper hand and kicked Ike off of him. My Luxray hit the ground several yards away with a high, short yelp. He didn't get up again.

I ran towards my fallen Pokemon, which I admit probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Des tried to waddle after me, but Chase pushed him back with a Dragonbreath and then went after me. Before I reached Ike, I was picked up under the arms and pressed against the scales of his stomach. "Let go! Chase—Let me go!"

Suddenly, the ground was a long ways beneath my feet. Alice was already flying up, but Chase aimed another jet of blue fire at her. I elbowed him as hard as I could which made him nearly drop me. Now hanging awkwardly by my waist, I tried to shoo Alice back down, away from the dragon that was trying to roast her.

"Des, protect Cossette and the others! Kostya—stop Alice from—" Chase shifted me rather roughly and we were too far away from my team for me to say anything else.


	80. But Many A Crime Deemed Innocent

I wasn't sure how long the flight took, but it took long enough for me to yell myself hoarse and get tired of struggling. It also took just enough time for me to be unbearably sore when we finally landed in a dense patch of forest that looked remarkably like every other patch of forest in the area.

Still, Chase descended with purpose. He dropped me unceremoniously in the grass and I immediately fell to my hands and knees, joints yelling at me for hanging like a rag doll in his grasp for the past however long.

"What the heck is this about, Chase?!" I demanded, straining to get on my feet and remain that way. It was harder than I remembered. He growled something at me and licked at his wing wound. I rolled my eyes and decided sitting was good, too. "I can't understand you. I have no idea what you just said, or why you just _kidnapped_ me from my Pokemon—"

The growl this time was more pronounced and was accompanied by a glare.

I backed down. "…I still can't understand you."

Chase snorted and limped over to a tree, withdrawing a shredded backpack from it. I belatedly recognized it as Nick's.

"He-He got _arrested_, Chase. How… Why are you separated? Why is his stuff here with you?"

Chase shook his head and tossed the bag at me, scattering items everywhere. Two of them happened to be pokeballs and burst open with a flash of light, revealing an irate Magmar and a nervous-looking Smeargle. Vasudeva and Harlan. I backed up against the nearest tree. Chase was hard enough, but now I had to contest with three of them? Why weren't they with Nick?!

Vasudeva took one look at me and then snapped at Chase. He waved his claws at me and exclaimed, "Maaaar!"

Harlan squeaked something and hastily got away from them, wringing her tail.

Chase, lip curled, lowered his head so that he was eye-level with Vasudeva. The challenge was unmistakable. Vasudeva backed down and spat a mouthful of flames at the grass by his feet. "Mar," he added, almost as an afterthought. Harlan nodded and bounded over to me, much to my shock and alarm. I tried to circle around the tree, but Chase and Vasudeva's combined glares were enough to pin me to the spot.

"S-Smee," Harlan said, sounding suspiciously like she was apologizing. I was liking this less and less.

"I have no idea what's going on, but whatever it is, I'm not helping." Actually, I had a sneaking suspicion I _did_ know what was going on, but that only made me less keen to participate. "Chase, take me back right now. Or I—I'll…" Without my Pokemon, I couldn't do anything. Well, I could try running for it, but with a Garchomp and a Teleporting Magmar on my tail I wouldn't last very long. Shouting wouldn't get me very far, either.

Harlan tugged on my hand. The movement was gentle, but it gave me a start and I pulled my hand away from her reflexively. She looked a little crestfallen, but pointed down at the ground. There, written sloppily in paint, was 'NICK'.

"…Nick was arrested. I can't do anything about that. He—He did a bad thing. You guys were all there, you know that—" Vasudeva smacked me in the shoulder with his tail. I winced and shied away from him.

Harlan was writing again. I didn't know when or where she had picked up the alphabet, unless it came with her abilities. That made sense. I swallowed, glanced at Chase and Vasudeva, and read over her shoulder.

'WE WERE LEFT BEHIND HE TOLD CHASE TO RUN THE BAG TORE THEY GOT TRAINER AND OUR FRIENDS'. Grammar, punctuation, and lowercase letters might've escaped her, but the message was perfectly understandable. I had been afraid of that. If I had used the language barrier as a shield, I could've repeated that I didn't understand them until they gave up and left me alone. (Or they might've killed me, come to think of it…)

"He was arrested," I repeated once more. Harlan nodded sadly. "So Chase left him…?" I hadn't meant for it to be an accusation—had I?—but it came out like one nonetheless. Chase didn't bother concealing his anger; he snarled, tail lashing behind him, and crouched down. Ike more or less did the same thing when angry, so I knew to back off. I looked away and shrunk into myself, trying to make myself a smaller target. Just in case.

'WHO CAN NOT HELP US VASUDEVA CAN NOT TELEPORT IN PLACES HE HAS NOT BEEN TO BEFORE CHASE IS HURT WE CAN NOT RESCUE HIM WE NEED YOUR HELP.'

"I can't Teleport, or fly, or attack. And you left my Pokemon behind." I raised my hands uselessly. "I can't do anything to help you. Sorry, but—" Once again, I was cowering beneath the combined glares of the Garchomp and Magmar.

Harlan was already scribbling in the dirt again. 'WE CAN PROVIDE A DISTRACTION YOU HAVE TO RESCUE HIM AND WHO AND JULES AND MARCO AND SERLING THEY ALL FELL OUT OF THE BAG WHEN CHASE FLEW AWAY'. She glanced up at Vasudeva and asked him something in a quiet voice. He responded with a nod. She added, 'WHO WILL TELEPORT YOU OUT WHEN YOU FIND HIM'.

"…But not…" I didn't finish it aloud. Who, whoever that was, would Teleport me—and Nick and his other Pokemon, I presumed—out when I found him. But not before. Not if I didn't reach him. Not if I didn't go through with it. I sighed and knelt down beside the painted grass, burying my face in my hands. "…Why did you have to come and find _me_?"

'YOU ARE HIS FRIEND'.

Couldn't argue with that logic, I supposed. Even if I wasn't sure if he even _was_ my friend anymore. He helped me through pretty much all of my badges and saved my hide more than once, so I could save him just this once, right?

Never mind the fact that I was saving him from prison and, more likely than not, execution.

-.-.-

When it was left to a bunch of Pokemon (those three were not the only ones he had; I had heard he'd been traveling illegally with more, but for some reason, I had always thought it was a lie; it was not), the plan turned out to be little more than 'make a bunch of noise, and send the kid in to spring Trainer'.

"What if you guys get caught? I'm not going back in there again to save any of you, and if Nick did, it'd be little more than a suicide run."

Vasudeva snorted and raised his hand. Oh right, he could Teleport. I guess it was a smart move, but still… The entire thing made me way too nervous. Then again, I was getting shanghaied by a criminal's (and supposed mass murderer's) Pokemon into performing an illegal act, so I supposed I had a right to be apprehensive.

I didn't even have my team to back me up. Instead, I had Nick's. The irony was far from lost on me.

"Will you return me to my Pokemon unharmed and not attack us?" I asked suspiciously, though it was nothing more than stalling at that point. Nick was being held in Oreburgh's prison, which wasn't necessarily large, but it was still a prison. Which would be guarded. With Pokemon. And humans. With guns.

There was mostly nods amongst the group. It was the best I could hope for.

I was dropped off in Oreburgh by Vasudeva. I was to walk to the prison and get in as far as I could before they started doing—whatever it was they'd be doing. All I got was a vague explanation of a 'distraction'. I hoped it was a good one. I already figured I'd end up thrown behind bars, though, considering my luck.

Surprisingly, though, it was _easy_. You could go _far_ in a prison while just saying you were trying to find the restroom, apparently. I was still wandering the hallways, trying my best to look like a small, lost child, when the building shook and alarms started going off. A couple uniformed men ran past me, a Growlithe following them, so I figured I'd head in that direction.

It all felt like a dream. I practically floated down the hallway, trying the occasional door. This was easy. I wasn't in my own cell yet, I wasn't in pain, I wasn't getting attacked, and no one was acting all that suspicious of me.

Of course, it helped when your distraction was the most feared trained Pokemon in recent history and he was currently chewing on two guards. Chase had knocked down two double doors behind me and gave me a look that told me very clearly to hurry up. I hurried. Nick's Linoone (whose name escaped me at the moment) wiggled through the opening that was not occupied by Chase or screaming guards and ran down the hallway towards me. He barked and nudged me in the direction of a certain door.

Opening it, however, I just got another hallway. The Linoone sniffed the air for a moment, and then nudged me forward again.

It still felt too much like a dream. When would I wake up? When would Konstantin intrude and say something creepy? At this point, I was half-expecting the Froslass.

"Hey!" A guard barreled out of the nearest doorway, gun trained on me, Luxio at his heels. "Who are you?! What do you think you're doing down here?!"

I held up my hands innocently as the Linoone darted past me and sunk its tiny teeth into the guard's leg. Vasudeva appeared in the doorway behind us and pushed me to get me going again as he ran over to assist the Linoone. I awkwardly got past them, ignored the guard's frantic shouts and the fact that they were viciously _attacking_ him and his Luxio, and threw open the nearest door.

Cells. Bingo.

"Eh? Who are you?" The man in the first cell was not Nick. I couldn't help but feel relieved. I was not looking forward to this reunion. He leaned against the bars and squinted at me.

"I'm looking for Nicholas Sayre. Is he—"

The man swore and made a grab at me. I narrowly avoided his fingers, which were hooked like claws. "That monster!" I flinched at his word choice. "He killed my son, he did! That damned tournament slaughtered him and his Pokemon!"

So this was the man who'd attacked Nick's parents, who was responsible for this mess. I stomped over him and grabbed his shirt, pulling him roughly against the metal bars. He didn't expect that and only stared at me, mouth agape. "Do you have any idea what you just did?! You threatened his _parents_, and what did they ever do to you?! Nick didn't start that tournament! It was crazy people who are stupid and cruel and wanted nothing more than an excuse to kill! This is _not_ Nick's fault, but you—you—Revenge doesn't solve anything, okay?! If you would've killed his parents, then Nick would have only killed more, and it would've been _your_ fault, not his!"

"You—"

"He only attacked Cynthia because his brother was killed! Can you _imagine_ what he would've done if you had—"

"Don't you talk like that to me, boy!" Now the tables were turned, and I was lifted off my feet by my collar. "You have no idea what it's like to lose a family member, especially because of something like _this_!"

"Let go of me, you crazy old man! I think I've had enough crap happen to me without you trying to give me a guilt trip about it! If you want to blame someone for your son's death, don't blame Nick! He didn't do anything wrong! It's this _world_ that's wrong!" I snarled, trying to grab him again. He dropped me and I stumbled back. After catching my balance, I spitefully added, "His brother was killed and he took it out on the Champion. Your son was killed and you're trying to take it out on his parents. You're just a hypocrite."

I marched off, fuming. The man yelled something after me, but I ignored him and concentrated on finding either Nick or where confiscated Pokemon were kept. Either would've been nice.

I hit gold when I found a conspicuously locked cabinet. Unfortunately, it was when I was banging on it, trying to open it, that an Officer Jenny found me. Her Growlithe was attached to my calf before I noticed her arrival. "Stay where you are and put your hands up! I don't know who you are, but—ahh!" She was suddenly knocked off balance. She probably would've been fine, had she not fallen over and banged her head against one of the metal bars of the nearest cell.

Harlan the Smeargle stared at her, paw held to her mouth. The Growlithe let go of me and lunged at her, but she just disappeared again. The Growlithe looked around in confusion. She reappeared behind it, smashing into it and throwing it against the metal bars as well. I recognized the move, with no small amount of distress, as Giratina's Shadow Force.

"C-Can you open up this cabinet? I think the pokeballs are in here." She nodded and broke it open with a kick. Sure enough, no less than a dozen pokeballs, great balls, and ultra balls tumbled out, most of them releasing their contents. I recognized Serling the Staraptor among them, so his other Pokemon had to be among them as well.

The problem was that Harlan had only listed off four as his. I had nine or ten here. A Bibarel and a Purugly ran down the hall to the man in the cell; they were his, then. Harlan was rapidly explaining something to Ser and a Mothim, so they must've been Nick's. The rest of the Pokemon were looking around in alarm at me or her. I figured I'd leave them there to sort it out on their own. If Who was among them, then surely I'd get my way out soon enough.

Once I found Nick.


	81. Best Friend

I found Nick in another room, in another cell. He might've been asleep by how quiet and still he was. He was sitting in the corner of his cell, knees drawn up, forehead leaning on them. He didn't notice me when I approached.

He was talking to himself.

"…I want to be alone, I want to be _alone_…" he moaned, sounding absolutely awful.

I could only listen to him. I couldn't bring myself to say anything, not just yet. So Nick had finally been arrested… It took seeing him there in the cell to bring that fact home. I still didn't see him as a villain. He was just a trainer who had had bad things happen to him, and in turn, did bad things. Was that so wrong?

So what if attacking and killing others was a little rash? Nick Sayre's only crime was caring too much.

I knelt down on my side of the cell. He still didn't notice me and repeated, "I want to be alone…"

He sounded wracked with guilt. He hadn't been able to protect his brother, he had killed in his rage, he had accidentally started collecting twisted followers, he accidentally and indirectly started The Tournament, and most recently, he had indirectly and nearly caused his parents' deaths. He only reacted to the situations presented to him. Could I say I did any differently? _Would_ I have done any differently in his shoes?

"Nick." I meant for it to be clear and loud enough to jar him from his thoughts, but it came out as a strangled croak instead.

"I want to be alone…" He hadn't heard me.

"Nick," I repeated more loudly.

He jumped and immediately shouted, "It _wasn't_ my _fault_! He—He was the one who attacked my parents! I was defending them! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but it _wasn't my fault_! I-I just wanted to be alone…" He didn't even look up at me.

"Nick, it's me," I said past the slight lump in my throat. "What has the world done to you…" He had been a hero once. He had been next in line for the Championship. He had pushed and prodded me through most of my badges. He had kept me from quitting through his own determination.

He looked up at me for the first time, eyes growing comically wide. His hair was tousled and hung into his eyes, he needed to shave, and he had what appeared to be a black eye. He silently gaped at me for the longest time.

"I'm here to break you out."

-.-.-

It went against everything I'd been believing until that point. I had told my parents, my team, Hanna, everyone that I would stop him. Instead, I was breaking him out of prison. It was the _opposite_ of stopping him, really. I didn't know why I was doing it, but I was, and I didn't feel as guilty as I probably should have about it.

He was still my best friend.

He was also babbling as I led him back through the rooms, still looking for Who, who was apparently his Hypno. "I-I didn't mean to do any of that stuff. I was just angry. You must think I'm crazy. _I_ think I'm crazy. I just want to be alone. I need to stop killing, so I'm trying to get away, be alone, but they're only keeping me here and they're not listening to a word I say."

"…stop killing?" It took a couple moments for those words to penetrate my thoughts. I stopped dead and turned to stare at him. Had I just made a _huge_ mistake?

All this time, I had thought he was a hero. He had only done a couple of terrible things, and that was so long ago. He had stopped The Tournament, after all—though he _had_ done it by killing the two girls in charge of it.

Nick looked down at me with a wide-eyed hazel stare that told me too much. He had seen too much. He had done too much. He wasn't all there. I looked away, feeling sick. I had created a monster. Literally.

"Not everyone deserves Pokemon. A lot of people don't. They try to take away others'. It's not like I'm killing the _good_ trainers—oh god, listen to me. Have I really fallen this far?" He laughed harshly. It was reassuring; as long as he realized how bad he was, it meant he wasn't all a lost cause. I chuckled, weakly, and still fought the urge to throw up. Maybe I had just made another mistake. Wasn't I supposed to let go of him? That thought was killed as quickly as it came because he reached down and wrapped his arms around me in a crushing bear hug.

He was still my best friend.

Besides, wasn't this _my_ fault? I had managed to mess up every warning from the future I had received. I had fought the Froslass and ignored her cry for help for most of the time I knew her. I could've done so much more to prevent this. _I_ was a victim of that same Abomasnow! I could've started some campaign to get it captured and off the Route and out of the wild. I knew it could've worked. I had enough sympathy at the time, and it had killed before, even. With a bit of public support, that could've been averted. Then Nick's brother would still be alive, and then he would still be fine and happy and not a killer.

"…I'm so sorry," I breathed, blinking back sudden tears. I had messed everything up. This had been my failure, my mistake, not his. He was a victim of circumstances and a caring disposition. Cynthia was his greatest crime; he was mine.

Chase roared, all too close, and there was a gunshot right after it. Nick jumped as if it'd went off next to his head. Before he could do anything more than let go of me, Who appeared and practically tackled us. We were Teleported out of the prison and back to the forest, where several Pokemon were already waiting. "Who! Go back and get Chase! Let me go get Chase!" Nick seized his Hypno's arm imploringly, just about _begging_. He sounded like he was nearing panic.

Who vanished—without Nick. He stared blankly at the spot where Who had just stood.

A minute later, he reappeared, Chase on one hand, Serling on the other. Both of them were injured, but joyously threw themselves at Nick regardless. From then on, Vasudeva and Who took turns Teleporting the rest of the Pokemon out of the prison. It took perhaps five minutes in all, but it seemed like they got everyone out.

So that meant we had successfully managed to break out the most wanted criminal in Sinnoh.

Seeing the Pokemon pile that Nick had suddenly turned into, I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't made a mistake. There's no way that reuniting a trainer and a team could ever be a mistake. And he looked so _happy_. I hadn't seen that sort of smile on his face for years.

He was the one who killed Hanna's Pokemon.

The sudden, stray thought completely ruined whatever slight happiness I'd been sharing with the scene. Isabella, Alexander, Millie, Tenny… They would never get to do this with Hanna. She would never get to see them again. She was _still_ hurting. Des would never get to see Isabella again. Carlita would never be able to fawn over Alexander again. Alice would've liked Tenny, since they were both birds, too…

How many others had he killed?

The doubt was back again in full force. Had I really just done the right thing? Definitely not the legal one, but the _right_ one? Nick had been defending his parents. His only family he had left, the family he'd left behind in order to protect them. Was that wrong? At least the man who'd done it was in jail… Still, was I in the moral green to rescue him?

"_Having doubts?_" a voice in my head inquired politely. I looked up to find Who the Hypno staring at me from the pile, absently twirling his charm around a finger. I grimaced and nodded at him. "_…No matter what you think, I know we all believe you have done the right thing today._"

Even if Chase and Vasudeva had to bully me into it. That only made me feel worse; I hadn't even gone along with rescuing him _willingly_.

"_Does this look wrong to you? Rest assured, our trainer feels remorse for what he's done and is trying to rectify it as best he can._"

"…" It didn't reassure me. Was I going to stop Nick or wasn't I?

"_It's time to return you to your own Pokemon. It's better if you don't have a long goodbye_." There was something faintly threatening in his telepathic tone. It made a shiver go up my spine.

"Nick… I'm going now." Nick looked up, stopping his wrestling match with Chase. He had that look in his eyes again. I took an involuntary step backward, still battling with myself on the inside. Had I just let a deranged serial killer back out into the world? The look passed and he gave me a watery, feeble smile.

"…You should come with me."

"Huh? Wh-Where?"

"Away. I'm going to be leaving. You should come with me."

"Why?"

"You're my friend. You're better than all of the stupid masses. You are the best trainer I know," he said softly, looking down at Chase's injured wing.

"That's not true, you're—"

"I'm not a good trainer. I try, I really, really do, but maybe I need someone who has such a positive influence there with me. Are you really happy right now?" He looked up at me, expression hard. I swallowed thickly. No, I really wasn't. I was in limbo, traveling around because I didn't have much else to do. Training up Alice, training up Konstantin, getting a sixth Pokemon… Those would only waste time, I knew. I had all eight badges. I was scared to challenge the Elite Four. I wasn't happy. I hadn't been happy since the Center in Pastoria, before that fated phone call. "…Exactly. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life like that?"

"No, but I'm busy right now. I'll think about your offer," I lied, eyes downcast. I wouldn't leave Cossette, and at least I had Alice to keep me busy for now. I still had my team to deal with. Maybe, some time in the future, we would work together perfectly and I wouldn't have that anymore, but until then, I was busy and I was going to stay away from Nick. "Who, take me back now."

The Hypno detached himself from the pile and sauntered over, swinging his charm. I tore my eyes away from its mesmerizing movement. Who took my hand, and next thing I knew, I was standing next to Des again.

He let go of me and had to have the last say. "_Trainer is only killing those who are killing others, his 'followers'. He is killing them in order to try to protect you. He is sacrificing his sanity in order to do so. It was… unwise and callous of you to leave him._"

I stood there, stunned, before I was engulfed in my own Pokemon pile.

"_What happened?!_"

"_Are you okay?_"

"_Where is that dragon?!_"

"Ike—you're awake! You're okay!" He probably hadn't intended for his question to be answered with a hug. I was just happy he was alright. I looked over to see that the rest of them were fine, even Alice. I smiled into Ike's dark fur. Every trainer deserved to be reunited their team.

I was less enthused with Cossette's reunion with Jacques, since it involved me pinned to a tree with the blade on his arm pressed up against my throat.


	82. Quam Animus Hominis Conscius

"Jacques, no! _Non!_" Cossette shouted, stomping her foot. Her Gallade ignored her.

"_You not only left her alone, but with Sayre's Garchomp? You left with him?!_"

"Jacques, stop it! This is a misunderstanding, I'm sure!" Jude tried to pull him off of me, but Jacques brushed him aside. "Cossette, return him!"

"Ah, _oui_!" She fumbled through her dress' pockets until she managed to withdraw a pokeball. Jacques hissed but made no move to stop her. Loyal to a fault. He was returned and I was freed. I fell down then sat bolt upright, gasping for air and massaging my throat. Cossette rushed over to me, making sympathetic sounds and apologizing, "_D__é__sol__é__e, je suis d__é__sol__é__e!_ I am sorry!"

I grabbed her in a hug. "Cossette I'm sorry I left you I didn't mean to it just happened please don't be angry with me and please don't send Jacques after me again!" She obviously hadn't caught a word of that, but she hugged me back gleefully. It was painfully obvious _she_ didn't hold any ill will towards me. Jacques not so much. Even _Jude_ not so much.

They had reappeared early the next morning. Jacques had probably only meant to mentally check in on what had happened, but instead, in reading my mind, he found what I'd done. He was not pleased. Jude had got the gist of it; I had left, and that meant Cossette had been alone. Bad move.

"Cossette, I'm _so_ sorry. You know I didn't mean to leave you, right?" I held her out at arm's length (much to her distress) and looked her in the eye.

She frowned, but nodded. "Of course not. You are a good trainer, a good friend. You did not mean to do it."

Jude extended a hand down to help me up. When I was back on my feet, before letting me go, he hissed in my ear, "We'll have to discuss this later."

I avoided his gaze after that. Okay, maybe it had been a mistake. It hadn't really _felt_ like one—so that was a lie. I still wasn't sure. I had been coerced into it, but I could've put up more of a fight if I had wanted to, right?

Delayed guilty feelings didn't stop me from becoming shunned, however.

I was ordered by Jacques, no matter how much Cossette yelled at him, to stay behind while Jude released the Numel for Cossette to 'find' and capture. She came back happier with a female Numel she called Véronique (Véro for short, apparently). I wasn't sure what happened to naming her Des, but it wasn't like I was about to ask. Cossette and her new Numel were the only ones on my side, but that was only because they were in the dark about what was going on.

Jacques wanted to leave after that. Cossette would have none of it. It could've been easily solved if he had just grabbed her and Teleported her back to her home, but he didn't, because she forbade him from doing such a thing. I wasn't complaining. I didn't want either of them to leave thinking I was some sort of bad guy—okay, so what if I was?

"I kept my promise, didn't I?! She wasn't hurt!"

"_It was your presence that drew the Garchomp here! He could have hurt her if you had_—"

"I didn't let him hurt her! Cossette _wasn't hurt_!"

"You two, break it up!" Jude broke in, trotting over to stand in between us so we wouldn't go at each other's throats again. Then again, I was hardly a match for a Gallade; it would be a very one-sided battle. "You're both stupid and overreacting. You're also upsetting Cossette." That, more than anything else, calmed us both down.

Jacques and I never got along quite right after that. Cossette wasn't overly worried about the Nick situation and only scolded us both for arguing. Then she promptly moved on and had only cheery smiles for everyone (but especially Véronique). The mood whiplash grated on Jacques and I visibly, but Jude looked like he wanted to move on as much as she had.

I wasn't sure how my team took it. They were still behaving for the company, doting on the new Numel, and none of them approached me over it. I hoped they were waiting until a more private time; there was no way it _wasn't_ an issue. Véronique turned out to be shy and a little slow, but I figured it was a Numel thing. Des had acted the same way about a lot of things.

Cossette wouldn't be persuaded to go back home until she had trained Véronique more. She wouldn't specify when that would be or approximately how long it would take, and I had a feeling it was more than just training, but no one put up that much of a fight with her. It seemed as if she had perfected her pout and we were more or less powerless.

She was figuring that out, too.

"Alice can battle Véro for practice, please?" she asked, batting her eyes at me.

I cringed. "…Alice, want a practice battle?" Practice battles were good, but Alice was still stronger than Véronique and it usually ended up in tears. I wasn't going to make my newest Pokemon throw a battle, though (especially since Cossette hadn't thought of it yet). I could've asked Des or maybe even Carlita to do such a thing, but not the baby of the team.

Alice, however, didn't want to battle.

She was perched on the ground in front of Jude, who was teaching her various songs with his Chatot, Volin. I had heard a fair amount of _Ode To Joy_ from their general direction, so I figured it was going well. "Swa," she said airily, gesturing with her wing to Jude.

He shrugged. "What can I say? She's a musical little girl."

"Can you at least teach her something different then? It's starting to get repetitive and she sounds like she's gotten the hang of it."

"If you would've named her Elise, I'd teach her _F__ü__r Elise_…" he muttered, humming the first few notes of it. Alice and Volin repeated them gleefully in unison.

"Elise, Alice, they're sort of the same…"

"Véro can learn music _aussi_? Too?" Cossette had lost interest in the training and instead was sitting next to her Numel, watching Jude and the birds avidly. Jacques gave her a look at getting her dress dirty, but she ignored him.

Jude looked the Numel over, obviously thinking not. I wondered, not without a fair dose of amusement, how he was going to teach a Numel to sing. _Could_ Numel sing? Des certainly wasn't very musical. He never had been. "Er… I'm not sure if she _can_ sing." Cossette didn't bother wasting time and instead moved right in to pouting. Jude hastily looked away; I wasn't sure if it had time to have that much of an impact on him. "Fire Pokemon's throats are designed to be rougher to accommodate the fire they breathe, so wouldn't you like it better if she learned a new fire move instead?"

The distraction and the shiny TM he offered were too good to resist. Much to my relief, he only gave her the move Will-o-Wisp, which inflicted a burn. Nothing like Flamethrower. Véronique had already gotten into enough trouble with a mere Ember. Cossette and Véronique gleefully began burning things—Jude and I soon saw his mistake. It was almost better to get toasted by an attack. At least those burns didn't last as long as a Will-o-Wisp's.

Alice and Volin squawked when one of the ghostly little fires got a bit too close and they both flew off. I chased after them, though mostly as an excuse to get away from the attack myself. Jude could deal with them on his own; it was his fault, after all.

"Alice, _Alice_ get back here! She'll stop attacking, I promise!" I called, cupping my hands around my mouth. Her flighty tendencies and dislike of surprises (especially surprise burns) hadn't changed in the short time we knew each other, but unfortunately, what _had_ changed was that she knew she could outrun me if I didn't grab her immediately. The last couple times, too, she had taken to hiding. "Alice, do you want me to ask Ike to sniff you out?"

The two birds appeared soon after that. I crossed my arms smugly as each one settled on one of my shoulders. Ike had been more or less fine with both of them, but I figured that they instinctively didn't like him because of his feline-ness. "Swa," Alice said, digging her claws a bit into my shoulder.

"Swa," Volin mimicked with a laugh.

"Blu!" she exclaimed.

"Blu!" the Chatot echoed.

"Swa_blu_, swaaa!" she twittered in my ear, pressing up with her cloud wings against the side of my head. I guessed that she was asking me to break it up, or stop him, or something. I didn't feel comfortable rebuking someone else's Pokemon, so I just brushed him off my shoulder. He made a disappointed sound and flapped off in the direction of camp. Hopefully he was returning to Jude.

"Happy now?" I asked. She whistled part of _Ode To Joy_ in reply and hopped up onto my head. "Yeah, you definitely have to learn some new songs…"

She lightly pecked the top of my head. It didn't hurt, so I figured it was some sort of sign of affection. Maybe her version of a kiss? I patted her wing absently, wondering if there were any songs I knew well enough to teach her. I did feel a little miffed that I wasn't the one teaching her things, after all. Then again, _I_ was the trainer…

"Alice, let's get you trained up, okay?" I'd feel more confident about our team once she was on even footing with the rest of the team. Then again, Konstantin wasn't quite up to par, either… Training my team wasn't my only problem. Nick was still at the forefront of my mind. I had let him out of _prison_—and Jacques was still breathing down my neck about that, too. As if I needed him; my own guilt was plenty, thank you very much. I had flipped from one side to the other, and I was currently under the impression that it was a bad thing again. (I gave it a day or so, then I'd be convinced it was not a mistake, that Nick wasn't a bad guy, and then in another couple days, I'd try not to die from a guilt overdose again. It was a vicious cycle.) Alice shifted on top of my head, breaking me out of my angst. "…Yeah, let's get you and Kostya trained up. You two need it. We'll get stronger together, as a team, and then we'll find him and beat him and get some answers once and for all…"

Answers for what? I still wasn't sure. I only halfheartedly believed that he had to be stopped. Was he doing anything _bad_? He hadn't—at least not directly—since the Champion's tragedy. Or had he? He _did_ have a rather lot of random trainer murders pinned on him, and some people still believe he started The Tournament as well… I nearly shook my head until I remembered Alice. I reached up and patted her wing absentmindedly.

"We're just going to have to track him down and… talk. Talk, yeah." Talking was safe. Give it a couple hours, and I'd be back to wanting to avoid him for the rest of my life. I really needed to sort out my priorities. This time, I actually did shake my head to clear it, nearly dislodging my Swablu. She tweeted angrily at me and dug her claws into my scalp. "Sorry," I sighed, hoping I wasn't bleeding. If there was one thing I had learned about Alice in our time together, it was that she had _very_ sharp little claws.

"Blu," she said airily.

"You'll meet him soon enough. In person this time, not just Chase. Oh, I hope that talk goes well." I hung my head—only to get claws in my head again. Having a bird perched on your head certainly made you conscious of actions. I cringed and made an effort to keep my head level, though she was so light, I wouldn't doubt it if I forgot about her up there again… "He said he wouldn't kill anymore. That means he's going to be good from now on, right?"

"Swa?"

"He won't kill anymore. He's not crazy. He's not a mass murderer. He's my friend, I think. I only want to talk to him."

That evening, after Cossette had fallen asleep to a lullaby played on the radio and Jacques was mercifully in his pokeball, Jude and I listened to the news announce, "A new string of murders have police on edge and scrambling. They are believed to be the work of Nicholas Sayre, well-known killer and terrorist. Trainers are advised to travel in groups and keep Pokemon out for safety reasons. Be cautious at all times. If you come across Sayre, you are advised _not_ to attack him and flee if at all possible, with a psychic Pokemon or a bird. Call the police immediately. Get to safety. I repeat: do not confront him. He is a murderer and has an illegally large team of very powerful Pokemon with him."

"…Lovely," Jude remarked, shutting off the radio. The guilt came crashing back down.


	83. He Is Not Always At Ease Who Laughs

"What exactly did you _do_ that got Jacques all mad at you?" It was two nights later that Jude finally asked me the question I'd been dreading.

I drew my knees up to my chest. It was an obvious defensive gesture, but I didn't care. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"I rather _would_ talk about it. You left Cossette, I know that much. She was defenseless and alone—"

"Actually, she had my team with her. She was hardly defenseless." My last words to Des had been to protect her. I liked to think that he and the rest of the team would've been loyal enough to at least do that when they were in such a panic at their kidnapped trainer.

"Tell me what happened," Jude demanded, green eyes hard across the firelight. I looked away. "Now, or I'll pull rank on you."

"What?"

"I'm older than you. This means that you have to listen to your elders. And I say talk."

"…You're not allowed to use that. You're not that much older than me, are you?"

"Two years, isn't it? Maybe three? But—no!" He growled and held up his hands. "We're not getting distracted with this. You are going to tell me what's going on with you and Sayre and what happened that has Jacques so irate."

"…Well, you know that we were friends."

"Yeah. I distinctly remember that." I continued avoiding his eyes. "Hanna was your friend, too."

"Yeah, she was. Is. But I was the connection between them. I introduced them. If I hadn't, Nick wouldn't have known her and she wouldn't have…" I had never thought about that before. But now that I had—oh god. If it wasn't for me, Nick wouldn't have known Hanna, and she would still have her Pokemon. _I_ had caused it. Not only had I caused Nick's descent into darkness, but I was also responsible for Hanna losing her Pokemon? I should just die before things got worse—

Jude snapped his fingers in front of my face. His gloves made a raspy sound that made me wince a bit. "You're looking rather dark about that. Don't think about it. It's not your fault. Sayre did that, not you. It wasn't as if you _made_ him murder them."

I halfheartedly wondered if it would've been better for the world—and my friends—if I had never been born. Maybe that's why it took me over a year to get my first Pokemon. The world didn't want to unleash me upon the training population.

"…Seriously, stop it. You're scaring me." He was leaning over, ponytail falling over his shoulder, in order to stare up at me. I scowled at him. He smiled weakly and pushed my head back so I was staring at the starry sky above us. "Be happy. You're not allowed to be bitter and angry at the world. Miss Hanna has enough of that covered, don't you think?" It was a pitiful attempt at a joke and the inadvertent reference to the ghosts' warning only made me a little ill, but at least he was trying. At least someone was; it was more than I'd done in a long time.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Sorry," I lied dryly. "It's just… We were all friends. I introduced them to each other. Hanna even had a crush on him. I knew them both for so long before this all happened. I can't stop thinking of him as my _friend_ instead of the bad guy."

"I can vaguely understand that, or at least understand the idea behind it. But let me tell you this right now." Jude's tone made me look at him. He was deathly serious, mouth set in a firm line. "I hate Sayre for what he did to Hanna. I can respect your history with him, but it had better be just that. A history."

I knew that, deep down. I looked down at the fire. "…Yeah, I know. It's just hard." Hard didn't even begin to describe it. Hard didn't describe watching Nick give me that broken smile from behind prison bars, didn't describe hearing the way he asked me to run away with him, didn't describe the fact that I had let a killer out of prison who had promised he wouldn't kill again but _was_.

"What did you do?"

I had to be delicate here. I didn't like lying to him, but neither did I like the prospect of having a very loud argument at him late at night while Cossette and our Pokemon were sleeping. Or having him mad at me. "Chase came. Nick had been arrested—some idiot with a death wish had the bright idea to hold his parents hostage to get him to come out." I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice. Because of that man, this had happened. But who was I to blame? "He had managed to get his Pokemon away somehow, or some of them, I don't know. Chase came and got me and demanded that I help break him out. I was forced to do it."

"You… broke Sayre out of prison?" He didn't sound angry, at least. Maybe a little dumbfounded though. Jude blinked Noctowlishly at me, mouth open but saying nothing more.

"I was forced to. I really didn't have that much choice in the matter." That sounded _way_ too much like an excuse. Ignoring that and the perpetual guilt, I continued, "Chase and some of his other Pokemon provided a distraction, and sent me in to spring him and the other Pokemon."

"Why didn't they just do it on their own? Surely that Garchomp of his could've handled any number of guards…" I peeked up at him. He still didn't look all that angry. Maybe I had underestimated his maturity, maybe he could take this better than Jacques. I wasn't going to test him, though.

"I don't know. Maybe they needed someone with thumbs to open doors." I had wondered that before several times, but I hadn't come to any sort of conclusion that satisfied me. "Maybe they just wanted someone who could blend in with humans…"

"Maybe they wanted something else. Maybe they wanted someone they thought would be sympathetic to Nick's plight. Coercion can only go so far. They needed someone who they thought they could depend on to get him out, didn't they?" I didn't like the look Jude had in his eye.

I frowned and mumbled, "They would've left me in there if I hadn't gone along with their plan…"

"In which case you would need to explain what happened, maybe get a stern talking to, and you would otherwise escape unharmed."

"Assuming that Chase and the others would've been stopped."

"…I'll give you that one," he conceded and put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Sinnoh's police force is too lax, too… I don't want to use the word weak, but it fits here. They're not equipped to handle a single enemy, as opposed to a team. That Garchomp would've decimated any number of them, and that's not counting what other Pokemon he had with him. Hopefully the government will figure that out soon."

"Figure what out?"

Jude glanced away and gave me a very mysterious, very dark smile. There was no happiness or humor in it. "Two Gym leaders down, a Champion in ruins, and a trainer that's up to her par on the loose… I really wonder how Sinnoh will handle this. Eventually, they'll have to do something more concrete than react defensively and give in to terrorist demands."

"He's not a terrorist—!"

"I was talking about the psychotic trainers behind The Tournament. The police force in Jubilife was scared stiff of them and no one would step in once Byron was taken hostage," he said mildly. I backed off, wishing I hadn't jumped in to defend Nick like that. Digging myself deeper and deeper into that grave of mine. "Still… Two Gym leaders dead. No one can ignore that."

-.-.-

The next day's news station corrected Jude; Roark, following Nick's escape and the rise of murders again, resigned.

He claimed that it wasn't completely because of Nick's escape (since he had been in the Oreburgh prison, after all), but also because he lost his father and he thought it was time to step down and let someone else take up the position. I felt sorry for him. Distantly I had been aware of the fact that Byron was his dad, but I had never really _realized_ that he had just lost family. Trainers were scrambling to get their badges before any other leaders died or resigned, and the few newbies starting out were temporarily shunted to Gardenia for their first badges. New leaders were needed, and desperately.

The only problem was that Sinnoh officials couldn't even find a new leader for two Gyms, let alone three.

"This is getting bad," Jude commented, though he didn't seem too worked up over it. Probably because he didn't live here, he hadn't known these people. I rolled my eyes but otherwise ignored him. "Sinnoh's going to do something draaaaastiiiiic," he sang. Alice and Volin, taking lessons once again, repeated the notes back to him with a titter.

"Drastic?" Cossette repeated cluelessly, looking to Jacques for a translation. She must've gotten a telepathic one, because she dropped it after that. "Sinnoh is in trouble?" Now she addressed me.

I shrugged. "A bit. We're fine out here, though, so don't worry." I didn't miss the snort Jacques gave me. I glared at him over Cossette's head. "Right now it's only a governmental problem. Trainers like us don't have to worry about it, right?"

"Right!" she cried with a grin, though there was no way she could fully comprehend what was going on. I gave her points for her attitude, though.

Des had taken Véronique under his wing, so to speak, so watching her Numel practice fire attacks usually took up most of her time. I wasn't sure how much training it actually was, but if it got her to control her fire better, I was for it. It took a couple days, however, to see what was _really_ going on.

Manon was the one to first figure it out. Apparently she hadn't thought it was a secret or anything, either, because she offhandedly told Alice and Carlita about it. This set them both off in roaring, shrieking laughter. I must've jumped a foot in the air at the sudden sound.

Ike started laughing, too, and tearfully explained to me, "_The small Numel believes Des is her mother!_" Des' jaw dropped at this revelation, but he soon recovered his dignity and, ignoring the little Numel waddling after him, tried to set Ike's tail on fire. That set Konstantin to laughing, vainly covering the teeth of his mask with his paws.

"_I am not a mother! I am not female, I'm a male!_" Des called in annoyance, spitting flames at my Luxray. Ike managed to get out of the way in time and hid behind Manon.

"_Des mommy, Des mommy!_" Carlita sang. She and Alice collapsed into giggles again.

Des whirled around on the Numel, butting her with his head away from him. "_I am not your mother._"

"Mel?" she asked in confusion.

"_No I'm not!_"

"Mel."

Cossette by that time had figured out what was going on as well, and ignoring Jude's and my laughter (really, it was too funny _not_ to laugh, and with that many Pokemon laughing around you, it was hard not to break into hysterics anyway), marched over to her Numel and pulled her away. She sat down in front of Véronique and likewise ignored the look Jacques gave her for getting another dress dirty. "Véro, _non_._ Il n'est pas ta m__è__re!_" She said more in French, but I hardly understood her. Same with Véronique I was guessing, but then again, I recalled that Numel almost always had that oblivious expression.

I literally fell over laughing when Jude suddenly shouted, "Shiny!" and bolted. Volin squawked and flapped after him.

When he came back twenty minutes later, burned and panting, but with a blue-flamed Ponyta, I was still laughing. "Y-You realize that you _literally_ got distracted by something sh-shiny?" I gasped out. I'd be amazed at the shiny Pokemon when I wasn't fighting to get enough oxygen to my brain.

"Do you know how much shiny Rapidash will sell for? Plus I haven't come across a wild shiny for almost a _year_ now."

"H-How did you even _see_ it?"

"_She_ has blue flames. Sort of hard to miss." Jude was trying his hardest to maintain his cool and not start laughing like me, but judging from the smile on his face, he was fighting a losing battle.

That was how I passed the time in the wilderness. The worries of Sinnoh and its Gym leaders seemed so far away when we were laughing over Des' motherhood and Jude's penchant for wild shinies and the shiny Ponyta Cossette and I decided to name Giggle whether he liked it or not. Alice slowly got stronger bickering with the team and battling Véronique and Rose and learned more music from Jude and Volin. Konstantin was nearly up to par with the rest of the team, too, though he still didn't want to evolve. Des never did convince Véronique that he wasn't her mother, and Cossette decided she liked training too much to ever quit. Jude tried to give her an egg to placate her and Jacques tried to dissuade her, but she insisted on staying at least a little while longer with us.

It was nothing like traveling with Hanna or Nick or by myself. This was something entirely different. It was fun, though. And fun was something I sorely needed during that time.

Five days after Roark's resignation (which took up most of the time on the air) and after a total of six human murders and twenty-three Pokemon ones since Nick escaped, Cynthia resigned.


	84. That Gifts Persuade Even The Gods

My phone rang. I was so unused to it that I jumped and dropped my bowl. Konstantin managed to catch it by appearing just in time from my shadow, which saved my meal and my shoes, probably. I patted him on the head as thanks and glared at my phone. An unknown number, and I didn't recognize the area code, either.

I hesitantly flipped it open and said, "Hello?" I couldn't help but remember the last time I had gotten a surprise phone call.

"This is Volkner."

_That_ I had not been expecting. I reminded myself to keep breathing and repeated, "H-Hello. Um, why are you calling me and how did you get this number and _why_ are _you_ calling _me_?"

"You asked that twice," he replied smoothly, apparently unfazed by my questions.

He also didn't answer them. "I want to know that part more."

Jude and Cossette were staring at me in confusion from around the fire. I put my hand over the phone and mouthed "Volkner" to them. Cossette understandably didn't recognize the name, but Jude fumbled his bowl like I had moments before. While he didn't have a Duskull to catch it for him, he managed it himself, though not without sharing a fair amount of soup with his gloves.

"_What_ is he calling you for?!" he hissed. I shrugged and shook my head. Like I had any idea.

"I'm sorry to be calling so late." It was only early evening, and if he was in Sunyshore, then we were a time zone behind him, anyway. "But this is important."

"Um, yeah?"

"I'm sure you've heard about Roark's resignation by now?"

"Yes. I have. S-Sir."

"…Don't call me that." The annoyance and slight surprise at the title was audible even through the phone. I swallowed and nodded, though realized a moment later that he couldn't have seen me. "And I'm sure you've likewise heard about the Champion's resignation as well."

"Yeah…" Lucien was temporarily standing in as Champion, though Sinnoh as a whole was pretty much begging Cynthia to keep her job. We were down three Gym leaders and an Elite Four member.

"Due to the shortage of Elite Four members and the need for governmental trainers in those high positions, I will be moving to the Elite Four and will be giving up my post at the Sunyshore Gym." Okay, strike that. We were down _half_ of the Gym leaders (though apparently the Elite Four was whole again).

I really, really wanted to ask him why he was _calling_ me to tell me this when I was sure it'd be on the news tonight or tomorrow, but it seemed rude. "Um… Congratulations?" What did one say to an ex-Gym leader, anyway?

"Due to the training climate—" I hated that phrase and the way it was the catch-all of the media these days, "—the Gym leaders will be going through a slight… overhaul."

"How can there be a _slight_ overhaul?" I asked before I could stop myself. Jude snorted in an effort to try to stop himself from laughing.

Volkner sighed, breath coming across as static on the phone. "Okay, a major overhaul, you win. You'll find out more when you get here."

"What—?"

"You are to report to Sunyshore as soon as possible. Do you have a bird or a psychic yet?" I had to remind myself that he knew my team, as of a year and a half ago.

"I have a bird, but—"

"Good. Come to Sunyshore soon. There will be others there, but long story short, four trainers will become the new Gym leaders. No specialization needed. It's part of the overhaul. You've been selected from the Sinnoh trainers because of your track record, the fact that you have all eight badges, and because you have the capacity to challenge the Elite Four."

"I technically haven't, though," I pointed out, a little guiltily.

"But you registered with them and you could at any time," he replied simply. "If you don't show up, fine. I'd advise against it, but this is not mandatory. You are free to turn down the offer. But again—I suggest you _don't_." It didn't sound quite like a threat, but pretty close. "This will coincide with a meeting between the regions, so expect to meet dignitaries and other Gym leaders. Dress nicely." I guessed that he was all too used to seeing trainers look like they had rolled out of bed—no, rolled out of a variety of things, the least dirty of which was bed. I tried to remember what I had looked like when I'd challenged him. I could only remember breaking down. "Be on your best behavior. If you don't act like a good trainer, you won't get the job."

"You don't have to lecture me. I'm fourteen," I couldn't resist telling him, a little annoyed.

"That's what we're worried about." He sighed again and added something that sounded suspiciously like, "Teenagers…"

"Excuse me?"

"Just be there. Behave. Be mature. Bring your strongest team with you. I'll see you then," Volkner said, then hung up.

I stared at the phone in my hand, a little dumbfounded. Not only did I just find out that Sinnoh was finally doing that "something drastic" Jude had predicted, but _I_ had gotten an offer to be a Gym leader (unless I was interpreting that completely wrong). Sinnoh must be in more trouble than I had originally thought if they were calling in trainers to be Gym leaders.

-.-.-

"_Non_, no, no, no, I do not want you to leave me!" Cossette wailed, hanging off of my shoulders.

"Cossette, I have to. I'm sorry, but I have to. I have to be there by the end of the week, and it's going to be fast traveling as it is."

"I can loan you a bird if you want to Fly…" Jude suggested awkwardly. Cossette nodded frantically. "I wouldn't trust Alice with that long of a journey, but she could definitely Fly you part of the way. You don't have to leave _right_ now."

"Alice is still a tiny Swablu. I'm not going to make her Fly me anywhere." I wasn't even sure if she knew the move. Wasn't it illegal to fly trainers anywhere without it? "Cossette, _please_ let go. I have to get going."

"Are you going to go through with it?" he asked.

"I-I don't know. I'm at least going to go check it out, though. I want to know what's up."

It was the next morning when the story hit the media. It was vague, but instantly big news. The only things released to the press were that foreign dignitaries, including other Gym leaders, would be arriving at Sunyshore within the week, and that the government would start filling in the missing Gym leader spots. Later in the day, when I was _still_ fighting with Cossette to let her let me go, it was revealed that Volkner was moving to the Elite Four and that four positions were open.

"You do not have a full team! You cannot protect you—yourself! Do not leave, please, please!" There were many fake tears, but as I had yet to see any real ones, I was still trying all means possible to detach her from my shoulders. Jacques even tried to pull her off once, but it only resulted in all three of us falling over.

"I have a team of five," I replied, a little bit miffed.

"She has a point. Everyone else there is going to have a full team. You'll be at a disadvantage," Jude said unhelpfully. I glared at him. He shrugged and folded his hands behind his head. "It's true. I could sell you a Pokemon… I should sell you Giggle, if only because you made that name stick."

"You named Alice that way, so we're even." I stuck out my tongue at him and he responded in kind. "I'm next to broke. I don't even have a translator for Alice yet. I can't buy another Pokemon."

"Me!" Cossette broke in, halting in her attempt to climb up onto my back long enough to grin. "I will buy you one! I will buy you one if you stay with me!"

"Isn't that a bit… at odds with the plans here?" Jude asked. "Cossette, he's trying to leave—and he needs a full team if he _leaves_, not if he stays."

"I'm not buying a Pokemon, anyway!" It was a little petty of me, but Jude's Pokemon came with names. I wanted to name at least _one_ member of my team (Des and drugged Ike aside).

"_Pourquoi pas?_ Why not?" Now she was resorting to pouting. I grimaced and tried to look away, but it was too late. If she was a Pokemon, she would have the best defense ever because no one would dare attack her. "You do not want a gift from me?"

"Uh—I didn't say that. I would love a gift from you, Cossette. But not a Pokemon!"

She let go of me, sliding to the ground. I nearly toppled over from the lack of weight on my back. She walked over to Jacques and whispered something in his ear. He glanced at me, and reluctantly nodded. He then looked over to Jude. There must've been some telepathic communication, because a moment later, he said, "You know… That might not be a bad idea. In fact, I sort of like that idea. I'll even give you a discount, since it's miss Cossette's brilliant idea."

She beamed at him and flounced back over to me, tackling me once more. Once again, I nearly fell over. "Yes, it is decided!"

"What is?"

"Jacques, if you would be so kind as to Teleport me to the nearest Center… Hey, wait, why didn't I think of—you don't have to leave yet! You don't have to Fly anywhere, either! Just get Jacques to Teleport you to Sunyshore in a day or two! Then you'll have time to spend with Cossette and get a bit of last-minute training in, eh?"

Cossette was immediately all over that idea and convinced Jacques to go along with it before I could point out how much the Gallade disliked me. I still didn't trust the idea, however; knowing my luck and what he thought of me for leaving her (even if it wasn't my fault), I'd probably end up Teleporting to Sendoff Spring and get dumped over the edge of the dock again.

Jacques took Jude and left for the Center, presumably so the breeder could restock on whatever Cossette's brilliant idea entailed. That left me alone with her, which was totally fine with her. She wrapped her arms tighter around my neck and I hastily sat down to avoid getting strangled. She sat haphazardly across my lap, arms still around my neck. "I will buy you a translator too. This is a good idea, yes? You will stay with me now?"

"Cossette, I appreciate this—" even if it was awkward, "—but I can't stay. I can stay another day or two, but that's it. Then I have to go."

"You will return to me?" she asked. She looked up at me, eyes brimming with real tears. Trying to prevent myself from giving into her every demand, I wrapped my arms around her and set my chin on top of her head.

"Maybe one day." It didn't sound like this would be over with quickly, so I didn't want to make any promises. "I'll come back and see you again one day. After awhile."

"How long?"

"I don't know."

She made a whimpering sound. I hugged her tighter, if only to preemptively stop her from _really_ pouting. "When you come back to see me again, you will not remember me."

"Of course I'll remember you. I remembered you this time, didn't I? I'll never forget you, okay? Promise." At least I could promise her something. She shifted and stopped whining.

"I will never forget you too. _Je t'aime_. I like you, very much. You're my hero."

"Why am I a hero?" I asked, half amused, half confused.

"You saved me from the monster. You saved many people. You will save many more, _non_? You are a great trainer, you are my favorite, and you are a good person." She leaned her head against my shoulder and sighed in contentment. It felt good to hear those things, even if they were a little girl's biased nonsense; I wasn't a hero, the monster was on my team, and I had meant to save many more. It was an ego boost though.

"…Thanks, Cossette."

"You are very welcome," she replied with a bashful giggle. She nuzzled into my neck. The move made me feel a little uncomfortable (and her breath tickled), but since I had tried to move her several times already, I figured I might as well just let her be. For such a tiny little thing, she definitely had an iron grip. "Will you miss me when you leave?"

"Yes." I wasn't sure if I actually was, but it wasn't as if I was going to tell her no.

"I will miss you too. This means you will come back to me more soon, yes?"

"Probably," I replied, still feeling slightly skittish about making promises. Jacques would probably hunt me down if I broke them.

Jude and Jacques reappeared at that point and the ensuing events happened so quickly that I'm not sure what order exactly they happened in. Cossette hopped off of me and ran over to them, jabbering away in French. Jude held an egg in one gloved hand and handed it to her.

Next thing I knew, I had an egg dumped on my lap. Cossette beamed at me.


	85. But Dearest Friends, Alas! Must Part

"What—?"

"Her idea, not mine," Jude interrupted, pointing at her. She nodded in total agreement. "Miss Cossette thinks that since you refuse to get a Pokemon, you should get an egg instead."

"An egg turns _into_ a Pokemon," I snapped, looking at the egg leaning innocently against my leg. I picked it up gingerly, afraid it'd crack. The shell appeared to be hard, though, and was cool to the touch. Weren't eggs supposed to be warm?

"But it's not one yet. I've had that one for a couple months now, so it should hatch relatively soon. Even if it'll be a young Pokemon, it's a Pokemon, and the other trainers at your little meet don't have to know it's an infant."

"I already have to train up Alice and Kostya! I don't have time for a baby! Cossette, this is _yours_, not mine." I held the egg out to her, but she refused to take it.

"Kostya isn't that weak in comparison to the rest of your team. I bet you could have him up to par before you leave. Alice might take a bit more doing, but she's not that bad off, is she? It's not like you'll have to battle with a full team—it's not even a given that you'll _be_ battling." I sighed and got up, carefully cradling the egg. Knowing my luck, I would drop it and it'd break.

"If I'm not battling, I don't need a full team. Please, I only want to have to deal with one or two problems at a time."

"…I'm not taking it back. For all intents and purposes, it's already paid for. You could try to convince Cossette to take it, but I doubt she would. It's _yours_ now," Jude said with a grin.

"What kind of Pokemon will it hatch into, anyway?" I asked, eyeing it. It was a soft cream color almost all over, except for the bottom, which was a ruddy reddish color. Almost like Des' fur. A fire Pokemon egg? Or just something that was whitish and reddish? A Voltorb? Just what I needed—something that exploded at random.

"It's a secret, but rest assured I picked something that will work very nicely with your team—"

"Jude, I will throw this egg at your head if you got me a water Pokemon."

"It was miss Cossette's idea, wasn't it?"

"Did she pick the species?"

"…No, but—"

"This egg. At your head."

He wouldn't tell me what sort of egg it was, however, no matter how much I threatened him. Cossette didn't know either, and if Jacques knew (he probably did), he wasn't telling. I tried to give the egg to Cossette, but she absolutely refused to take it from me. She wouldn't even hold it.

Alice, however, took to it immediately.

With a high-pitched squeal that I was fairly certain made my ears bleed, she attacked me. I hastily set down the egg so I could defend myself, but instead, she left me alone and settled down on the top of it. It was almost as large as she was, so it looked completely absurd, but she looked perfectly happy. I reached down, but she jabbed her beak fiercely into my hand. I hissed and drew it back, noting that it was already bleeding. She had a drop of blood on her white beak, too.

"Okay, it's _yours_," I told her, rummaging around with my uninjured hand in my bag for a bandage. I knew those extras would come in handy.

The rest of the team, on the other hand, took the egg as a minor development and was much more keen on the extra days they had for last minute training. Ike decided to take charge. "_We will be leaving in two days, correct?_"

"Um, yeah."

"_Then we have two days to train. We,_" he nodded to Des and Carlita, "_Are currently the strongest on the team. The ghost and the bird both have to train._"

"Good luck getting Alice off of the egg." I half-meant it, too.

Ike smiled, taking it as a challenge. He slunk over to Alice and grinned at her, showing off his impressive canines. She stared up at him. She clearly wasn't very impressed. He narrowed his eyes, dropped he smile, and lowered himself so that he was eye-level with her. "_Listen, you prissy, weak excuse for a bird, if you are going to be on this team, you will earn your place. That involves getting your fat tail feathers off of the egg and doing some training before I eat you._"

Alice didn't take very kindly to that. Regardless of the size difference, type disadvantage, lower level, and lower rank on the food chain, she turned and gave him a glare that would stop a charging Tauros in its tracks. Ike didn't exactly squeal and run in the opposite direction, but he did lay his ears back and rose to his full height again. "Swablu," she chirped, snuggling down on the egg again.

"_That went well,_" Des remarked. He didn't bother to keep the laughter out of his voice.

"_Shut up,_" Ike growled, stalking off and leaving her with the egg. I rolled my eyes and sighed. If Ike couldn't get her away from it, then nothing short of the apocalypse would. "_We will concentrate on training you instead, ghost. You will have to compensate for her weakness._"

"_Why me?_" Konstantin asked reproachfully, shying away from him.

"_You are the weakest on the team right now._"

"_I would think the weakest would be the egg._" The Luxray snarled at him and he backed off with a nervous chuckle.

"They are going to battle? To become strong?" Cossette asked curiously. She sat down beside me (Jacques, once again, gave her a look for getting her dress dirty) and smiled brightly up at me. I nodded and sat beside her, crossing my legs. Jude also came over and sat on my other side, finishing up the audience.

Ike acted like a drill instructor. He had Carlita try to catch Konstantin while he peppered them both with Thunderbolts. He claimed it was training, but it was also sort of obvious that he wasn't holding back. On the upside, Carlita was getting a good workout and between her fighter's speed, her grass resistance to electricity, and the dance moves she was using to dodge the electricity with, she made out pretty good.

Konstantin really wasn't, though.

More than once he had to rush into the nearest shadow to escape a lunge from the Breloom or a Thunderbolt. He only got zapped twice, though, and Carlita kicked him face-first into the ground once. After awhile, he got better at dodging, and I thought maybe there was some method to Ike's madness.

"This is training?" Jude asked.

"For my team, I suppose it is." I tore my gaze away from watching Konstantin flail around and looked over at Alice. She was still perched on the egg, cloudy wings wrapped around both of them. She appeared to be dozing, though _how_ she could with all of the crackling and screaming and shouting, I didn't know. So she was my fifth Pokemon, and that egg could feasibly be my sixth. The fact that she wasn't freaking out over the battle royale in front of us already told volumes; she was used to us. We could integrate her into the team with a bit more training and preferably, a translator.

As for the egg, however… I still didn't want it. But since Jacques would be Teleporting me, I had a couple days to pawn it off onto Cossette, right?

Wrong.

Two days later, I hadn't even managed to get Alice off of the egg, much less give it back to Cossette. On the upside, Alice was a stationary target and she knew it, so she got in some training regardless just defending herself and her adopted offspring. Konstantin, in his crash course of training, was more or less on equal footing with the rest of the team (Alice and the egg aside) and was even lashing out in retaliation at Ike occasionally. He seemed to figure out how to use Future Sight in battle, because he often started laughing minutes before something would happen to one of the others.

I was starting to sweat the time limit, though. Three days had passed since Volkner's phone call. He surely didn't expect me to be able to Fly to Sunyshore in that amount of time (did he?), but still. He said as soon as possible. I had been lax on that since I had Teleportation and it was starting to make me a little apprehensive.

"Shouldn't it be a smarter idea to get there and _then_ cram? There will be more Pokemon around, more trainers, stronger Pokemon… Faster training, right?" I was nervous about that egg, too. Cossette had started referring to it exclusively as 'the egg of Alice', and Alice was more than content with that title. I didn't want to have to carry around an egg, since it couldn't go in a pokeball, and I likewise didn't want to advertise the fact that I only had five working Pokemon.

"It depends on how you look at it," Jude said with a yawn and a stretch. "It's too early for the philosophy of it, but basically, it boils down to whether or not you want your team known to the other trainers."

"Eh, I guess… Still, I wish there was a faster way to level them. I'm getting antsy. I _want_ to leave, but I don't at the same time. I sort of like it out here, just training—"

"Too early for philosophy," Jude repeated.

"I'm leaving today," I told him irritably. That snapped him into proper consciousness. He glanced over at Cossette, who was just waking up, and then back at me. I nodded. "I don't want to wait any longer. If I get there early, then I'll train more there and just risk it. Maybe there will be someone I know who'll make it a moot point, anyway. And I'd rather be early than late…"

"Have you figured out how you're going to say goodbye to her?" Every time we had seriously mentioned the topic, Cossette either started pouting, latched onto me, or started her routine of threatening to cry. She only started that last one recently, so it must've been obvious that I was going to leave soon.

"Not yet." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. This whole thing made me nervous. Four Gym leader positions needed to be filled, and who knew how many trainers were going to be in Sunyshore. Plus all of the higher-ups… and foreign higher-ups to boot. That many strong trainers in one area was going to draw attention.

What if it drew Nick's attention.

He had admitted himself that he was still killing—trying to stop, but still killing nonetheless. I could see even from my short time with him that he wasn't completely stable anymore as well. I was in the stage of the cycle where I thought it was a bad idea again, and sure, he said he had wanted to be alone, go off somewhere and never bother humanity again. But what if he changed his mind? What if by turning down his invitation, I had only managed to make him angry? What if he decided to kill more? And what better place than Sunyshore with all of those important trainers…

"Hey." Jude broke me out of my thoughts by snapping his fingers in front of my face. I gave him a flat glare. "What are you going to do about Alice and your egg?"

"_My_ egg—?"

"Don't even _bother_ denying it anymore. Alice won't give up that egg for her life at this point. If you want to keep your bird, you're going to have to keep it," he replied triumphantly. I realized belated that that had been his plan all along. Not to get _me_ attached to the egg, or even to keep Cossette from letting me return it, but to get _Alice_ attached to the egg. Which had worked.

"_Fine_," I replied scathingly with eyes narrowed. "I'll keep the egg. It's a full team, happy now?"

"_Oui_!" Cossette chirped. She was now fully awake and apparently had been listening to the last few parts of the conversation. Thankfully, it seemed as if she hadn't heard the first part. She skipped over and took my arm in hers, beaming up at me. "You are welcome for the egg. It will be a good teammate, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. Thank you." I still had no idea what it would hatch into or _when_ it would hatch. I would either have an egg or a baby Pokemon for this Sunyshore thing. Neither of which appealed to me, but at least it was a full team… Until then, I had to worry about Alice. Four strong Pokemon were all well and good, but I'd rather have five. Especially when most of the others would have six. I'd just have to see if I could pick out someone I knew from whoever ended up there (if all else failed, beg battles off of Gym leaders) and train Alice like crazy. And if _that_ idea failed, well, I _did_ have a couple of TMs saved up, so maybe one of those she could learn and offset her disadvantage.

First, though, I had to _get_ to Sunyshore. That involved getting the little girl on my arm detached.

"Listen, Cossette… You know I have to leave. Today. I have to leave today."

"But—" Oh boy. The tears were already welling up in her eyes, and she pushed out her bottom lip in her signature pout. I grit my teeth and endured.

"I have to. There's no way around this one."

"You—You will come back to me one day?"

"Yeah, one day. Sometime. I pro—" I almost promised, too. But since Jacques was giving me the evil eye from across camp, I bit my tongue and held out on that one. I didn't want to have to break my word. "Some day, I'll come back and see you. Because I'll miss you. And then you can see my team again, after the egg hatches, and I can introduce the Pokemon inside to the kind little girl who gave it to me."

She blushed happily, blinking away most of her tears. "…Good. You will come back to me then. Soon?"

"Maybe not soon."

"Why not?"

"Cossette," Jude broke in gently, "He has to go become a Gym leader. Don't you want him to?"

Her eyes got impossibly large. I resisted the urge to groan; because _that_ wasn't getting her hopes up. Even if it afforded me a good excuse for time, it also more or less meant I had to visit her after I became a Gym leader. Which was far from a surefire thing.

"Yes, then you will come back and see me once you become a Gym leader! And I will watch all of your battles! I will be your fan! I will be your favorite fan, yes?"

"Yeah, of course, Cossette." How could I respond with anything else?

"_Bon!_ Good! Then you are still my favorite trainer." She hugged me warmly.

The goodbye was easy after that. I had a strange little lump in my throat, but aside from that, I just packed up my things and asked Jacques to take me to Sunyshore. Cossette hugged me again goodbye and tugged me down to her level and kissed me on the cheek. I admit I may have blushed a bit; it wasn't often I got kissed, and even if she was what, nine? Ten? She was still a cute girl. I grinned at her and kissed the top of her head in reply, which I swear almost made her swoon. Jude had both gloved hands clamped firmly over his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud.

When Jacques dropped me off in Sunyshore City, the last thing he said to me was, "_If you break Lady Cossette's heart, I'll break you._" I didn't doubt it.

Ignoring that bad feeling and the sudden sadness at leaving my traveling companions, I walked into the Sunyshore Center, egg in my arms. And I was amazed at what I saw.


	86. Friends May Come And Go

There was no _way_ this many trainers were invited. The Center was one of the larger ones in Sinnoh, and even so, it was packed full. Packed, really; I could only take a few steps into the Center before I was jostled and pushed and squished. I squawked in panic and tried my best to shelter the egg, elbowing people aside with my free arm, until I popped out on the other side of the room.

I fumbled the egg, and just as I caught it, someone across the room let out a shriek. The sound startled me so much I dropped it again.

One of the nearer trainers, sitting on the couch, reached forward and caught it before it hit the floor. He held it back up for me with a winning smile. "You almost dropped this, brother," he said. I took it from him, a little confused.

"Uh, I'm an only child—"

"You can't _make_ me, you sexist, chauvinistic pig!" a woman screeched from across the room. I glanced nervously over my shoulder at the scene.

"That is just Sela Schaffer. Do not be alarmed; she is mostly harmless. She is just… loud," the helpful but odd trainer in front of me said. I turned back to him, clutching the egg tighter against me when I received another push. He scooted over and I gratefully sat beside him, hunched over the egg protectively. He chuckled at my behavior. "You are a very good mother. Is it one of yours?"

"Um, yeah. This is mine," I replied. I still wasn't sure what to make of it, but at least he wasn't the screaming woman on the other side of the room. Sela, was it?

"Will it hatch soon?"

"I… hope so." Jude had said it would only take a couple days, but it had been a couple days and the egg still wasn't doing much. Weren't eggs supposed to give off hints when they were close to hatching?

"What will it be?" He was perfectly polite, but I was still a little unnerved by his sociability. Trainers didn't talk that way with each other, not anymore. Maybe a couple years ago they did… I suddenly liked his friendliness a lot more. He was acting like a trainer pre-Nick Sayre.

"I'm not sure, actually. It was a gift."

"Oh?" He blinked, dropping his smile momentarily in favor of a slightly confused frown. "You said it was yours…? One of your Pokemon?"

"Oh! No, no it's not. Sorry. It's just on my team and one of my Pokemon sort of adopted it, but I don't know what it will actually be."

Across the room, Sela Schaffer started shouting again. More people pressed up against our side, undoubtedly making room for her. She sounded like a woman who deserved her room. "Volkner, I will sue the _pants_ off you if you try to make me—"

"Calm down! This isn't sexism—"

"What else would it be?!"

"Uh, what are they arguing about?" I asked my newfound companion. I wish I wasn't sitting, but then again, I was sort of short for my age, so I doubted I would've been able to see anything, anyway. Still, the argument was loud enough to hear even over the din, and apparently involved Volkner.

"…I am not actually sure. Sela has been arguing with many different people for many different reasons already today," he replied thoughtfully. "You will get used to it, though. Are you here as a tourist, or are you for the Gym race?"

"Gym race?" I repeated, blinking at the term. Was that what it was called?

He grinned and leaned forward in delight, exclaiming, "Me too! Not all of the trainers in the Pokemon Center are here for that, and it is difficult to tell who is who anymore. More people keep arriving all the time. There is talk that soon they will move the trainers who have been invited here to a hotel."

A hotel would be nice. "When do you think that will be? It's sort of—crowded in here." Another person took a step too close and half-fell on me. I sheltered the egg as best I could and aimed a vicious kick at the assailant.

"Soon. Once Gym leader Volkner is less—"

"Attention! Attention, everyone!" We turned to Nurse Joy. She had a megaphone and was standing on the counter, waving her free arm in the air. The Center mostly quieted. "Will the trainers who have been invited here by the Gym leaders please come to the desk? Only the ones who haven't already checked in! If you have already checked in, would you please wait outside? We will be moving the group to a hotel shortly."

"Good call," I remarked. Too bad I had to make it to the front of the room. The crowd was still as thick as ever. I struggled to my feet, elbowing people out of the way, egg hugged against my chest. It would almost be easier to let Alice out and have _her_ defend the egg. Next thing I knew, the helpful friend I had evidently made was beside me, flowing through the crowd like water. I eyed him enviously (especially after someone's arm made contact with the back of my head).

"I have already registered, but I will accompany you, brother. You look as if you are lost," he said before I could ask. He gave me that winning but humble smile of his again. Really, he had the weirdest smile. It was possibly the happiest one I'd ever seen, but it was in no way smug or sharp or anything but happy and, well, a smile. A completely innocent smile. It was maybe the way an angel would smile.

Someone accidentally hit me (again) and I stumbled forward, once again struggling to keep the egg in my grasp. I managed to grab it again before it hit the floor, but it caused me to run headfirst into someone's leg. The someone let out a high squeak and backed away from me. I looked guiltily up into their—no, _her_ face.

My first impression was that she was cute. Not cute like Alice, or Carlita, or Cossette, or Hanna, or anything I'd ever called cute before. She had her own brand of cute. She had blonde hair so pale it was almost white with bangs that cut straight across big, dark, doe eyes. She also had a very red face.

"Oh, uh—I-I'm sorry!" I hastily straightened and put the egg between us like a shield. "I-I-I almost dropped my egg. I'm sorry!"

The girl recovered, though she was still blushing. "Just… Don't give me a scare like that again, okay? Man, am I ever glad I chose today to _not_ wear a skirt… Well, uh, bye." She chuckled nervously and smiled at me for the first time.

"Y-Yeah," I replied lamely. I watched as she turned and disappeared into the crowd again. I lied. He didn't have an angel smile. _She_ had an angel smile. I hardly noticed when the boy from before set a hand on my shoulder and started steering me through the mass of people to the desk again. "Hey—who was that?"

"I actually do not know. What I do know, however, is that she is like us. She is here for the Gym race as well. I saw her up at the desk earlier today."

So I didn't get her name. It occurred to me then that I didn't know anyone's name except Sela Schaffer's. I craned my head back to look at my helper. "What's _your_ name then?"

"My name is Vaikuntha. You can call me Vai for short if you would prefer—most of the people here I have met so far prefer it." We reached the front desk at that point. He beamed at me and pointed back towards the door. "I should be going now. I should get out of the way. We will see each other again, yes?"

I nodded dumbly and Vaikuntha vanished into the crowd like the girl had. I noticed, a bit late, that he had the same sort of speech pattern as Cossette. Perhaps a little smoother and more natural, but the way he worded things was a little formal and, no, not awkward, but close to it. Stiff, maybe. But no, that didn't describe him properly, either. He probably spoke another language, I decided, and left it at that.

Nurse Joy handed me a form to fill out and I did it as best I could, hunched over the counter, protecting the egg near my stomach. I rushed it and maybe my handwriting wasn't the neatest, but the Center was stifling and I wanted to get out of there. If not for the egg's safety, then for mine.

By the time I finished up and was handed an ID card, the room had cleared out a little. I could make it to the other side of the room without running into people at least. Surprisingly, Vaikuntha met me at the door with a beam. I raised an eyebrow at him as he exclaimed, "Almost all of the trainers are here already! We are only missing two! Gym leader Gardenia said that we will only wait another day or two before the Gym race begins."

Oh. Of course the other Gym leaders would be here. It made sense. In fact, weren't we supposed to be getting foreign Gym leaders in town, too? I looked around, as if they'd pop up. Instead of Gym leaders, however, I found the girl from before. I felt my face heat up—even more so when she glanced over and caught me staring at her. I hastily looked away, risking a peek back only once. Much to my surprise, she was marching purposefully over to us, bag swinging on her arm.

"You're here for the Gym race too? I thought you were just another stupid trainer in town trying to catch a glimpse of the higher-ups. I'm sorry; I would've been more polite if I had known. It was just that you caught me off guard. I'm Alicia, by the way." She was talkative, but not to the point where it grated on my nerves. Then again, I was too busy staring again to really notice.

Beside me, Vaikuntha took up the role as the responder with a bright, "I am Vaikuntha, sister, or you may call me Vai. His name is…"

"Oh!" I straightened, shifting the egg in my arms, "Sorry. I'm—"

"Out of the _way_! You're blocking the door!" I was pushed roughly aside for the umpteenth time in the past half hour, this time by a boy younger and shorter than me with a nasty scowl on his face. He sent all of us a very venomous glare and then stomped off. I noticed he had an ID card clutched in his hand, too. I stuck my tongue out at his back. Bratty little kid.

"Heifer," Alicia spat. I turned to see that she was also sticking out her tongue at him. "That's Benjamin. Just ignore him. He's such a jerk. So far, Sela's the only one who's managed to win an argument against him, and that's because I heard that she picked him up and threw him. Okay maybe she didn't, but still, she's tough. And he's a total jerk. Stay away from him."

"Duly noted," I mumbled. She was even cute when she was glaring daggers at a kid.

"So, anyway, I got a call from Fantina. She was hard to understand over the phone, too. What all were you guys told? All I heard was that I had to report here and it was something about deciding who would become the next Gym leaders. Do you really think they're going to let _trainers_ become Gym leaders?"

"I do not see why not. Gym leaders, they would have had to have been trainers at one point, correct?" Vaikuntha pointed out with a small smile. He sort of had one on perpetually, I noticed.

"Volkner was the one who called me. He said they were overhauling the Gym system. I guess they could give the jobs out to trainers," I added, shifting the egg in my arms again. It was uncomfortable, having to carry it. I couldn't wait to get the hotel room and set it down and probably take a nap on the big, soft bed… I was so tired of my sleeping bag it wasn't even funny. I'd probably spend this entire trip napping and gossiping with these people. Mostly Alicia.

"How do you think they'll do it? A… _tournament_?" Alicia dropped her voice into a whisper, cupping her hands around her mouth conspiratorially. I grimaced. So did Vaikuntha. She leaned back and nodded solemnly at us. "Exactly. Not even the government is stupid enough to try to organize _any_ kind of tournament after… well, you know. So you have to wonder what exactly they're planning. There's a _lot_ of trainers here, and they have to whittle down the list somehow, right? Four openings, and what, sixty-some trainers here? Seventy?"

"They could interview us. There is the possibility of other criteria, aside from our Pokemon training skills."

"Like what?" I asked curiously. "A Gym leader is a battler. What else could they grade us—" I was cut off as, predictably, a battle started. It was inevitable, really. So many trainers in one location? It was bound to happen. Our little group shifted so that we could see who it was. It was Benjamin, the temperamental little boy, and a black-haired girl who had her back to us. He had a Machamp out beside him, flexing its four arms menacingly. The black-haired girl said something quietly, and he shouted something I didn't catch in response. Wasn't that girl wearing an awful lot of black? In addition to her long hair, she had a black sweater and a black skirt as well…

My suspicions were confirmed when she let out an Electabuzz that, even at our distance, immediately set me to sneezing. Alicia and Vaikuntha stared at me in alarm. Several others, including the battlers, also turned to stare. The black-haired girl raised an eyebrow as she recognized me, and vice versa.

Yep, it was Lola.


	87. But Enemies Accumulate

"Break it _up_, you two!" A woman I didn't recognize pushed past us, ignored my sneezing fit, and marched right up to the Machamp and Electabuzz. The woman wasn't muscular, but somehow, she just seemed _solid_. She really wasn't that built at all. Not skinny, not with those curves, but she still gave off a definite air of strength. Her red hair might've been a pixie cut once, but had grown out several inches since then, and she had a blazing glare to match it.

I knew her immediately to be Sela Schaffer.

Lola returned her Electabuzz almost immediately after Sela's arrival. She spared them both a dispassionate glare and then vanished into crowd as Benjamin started shouting at her. That only lasted a few seconds, however, before Sela started shouting back. He instantly shut up.

"That's Sela. She's pretty much taken charge of most of the girl trainers so far. Or maybe just most of the trainers in general. She's the oldest of the girls so far, and she sort of acts like a mother," Alicia remarked, brown eyes still on the one-sided argument. "She's been arguing with the Gym leaders for the couple days I've been here. I don't know how long she's been here, though, just that she beat me here. She's, um, sort of developed a reputation—"

"Shut up, you hateful woman!" Benjamin had apparently found his voice again, and while he was practically hiding behind his Machamp, his words were as sharp as ever. "You're just picking on me because you hate guys!"

"Hate them? I do not—!" she replied with a scoff, but he cut her off again.

"Yeah you do! You're always arguing with Volker and Wake, but _never_ Gardenia or any of the other girls!"

"Fine then, little boy, I'll show you how much I _hate_ guys!" Sela exclaimed with an evil grin. She managed to duck under his Machamp's arm and captured him in a hug, squishing him against her ample chest. Alicia laughed at it; Vaikuntha and I glanced nervously at each other.

By the time Gardenia ran out of the Center to break up the fight, Benjamin was red-faced, near tears, and still spitting insults at Sela. He wasn't going anywhere near her, though, and wasn't saying she disliked guys any longer.

"Yeah, that sort of reputation," Alicia surmised.

-.-.-

It was nearing noon by the time the trainers were more or less sorted out. I hadn't eaten breakfast, since I was sure I'd be able to stop and get something in Sunyshore, so I was starving. Judging on the whining and general fatigue of the group, I wasn't the only one.

The 'Gym race' trainers were put up in a hotel. We had a whole floor to ourselves. We had the option of having a roommate and getting to stay for free, or, as Volkner put it, "If you don't want the company, pay for your own room."

Guys were on one side of the hall, girls on the other. The Gym leaders were all down at the end of the hall towards the elevators on the girls' side, since there were less female trainers, and as the room keys were divvied up and roommates assigned and traded and begged for, we got the talk.

"Benjamin there is the youngest of you, so it's safe to assume that you're all teenagers or older." Volkner looked like he was tired. Then again, I could see how it had been an exhausting day. "You are to behave. You and your Pokemon will get fed three meals a day, but if you want anything more, you buy it yourself. Do _not_ challenge any foreign trainers or Gym leaders to a battle or trade. You are to be respectful and dress nicely. Yes, that means you have to change out of your trainer clothes and shower." He rolled his eyes as there were several groans in amongst the male group. "One last thing. You are _not allowed_ in the girl's rooms after six. If you are caught, or if you are caught with a girl in your room, you will both be dropped out of the Gym race and while we can't kick you out of Sunyshore, I can make it a very unpleasant place to live."

The group reaction ranged from chuckles to rolled eyes to blushes (from the younger guys, unfortunately, myself included) at the implications.

When he added, "Or, if you'd like, I'd just turn you over to Sela Schaffer for punishment," however, we were unanimously convinced everyone was going to be on perfect behavior.

"Can we _eat_ already?" someone that sounded suspiciously like Benjamin piped up from near the back.

"You will be free to eat once you have tried your room keys and put your stuff away," Volkner replied with a sigh. He ran a hand through his hair, glanced towards the elevators, and said, "Fine then. Off with you all."

I ended up rooming with Vaikuntha. It was a pleasant surprise, especially since I didn't know anyone else. I was a little disappointed when he called the top bunk, but I figured I'd just be very careful to remember not to sit up suddenly when I woke up and I'd be fine. "I am glad to have received you as a roommate, brother. Some of the other trainers, they are not as agreeable as you."

"Agreeable?" I asked, looking up from unpacking my bag. I was hungry, but I was also interested in staking out my territory for the next… however long this thing took. Vaikuntha seemed to have similar interests from atop the bunk bed, his backpack's contents already scattered around him.

"Nice. Friendly."

"Ah. Um, thanks." I would've said that _he_ was the friendly one. So far all I had managed to do was nearly drop the egg a dozen times and sneeze at Lola's (and once, my) Electabuzz. "You're nice too…?" I added hesitantly.

He beamed and took the compliment with a cheerful, "Thank you! Is there anything I should know about your team? I prefer to sleep with my team out, but since we are in a hotel room, I assume this would be unwise."

"Mostly for the fact that you chose the top bunk," I commented with a wry grin.

Vaikuntha looked down at the mattress below him, apparently surprised. "Ah… right. Perhaps a mistake on my part. I could sleep on the floor then?"

"If you're sleeping with your team out, I am, too. And I'm afraid that mine would take up most of the floor space."

"…Then it seems as if our Pokemon will just have to sleep inside their pokeballs for the time being," he said with a sad sigh.

I nodded absently, still digging through my bag. I was trying to find my phone, but instead, I pulled out a small drawstring bag I didn't recognize. I picked it up gingerly, frowning in confusion, and looked at the tag. All it had was "_Cossette_" scrawled on it in neat, loopy handwriting.

I curiously opened it. Candy? Sweet—no pun intended. I took one out and popped it in my mouth. Immediately I spat it back out. That had tasted _horrible_! Was that supposed to be some sort of gross French candy? "Ugh, that was disgusting," I growled, hastily running to the bathroom to get water to wash out my mouth.

When I came back from trying (in vain) to get the taste out of my mouth, Vaikuntha had slid off of the top bunk and was looking at the candy curiously. "Did you just eat a Rare Candy?"

"Rare? I can't see why they were rare. That was disgusting. You can have them if you like the stuff."

"They are supposed to be candy for Pokemon. They are very valuable. They make your Pokemon stronger! How did you get so many?" He held up the bag, estimating how many might be in there. I looked at the bag with a new eye. Well, the fact that they were Pokemon food made sense, considering their taste.

"They make Pokemon stronger…?" It sounded like I wouldn't have much time to train before this thing—whatever it was—got underway. But if this was true, then it sounded like I had an easy way out. For once. Vaikuntha handed the bag back with a smile and a chuckle.

-.-.-

I managed to see Alicia again during our lunch break, but she unfortunately didn't eat with us. I couldn't hide my disappointment. Vaikuntha seemed to sense this and had the idea of grabbing some food to go and going to the beach so we could let our Pokemon out. I got dragged along by his enthusiasm and next thing I knew, I remembered why I tried not to eat around my team anymore—Carlita, Alice, and Konstantin had all swamped me in an effort to get a bite of my meal.

"Candy! Who wants candy?" I threw a handful of Rare Candies out onto the beach to get them away from me. Alice and Konstantin glanced at each other, perplexed. Carlita, on the other hand, didn't give me a second thought and dove at the Candies. She had eaten half of them I'd thrown before the others even blinked.

With an indignant screech and not wanting to get outdone, Alice dove at her and beat her back with her wings. I wish I had tried this tactic earlier. She was not only leaving the egg alone (though she insisted that I had to hold it in her stead), but she was training. Sort of. With the Rare Candies _and_ managing to hold back both Carlita and Konstantin, I figured she was getting a workout. She even tweeted angrily at Ike when he decided to steal a sweet for himself.

"This is your team?" Vaikuntha asked, wide-eyed. I nodded, glancing back at him. He was keeping a safe distance, and thankfully, aside from Des snorting at him, my team seemed pretty indifferent to his presence. "They are… energetic."

"That's one word for them." Alice snapped up the last of the free Candies and I threw out another handful to keep them busy. I only had a couple left now, but at least it bought me time to wolf down my own meal. "They're fine once you get used to them. Just don't go anywhere near them with food when they're hungry. And don't touch Alice's egg."

"Alice? That is the Swablu?"

"Yeah. Alice is my Swablu, and that's her egg. The one she adopted. Then the Breloom is Carlita, the Duskull is Kostya—Konstantin—and the antisocial Luxray in the water over there is Ike—Ike what are you _doing_?" As I pointed him out, I realized that he was not only off by himself, but he was very focused on something in the water. A moment later, he batted a Magikarp onto the sand. "Ike you put that back right now! No—don't eat it—"

When I returned from making my Luxray spit out the Magikarp and giving him a Rare Candy to try to appease him, Vaikuntha was laughing and Des had eaten the rest of my food. My Camerupt snorted at me, flicking his ears. "_You never gave me any candy,_" he said by way of explanation.

"Who is this?" Vaikuntha asked eagerly, patting Des' side with a bright grin.

"My starter, Des," I replied wearily. At least I wasn't starving anymore. I gave Des the last two Rare Candies, although Alice managed to swoop in and steal one of them before it even got to his mouth. She sang something vaguely familiar in triumph, then tweeted at me until I set the egg down in the warm sand. She made a fuss over half-burying it in the warm sand, then settled over it, once again using her cloudy wings as a blanket.

When I looked back at Vaikuntha, I was surprised to see a sad expression on his face. When he caught me looking at him, however, he brightened and only smiled at me. "She looks to be a very good mother," he said before I could ask.

"Um, yeah. She is. Now I just have to get a translator for her and if she'd evolve before this thing kicked off, that'd be nice. Or if the egg hatched. I'd like to know what Jude got me into. Oh—Jude's a friend of mine, the one who gave me the egg."

"Is he a breeder?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I have heard of him," he said cheerily. He sat down in the sand beside me, gave Alice and her egg one last look, and then tossed a handful of pokeballs onto the ground in front of us. Alice shrieked at the surprise additions and bent low over the egg, making a very bizarre sound that could have been her imitation of Ike's growl. The nearest of Vaikuntha's Pokemon, a Skarmory, lowered its head until it was closer. It gave her a flat look. Alice pecked it on the metal beak.

The Skarmory squawked and drew its head back. I was already getting to my feet; I had been afraid of this. "Alice, don't—"

"Koel, stop this!" Vaikuntha added, already in the process of physically dragging his Skarmory away. The two birds were squawking and screeching at each other. I hastily darted in between them and snagged Alice out of midair when she tried to go at them both. I distinctly heard Konstantin laughing in the background.

"Alice, stop it! Your egg—Your egg's unguarded! Don't you want to sit back down and guard your—_ow_, Alice!" I let go of her when she dug her claws into my fingers. I scowled at her and picked up her egg, holding it up with one hand. "Look, Alice, I'm walking away with your _egg_!" I told her, making a big show about turning and walking away from them. Next thing I knew, I had a small, blue bird pelting at me. I ducked under her first swoop, straightening with a victorious laugh, only to get her tackle in my face on the second attempt.

I went down, the egg landing on my stomach. Alice perched on top of the egg, looked down her beak at me, and then chirped happily.

"_Alice defeated Trainer. Does that count as training?_" Carlita asked curiously, bending over into my view.

"Carlita, get them off of me. Carefully. Set them both back in the sand," I groaned. My Breloom did as told, but Alice only squawked at her and chased her off again. Carlita went down as well when she received one too many Pecks to the head.

I was just getting to my feet again when I saw the flash of bright white light. I turned to look and only managed to catch the tail end of it. I barely had time to comprehend that, too, before a larger, _heavier_ Alice decided to tackle me. I went down again with a large bird with a long neck and huge, fluffy, cloudy wings on top of my chest.

"Taria!" Alice trilled.

"Is… Is this normal for you?" Vaikuntha, arms still around a very shocked Skarmory, asked with wide eyes. I sighed and nodded.


	88. Take Up Half On Trust, And Half To Try

Vaikuntha had a full team of six, predictably. The way he acted around Koel, his Skarmory, made me think he was the starter of the team, but I wasn't completely sure. Joining Koel, though, was a Walrein named Naiya, a Houndoom (which made me feel a little unnerved) named Subrata, a Lucario named Ranga, a Flygon named Oviya, and a Gengar named Pollyanna.

"Pollyanna?" It didn't fit with the rest of his team, needless to say.

Vaikuntha shrugged with his usual smile. "I received her in a trade with the sister of a friend of mine. I could not change her name, now could I?"

"True… Still." I had a feeling I would be forgetting a lot of these names—Pollyanna aside—if only because of their obvious foreign-ness. "Not all of them are native to Sinnoh, are they?"

"I am not originally from Sinnoh. Though I did become a trainer here. So in a way, I am native to Sinnoh, and in another way, I am not," he said cheerily.

"Oh. That's cool. So is English your second language?"

"Yes, it is. How did you know?"

"I have some… experience with non-native speakers."

"Is it that noticeable? Is it bad?"

"Oh—no! It's fine. I didn't mean it like that!" I backpedaled hastily. I glanced around for a quick change of topic, eyes alighting on Carlita and his Lucario tussling in the sand. "Oh—at least some of our teams get along, right? Carlita and your…"

"Ranga," he provided. "And that is true. Although Koel and your newly evolved Altaria are still…" he trailed off. We both looked at the two birds, who were glaring daggers at each other. Alice was once again on her egg, though she dwarfed it now and I was starting to worry for it. "Perhaps she would get along better with Oviya? They are both female and both dragons."

"Dragons?" I stared at Alice. "Alice is a bird…" Was that sort of lost in translation, or was she hiding scales underneath those clouds? She turned coolly towards me and spat out a mouthful of blue flames—blue flames I immediately recognized as Chase's Dragonbreath move.

"Altaria are part dragon, part flying, brother. So while she is a bird, she is also a dragon bird. She will probably become more aggressive and physically stronger, in addition to learning dragon moves. And her typing will have changed so you should watch out for ice types more than ever. Oviya is the same way."

"Same way?" I asked absently. I was still getting over the fact that Alice had not only evolved, but she was a _dragon_. And bigger. And—wait. Had he said she'd get more aggressive? _Just_ what I needed. As if she wasn't bad enough as it was; now she could just sit on me and I'd go down. Let alone her claws and beak and Dragonbreath.

"A double weakness? Your Camerupt and Breloom both have one as well, so I'd assume—"

"_Really_?!" Vaikuntha had had enough of my attention for that much to penetrate. "Alice! Why did you have to evolve?! Now that's three of you—that's _half the team_! Well, with that egg—Jude probably gave me something that would evolve into one, I know he did! He's trying to sabotage me! Three of you—my god, _three of you_! Water, flying, and now ice—?!"

"_The irony is certainly present,_" Ike remarked. I glared at him for it. "_Be lucky you don't have to worry about me. Of course, since I am so strong you hardly have to worry about me as it is_—" Des stomped the ground, knocking him off balance and face-first into the sand.

"_Trainer, relax. If there are any ice types, I'll take care of it. Just like Carlita and the feline are here to take care of the water, and he can also take care of any birds. Alice aside._" Alice whistled her agreement.

"…Uh, right. And we still need a translator for you. …Water, flying, _and_ ice…"

"So this is a recurring problem with you?" Vaikuntha asked curiously. I pointed flatly to my team. He nodded in understanding. "All Pokemon have weaknesses. Training is about overcoming those weaknesses and having a team is about offsetting them."

"That's true—"

"And this actually gives you an advantage! Since we are here to compete for Gym positions, the other leaders will love you since you are so easy to beat! You could become the first Gym leader, even with your powerful Pokemon!" Vaikuntha added enthusiastically, completely ruining whatever recovery I might've otherwise had.

"…Thanks, Vai."

-.-.-

It took all of my money I had on hand, but I managed to secure a translator for Alice. It was a little difficult getting it on her, since she seemed adverse to the collar, but eventually Vaikuntha and I held her down long enough for me to fasten it around her neck. "_What—What is this?! Why do I need this?!_" she demanded, slithering away from us the moment we let her go.

"So I can understand you," I replied, a little breathlessly. That had been an endeavor.

Alice stared at me, black eyes large. "_…You can understand me now_," she repeated. It was not a question. Vaikuntha and I both nodded. "_This is great!_" she broke out, fluttering up into the air. She circled around our heads a couple times, singing, "_You can understand me, you can understand me! This is spectacular. Great! Trainer, we can gossip together! Carlita never wants to, but we can talk together and laugh at Konstantin and fawn over my amazing egg and agree that Ike is a total_—"

"Okay, okay, I get it, I've created a monster. We can have a girly sleepover at some other time, Alice."

"She certainly is lively," he remarked with an uncertain smile. "So then, you must be concentrating on training her up more? If she only just now evolved…"

"Ah, yeah. That'd be great. I don't think I'll be able to, though, since Volkner says we can't battle other trainers or Gym leaders…"

"_Traaaaaaaiiiiiiiiner_," Alice broke in with a trill, "_Battle with your buddy there! Or is that not allowed? Well—even if it's not, as long as you both keep it a secret, it's all good, right?_"

"She has a point."

I looked at Vaikuntha nervously. "Uh, that's probably not a good idea. I mean, if we're competing or something—"

"Gym leader Volkner did not say that we could not battle other Sinnohan trainers, and it is true that several battles have broken out already. And even if we do end up competing against each other, brother, we already have knowledge of each other's teams, so it makes it pointless," Vaikuntha pointed out merrily and, of course, with a bright smile. "Besides, I would be delighted to battle you, brother! It will be practice for both of our teams and if we do not make an alliance with each other, with who else will we?"

"Alliance?" I asked dumbly, latching onto the not-battling topic like my life depended on it. I wasn't completely sure why, but I was nervous battling. Maybe it was the fact that I was battling high-level trainers again. Maybe it was the fact that I was so obviously outnumbered. Maybe it was the fact that this many strong trainers in one area was adding too much pressure to me and my team to get up to their par. Maybe it was the fact that Alice had just evolved and wasn't as strong as the rest of the team. Maybe it was the fact that my sixth team member was still in an egg.

Maybe it was the fact that I was _still_ waiting for Nick to come out of the shadows and start slaughtering us.

"I believe alliance is the right word for it… I believe that there is a need for a teammate, or a close friend, to rely on during this time. It will ease the stress and strain of the Gym race. Plus—we may watch out for one another this way!"

That did sound nice. "Um, maybe." I didn't know why exactly I was so hesitant. After all, Vaikuntha seemed like one of those increasingly rare genuinely good people who wouldn't be able to hurt a fly, much less make this alliance come around and bite me in the back end at a later date. If all else—my starter could take his starter, so I guess I didn't have _that_ much to worry about.

It was then that I realized what I had managed to do to myself. I was paranoid and suspicious of all of the trainers in Sunyshore, though none of them had done anything and many of them were probably as nervous as I was. I was keeping my guard up impossibly high and I wasn't letting anyone in. I had convinced myself right off the bat that they would all be my opponents and it would be a bloody fight to the finish for the Gym leader positions. I had never once considered that this could be _fun_ and that I could make new friends who had no idea who I was or who my best friend had once been.

I forced a smile (I wasn't sure how well that worked out) and made myself nod as well. "Uh, yeah. That works. An alliance."

"_So he can gossip with us?_" Alice asked, hovering over my shoulder and craning her neck around so that she could bat her eyes at me.

"I don't think he'd want to." I wasn't sure if _I_ wanted to.

"We are rooming together, so that would eventually happen anyway, would it not?" Vaikuntha asked with obvious amusement. I shrugged. If he wanted to get dragged down with me, then so be it.

"_Wonderful! We can have a giant sleepover! Can we invite more_—"

"I think we have enough here to gossip with you as it is, Alice. Why are you so keen on gossiping, anyway?" Had she always been like this, or was it just now because we could understand her that she was so intent on it?

"_I just am excited about talking with you, Trainer! There are soooo many things we have to discuss! Carlita never wants to talk about these things with me, but you will, won't you? None of the others want to talk to me much, actually, but now we can talk so that's fine! We can talk about the other teammates and that friend of yours you're always so worked up over—_" I dove at her and clamped my hand around her beak. Alice made a high, surprised sound and tried to buck me off, but I hung on and I only ended up getting a ride to the other end of the beach. Carlita grabbed one of Alice's tail feathers and stopped us, though I ended falling off and she crash landed in the process.

I glanced at Vaikuntha, who was jogging over but still out of hearing range. "Alice, don't talk about that here."

"_Talk about what?_" Carlita asked curiously, tilting her head.

"Nick. Don't talk about him. Not in front of the other trainers, okay?"

"_I thought he was your friend,_" Alice replied in confusion, fluffing up her feathers. She started preening them, though she glanced up at me frequently. "_You said—You were the one who said that he was still your friend. You told us that._"

"I—he is—I think—Alice, just _please_, don't bring him up."

"…_Fine._"

"…_Is he still your friend? For serious?_" Carlita asked suddenly. Her frown reminded me of her Shroomish days. "_I thought—after Chase—I thought you weren't friends anymore._"

"We are! I think—Carlita I don't know. I haven't sorted that out yet."

"_He hurt you,_" she said, voice rising. She stood on the tips of her toes, tail waving anxiously behind her. "_He hurt you and why are you still friends with him? You shouldn't be. Friends don't hurt friends. Even Des thinks that you should move on._"

"He… does?" He had never mentioned that to me. I scrambled to my feet, though, and ignored the rising feeling of panic. Vaikuntha had almost caught up with us; he couldn't hear this. I could start over with a clean slate here. "Nevermind that—we'll work that out _later_. Until then, Nick is still my friend, and don't mention him here!"

The two girls looked at each other, then turned back to me and reluctantly nodded.

Vaikuntha reached us. "Are you alright?" He sounded a little worried.

I turned around and beamed at him. "Fine! Everything's fine." I was crazy to think I could ever completely get away from my past. Nick, regardless of our friendship, regardless of how much he hurt me, was going to be a constant in my life until something concrete was done. Maybe as a Gym leader I could do something about it. Until then, however, I was stuck in this hated limbo and could only hope and pray that my Pokemon wouldn't dig my grave for me.

If anyone here found out about my past with Nick Sayre, things would end badly. The Gym leaders were keeping it to themselves, at least the ones who knew (how many was that? One, two, three, four—and two of them were dead), and at any rate, it hadn't hit the news. The other trainers probably wouldn't take it as kindly, however. Since I didn't feel like becoming an outcast, I had to keep quiet and ignore the problem.

So I beamed at Vaikuntha and lied once more, "Everything's fine."


	89. The Tournament Hero and Zarek

"I didn't think they'd mean it _literally_!" I cried in dismay.

"At least you two have birds! I don't have anything that can fly!" Alicia wailed. She came out of nowhere and draped herself unassumingly over my shoulders. I felt my face immediately heat up. "I don't have anything fast at all. This is unfair! Some teams are naturally going to have advantages against others! And it's just not _fair_, really—I could beat anyone here into the ground in a battle, but not a _race_!"

"Maybe they are trying to weed out some of the trainers? There are quite a lot of them here," Vaikuntha mused, setting his chin in his hand. He seemed oblivious to my plight.

I blushed even harder (if such a thing were possible) when Alicia pressed against my back in order to get her hands up to the paper. She pointed to it excitedly, turning over her shoulder to grin at Vaikuntha. "Wait—look here! It says that this isn't a race to win—oh thank _goodness_. Hmm, it says that this is the first of many trials, and it's supposed to, like, judge how well you work with your team. A team effort. That makes sense, but still—what are the other things going to be like? If it doesn't matter if you lose or not, how are they going to narrow down the competition at all? Where's a Gym leader—I want answers."

"They're hiding." The three of us turned to Lola, who magically appeared out of the crowd like Alicia had before her. She turned and looked down her nose at us—well, at Alicia and me, since we were shorter than her (Vaikuntha was not)—and added, "They know the trainers are antsy over this, and they know that we have no knowledge of what we've gotten ourselves into aside from this bulletin. They're purposely keeping us in the dark. It's psychological _torture_."

We shied away from her, averting our eyes.

Lola ignored us and instead turned her gaze to the bulletin board. "Though the fact that they put in the bit that losers do not necessarily equate to losers in the real Gym race is interesting… My guess is that they are hard pressed to find a way to narrow down the selection without using the T word."

"T word?" Alicia asked meekly.

"Tournament." We flinched at the word. Lola smiled humorlessly. "Exactly. The trainers are scared stiff of that possibility."

"Don't lot me in with the rest of these panicky children!" The day just got better and better. Alicia finally detached herself from me in order to hide behind Vaikuntha and I as Sela Schaffer pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She put her hands on her hips and glared at Lola. "You're the gothic girl. Lola, right? Why are you only trying to make things worse? Psychological torture my left foot. _You're_ the one who's doing that, not the Gym leaders."

"So what if I am?" Lola asked coolly, not at all fazed by her bluff being called. "All trainers have strategies to defeat their opponents. I'm not the only one using intimidation, either, Sela, so don't start acting noble." She stepped back and started to make her getaway. Before she completely disappeared into the crowd, however, she turned to me and offered a dark smile. "See you later, hero. I'll be making sure to keep a special eye on _you_."

I did _not_ like how that sounded. Vaikuntha and Alicia both turned to me curiously, but it was Sela who successfully grabbed my attention. She peeled Alicia away from me, shooed Vaikuntha away, and tilted my head back so that she could study me. It didn't hurt, but the move certainly was firm. "…Huh. Well I'll be damned. You _are_ him."

"Him? Him who?" Alicia piped up, trying to wiggle into the scene once more. Sela shut her out however by picking me up and setting me on her other side, using her body as a shield. "Heifer!"

"Call me that again little girl and I will—" Alicia was out of sight before Sela could finish. With a satisfied smirk, she turned back to me. "You're that tournament hero. Right? Now I see it—I recognize those big blue eyes, looking all terrified and stuff." The reason I was so terrified was that Sela Schaffer, the one woman who most of the other trainers (especially the male trainers) was avoiding at all costs had not only managed to separate me from my friend, but she had me pinned up against the wall with no chance of escape. The fact that I barely came up to her shoulder didn't help matters.

"Sela, who are you terrorizing this morning? It's too early to start this routine." I turned eagerly to see my savior. It turned out to be Maylene, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. "Let him go and go eat breakfast like a normal human being."

"He's the one who stopped The Tournament, isn't he? I know you know, so answer me." Sela positioned me in front of her like a sacrificial Mareep.

Maylene gave me a calm once-over. "…Yeah? So what? You think we wouldn't include him in the lineup?"

"Well, no, but—look at him! He's famous! And he's so tiny! I thought he'd be bigger. He looked bigger on the television."

"Oh well. Let go of him; I think he's going to collapse. Go scare someone else for awhile. Or eat breakfast. Actually—" Maylene gave Sela a look and a sigh, "—go get Volkner. You're not abiding by the dress code again—"

"Not you too! Maylene, I thought you were better than that!" Sela let go of me in favor of pressing her hand to her forehead dramatically. I darted away, met up with Vaikuntha at a safe distance, and we resumed our day as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

-.-.-

In four days, life had settled into a routine. Foreign dignitaries were still arriving, so the Gym race itself hadn't started. Sunyshore was busy and crowded with trainers and the media. Still, the Gym race trainers were allowed to go anywhere they pleased in the town, so long as they returned to the hotel before curfew. Vaikuntha and I had already worked out a schedule; we would wake up (usually late), check the bulletin board for notices, eat, and then train our teams for the rest of the day.

It was getting easy to distinguish the Gym race trainers from the regular people. They carried themselves differently somehow. Secretive, nervous, but still a little proud and aloof. Several of them had already been interviewed, so Sinnoh at large knew about what was going on in Sunyshore. So far, no one had called "Tournament!" and started a riot or something, but sometimes, the eyes of the passersby on the street were a little too judgmental for my tastes. Even if no one had said it yet, everyone was thinking it.

Then, on the morning of the fifth day, the bulletin had gone up in the lobby announcing the first part of the Gym race. And it was to be an actual race.

"…It was a good thing your Swablu already evolved. Otherwise, it would be a difficult challenge for you," Vaikuntha remarked innocently.

I shoved my hands in my hoodie pocket and tried not to think about the obvious: we would be competing _against_ each other, alliance or not. When it came down to it, Vaikuntha and I were nothing more than friendly roommates who happened to get along well and were looking out for each other. But would that carry over onto the battlefield? I didn't know, and I didn't want to ask just yet. "…Yeah. You gonna use your Flygon?"

"Oviya? Probably not. Koel is faster and lighter and can take a hit better. I think it would be prudent to believe that this will not turn out to be a simple race," he said distantly, smile uncharacteristically missing.

"…Oh. Oh yeah…" That was probably true. We had already seen several battles break out, some of them more violent than others, and numerous attempts to intimidate or scare other trainers. This wasn't going to be all fun and games. Some were taking this seriously—and some were taking it far too seriously. Maybe I shouldn't use Alice in the race after all. Though really, who else could I use?

We made our way to the beach. We had a little corner of it that we had already claimed as our territory. A couple other trainers had staked out places as well, so we had passing knowledge of their teams, just like how they knew of ours. Alice settled down on her egg immediately, Koel sitting next to her. Carlita and Ranga, his Lucario, set about to sparring. They seemed to get along amazingly well. I was just glad the birds had calmed down.

"What did she mean earlier? About the hero business?" Uh-oh. There had been the question I'd been dreading. I could keep Nick more or less a secret, but not The Tournament stuff. And he had been implicated in that…

"Ugh, it was nothing."

"I heard about a young trainer who was the one to break out of the building and fight off the ones who tried to keep the slaughter going. That was you?"

"…Yeah, it was," I sighed and gave up. "I managed to lose in the first round."

"Managed?" he repeated with a confused smile. "What do you mean by that, brother?"

"I forfeited my first match and got shunted into another battle because those girls hated me. I fought Lola, actually. And I backed down. I had originally planned to win it all and stop it that way, but in the end, my plan didn't work out so well."

"That was brave."

I didn't think it was very brave of me to freak out when confronted with my ex-Electabuzz, but I didn't feel like reliving that, either. "Um, thanks."

"You do not think so?" he pressed.

"No, I really don't. So many people died anyway," I replied bitterly.

"More would have died without you. You tried to help." There was a certain amount of emphasis placed on the second sentence that I paused in my response. Vaikuntha was still smiling at me, but it had dropped into something a little sadder. "I… Among others, I did not participate in The Tournament. I thought it would be smarter to take the risk that they were not going to hunt the trainers who did not participate down and simply not show up. I did not even stop to think that I could _stop_ it…"

"Vai, you helped too. You didn't show up. You didn't have to face the possibility of losing your team or make someone else's lose in order to save yourself. You took the noble way out." The way I had been too scared of taking. If everyone had just had the courage to not show up, to not give in to their threats, then there wouldn't have been a tournament at all.

"_Comrade!_" Konstantin flew at my face, wrapping his arms around my head and successfully ruining the serious moment we were having. Pollyanna the Gengar pranced lightly after him, giggling madly. "_I—I used Future Sight, and the egg is going to hatch!_"

For once a warning from the future was helpful. "What? Are you sure?!"

"_Very!_"

"Alice, give me the egg back!"

She gave me a look that stopped my advance effortlessly. "_Excuse me?_"

"Um… The egg. I need it." It was technically _my_ egg, and I was the trainer here anyway. I wanted to see firsthand what Jude had gotten me into. I was still half-convinced that it would turn out to be something with another double weakness and was very much hoping to be proven wrong in that. "Just for a moment. Please?"

"_Why?_" she asked suspiciously.

"Because? I want to look at it. Don't make me return you." I got out her great ball to show her that I meant business, but she shot it out of my hand with a Dragonbreath. I shook my stinging hand and glared at her. Konstantin dove for the great ball, but Alice flapped into the air and with a swoop, pursued him. Just before he could grab it, she latched onto him with her claws. He had no choice but to retreat into their shadow—but unfortunately, since Alice was attached to him, she went along for the ride. They both reappeared on the other end of the sand near the town, still squabbling.

I took the opportunity to scurry over to the egg and pick it up. A couple cracks had appeared on the top. Koel gave me a flat look, but I ignored him. Finally, the egg was hatching. I would get to see what Jude and Cossette had given me, and what would most likely (barring another horrible allergy) become the sixth and final member of the team.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited. I had never seen an egg hatch before, let alone my own egg. Not to mention the fact that I would be welcoming my _own_ Pokemon into this world. I felt a bit how I imagined mothers must feel upon having a baby. The first chip fell away from the top of the shell. I tried to peer inside it, but all I could see was darkness.

A cloudy tackle hit the back of my head and we all fell in a heap. Alice, perched heavily on top of my back, picked up the egg with her beak and tried to pry it away from me. I held on to the bottom tight, spitting out sand. "Alice, let go!"

"_It's my egg!_" she exclaimed, digging her claws into my shoulder blades.

"It's mine—both of ours—just let me have it!" It was rapidly turning into a battle of protective mothers. I managed to roll over enough to send her into the sand and scrambled to my feet, clutching the egg against my stomach. Several more pieces of cream-colored shell fell away in the process. I felt something lukewarm and wet on my hands and looked down. It was more or less clear, so at least it wasn't blood or something equally horrible.

"_Let me have my egg!_" Alice shrieked, making another dive at me. I ducked under the first one, but like before, she managed to catch me with the second one. I fell over onto my butt and hastily tried to get the egg away from her again. The egg fell to the sand, shedding more pieces, as Alice and I wrestled over it for dominance.

"Alice I am your trainer and I say I get the egg until we figure out what it hatches into!"

"_You didn't sit on it for the past how long! It's my egg!_"

"You wouldn't let me near it anyway!"

"_Because it's my egg!_"

We both froze when below us, with a loud cracking sound, the egg completely broke apart. Alice and I looked down in unison. There was no baby Pokemon staring up at us. Instead, there was what looked to be a giant mass of _bubbles_.

"…Eh?" I gingerly reached down to poke at the bubbles. Was this normal? Was this supposed to happen? Had something gone wrong with the egg?

My finger pressed against something cool and sort of hard, and immediately afterward, something sharp clamped down onto it. I withdrew my hand with a hiss, but the pain didn't subside; the thing that was now attached to my finger turned out to be a reddish-orange claw. And attached to that reddish-orange was a tiny Krabby, still dripping bubbles from its mouth.

"Your team is so exciting. These things really _do_ happen every day," Vaikuntha remarked happily, watching from a safe distance. Konstantin, beside him with Alice's great ball, nodded wearily. "It is a Krabby, correct? It is so small and so… cute."

"It'd be more cute if it let go of my finger." In response, the Krabby tightened its grip. A droplet of blood ran out of my finger onto its pincer. That was a new record. Straight out of the egg and already making me bleed.

"_That… There's no way that came out of my egg. My baby would be cuter,_" Alice announced, craning her neck so that she could fully inspect the small Pokemon.

"Aren't Krabby supposed to be bigger?" I asked, setting my hand underneath it in hopes it would let go once it had somewhere stable to sit. It could fit comfortably in my hand and was still sort of squishy. I had met only a couple Krabby throughout my journeys, but in my experience, they were larger and had a harder shell.

"It just hatched. Were you already fully grown when you were born?" Vaikuntha replied, still keeping a safe distance.

I soon found out why he was, too. Alice darted forward and tackled me. The Krabby let go in surprise at the sudden jolt and had Alice not been there, would've dropped to the ground. It landed safely in her cloudy wings—at least, I thought I did. All I knew was that one moment, it was falling onto her back, and the next moment, it was gone.

"_This is my baby and I name him Zarek. You can have him later, Trainer, when he's more grown up._"

"Alice—is he okay?" I took her word for it that it was male. I saw the tiny tip of a claw sticking up out of the fluffy feathers, and was relieved that it was at least somewhere soft and relatively safe. "Here, let me get him off of you and into a pokeball—"

"_He's mine! And call him Zarek. It's what I named him._" She carefully flapped off of me, hovering in front of me. She reached back and nuzzled him, earning a beak full of bubbles for her effort. "_Zarek! Don't do that to your mother!_"

"Hey, _I_ get to name him! He was my egg and he's my Pokemon now—"

"_Zarek!_" Alice insisted.

"_Fine_," I spat, irritated that I had just been forced to give up the last chance I'd have to name a Pokemon on the team. (The name was already stuck anyway, though.) "Give me Zarek so I can put him in a pokeball. I want to take him to Nurse Joy and make sure everything's fine—" I chased after Alice, but she flew away from me. At least she was taking special care to fly carefully as to not drop him, but she was still making me _very_ nervous. "Aliiiiice, give him to me!"

"_At least there are no more surprises in store for us,_" Konstantin commented dryly. "_We now have all of the comrades we need and only one more evolution to go through. That should be a long time coming, too. Thankfully._"

"_I'm a little glad that the egg finally hatched. Too bad we can't race with it,_" Des added. I ignored them both since, in her effort to keep Zarek the Krabby away from me, Alice had flown out over the water and had accidentally dropped him. We both dove into the water in a frenzy to get him back.

I was the one who returned victoriously, since the water wasn't all that deep and humans were better built for watery movement than Altaria. I cupped the dripping and bubbling Krabby in my hands and carried him back onto the sand. Vaikuntha handed me an empty pokeball with a chuckle. I managed to capture Zarek easily, since he was still young and probably bewildered, and collapsed into the sand soon after that. Alice managed to shake out her feathers enough to stay airborne long enough to flutter over to me. She sat in the sand next to me and asked, "_When do I get him back?_"

"Later. I don't think I have enough energy or patience to keep you two separated for long, anyway."

If only I had known what would happen later that night, I would have gladly traded anything in the world for the chance to stay on that beach, oblivious and relatively happy with life.


	90. Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

"You're still trying, huh?" I stared at the pink-haired girl reclining easily on the Center couch. She had her feet propped up on the table and stared at me with unnaturally large eyes.

I didn't reply, instead backing up a step. I recognized her, of course I recognized her. It was Kamala's human form, the one she chose to use as a disguise in my dreams. The question was _why_ she was here. She was dead. I hadn't dreamed about her since then. There was no reason in the world for her to be here.

"…Nevermind. Humans are so stupid. Impossible," she said, looking away with a bitter note in her voice. I flinched and took another step backward. This—this was exactly what she had said the last time this happened. But that was impossible. She was dead. This couldn't be happening. Not _again_.

"What… What's going on here?" I asked her with a weak, confused smile. This was a dream. A normal dream, one that wasn't conjured by ghosts or psychics. It was just my subconscious giving me a hard time or something. The stress was doing this. It was just a normal dream. Kamala was _dead_.

"What questions do you want answered?" she asked, fixing her gaze on me once more.

I stayed mute out of nothing less than sheer terror. This couldn't be happening. I wasn't going to relive this. I dug my nails into my arms in order to try to wake myself up—after all, this was a dream, just like it had been before, it _had to be a dream_—but it didn't work. I backed up until I was pressed against the far wall.

Unperturbed, she said, "I'm the goddess of—"

And that was where I had interrupted her last time. She halted at the perfect time. This was happening all over again, or, at least, her part was. It somehow made it scarier. "Wake up, wake up, don't go through this…" Not now. Not when I had to concentrate on the Gym race.

"…You know me. We've met several times when you're conscious. I actually really don't like you."

Though it was in the logical order and was what came next, her words stabbed at me like knives. I had known her. We had met. She didn't like me. She had attacked me several times in order to protect Nick. She had tried to save Nick. We had both failed in that.

"You're too selfish. You're not thinking of anyone but yourself. Yourself and that team of yours. You don't stop to think how you're hurting others! …You're not helping."

These words hurt worse. They were _still_ true. I shoved my nails deeper into my arms but it didn't do the trick. I stared at her, jaw clenched, wishing dearly I could wake up and try to forget about this nightmare. No, wait, it wasn't a nightmare—this had actually happened once. This was real life, reminding me of what had gone wrong. As if I needed it. "Kamala… Don't do this to me, not again," I pleaded faintly.

"It's irrelevant at this point." How applicable her side of the conversation was to this, even now, was disturbing. I shook my head, though I was unable to tear my eyes away from her.

Cue Konstantin's arrival. He tumbled onto the scene, grey cloak flying, skull mask firmly in place. He dove at her and roared, "What are you _doing_?!"

"No—stop this, stop this, Kostya." I couldn't bear to go through this again. Not now, not when I _knew_ what was going to happen next.

Predictably, Lassie appeared next and screeched, "What have you _done_?!"

I sunk to my knees, finally looking away at the fierce case of déjà vu in front of me. I heard the argument escalate. I clutched my head and curled into myself, begging myself to stop this. I didn't need to relive this. I knew what had happened: I had failed. I had failed Lassie, and Kamala, and Nick, and everyone. I had failed the warning and prophecy and Froslass begging for me to save her trainer.

Suddenly, the sound of the fighting ceased. I looked up, blinking back tears, and was surprised to find myself in a totally different place. The inside of some sort of building, looking like some sort of battle arena, like in a Gym.

A clear, sharp voice cut across my train of thought. "—and what have you done, Champion? _What have you done_?!"

I turned to find Nick glaring at me from across the room. I knew where I was. I was in the Champion's chambers, and Nick Sayre was facing me down instead of Cynthia. I was about to repeat the Champion's tragedy.

"No, no no no no no _no_—!" Once again, I found myself backing up until I was pressed against the wall. I didn't dare turn my back to him.

Nick continued with his speech, however. I had to experience the raw venom and hurt in his voice, listen to him demand explanations from the Champion for her negligence, blame her for his brother's death and for what went wrong, accuse her of caring for nothing but her title at the expense of Sinnoh's trainers. I kept blinking rapidly, but the tears came nonetheless. It had been bad enough watching it on video phone. It was a million times worse repeating it face to face, having him blame _me_ for all of it. I couldn't handle this. I sunk to the ground, still pressed up as hard as possible against the wall, still trying to vainly blink back the tears that were already dripping onto my shirt.

"That's why I'm going to take them away from you," Nick finished grimly, eyes and voice hard. It sounded so personal that I couldn't separate myself from the actual events any longer. He was saying that to _me_. Next thing I knew, Chase was coming at me with his jaws wide open, teeth sharp and all too ready to sink themselves into my neck.

The room around me dissolved just as his mouth would've shut on my throat.

This time, it was a black world, the opposite of the white world I was accustomed to. I looked around wildly, still expecting Nick and Chase to be there, ready to tear me apart for what I did to them. After all, why _shouldn't_ they? It was my fault anyway that this had happened. I hadn't listened to anyone, I hadn't been able to stop a single thing. They ought to blame me for what happened.

"My, my, what wonderful memories you have," a voice said suddenly. It was crackly and hollow sounding, and I was unable to tell whether it was male or female. I looked around myself in a panic. "I would have never expected to find _this_ amongst everyone else… Still, everyone has their dirty little secrets, am I right?"

A figure came out of the darkness beside me. I stared up at him, mouthing the name but unable to bring myself to say it aloud.

Nick, hood down, hair hanging into his eyes, and with an uncharacteristic grin on his face, said, "And what a dirty little secret _you_ have been hiding. You're the one behind Nicholas Sayre?" He still spoke in the hollow voice, the one that wasn't his own, but with his hazel eyes looking down at me and teeth bared in a wide, sadistic grin, it didn't have to be to send the message.

"I—I—"

"You are the one behind Nicholas Sayre. You're the one we can blame for everything. That poor little Froslass came to you, _begging_ for you to save her poor, monstrous trainer, and you ignored her plea. Then those other ghosts… No matter how many chances you got, you just didn't do a thing about it, did you? You just clung selfishly to your own little world—but oh, what a world!" Nick said with a harsh laugh. "Rampant paranoia, all of these self-centered complexes of yours, and deep down, you're still _missing_ your bestest buddy Nick, aren't you?

"Your Camerupt is pathetically weak to water, you're terrified your Breloom will leave again, your Luxray hates your guts, your Duskull is too scared to evolve because he wants to _eat_ you, and now look! You have two more Pokemon to maim and over-protect or loathe or scar or whatever you think passes as training. You can't even train Pokemon correctly! You couldn't save a single human, you can't make a proper Pokemon team, you could have done _so much_ but you always mess it up in the end, don't you?

"You could've saved Byron. You could have saved all of those trainers in The Tournament. You could have saved everyone Nick's killed. You could have saved _so many_—but here we are! You've accomplished absolutely _nothing_! You've saved no one!" Nick clapped his hands together in delight, kneeling down so that he was level with me. He kept his slasher smile firmly in place and slung an arm around my shoulders. "To think. If you had managed to save your best friend, to think what a wonderful world this would have been. As opposed to the hellhole it's becoming. This is all _your_ fault! That's just delightful, isn't it?"

"N-No, it's not…" I tried to say, but my voice came out as a hoarse whisper instead. It was an excuse. A pitiful attempt to defend myself from the truth.

Then, Nick regained the use of his normal, actual voice. He dropped the psychotic smile and said seriously, "To think we had been best friends. To think I've been betrayed by you. You could have saved me. But… you didn't."

I woke up with a strangled sob. I curled into my knees and hugged them to my chest, the fabric of the blanket soaking up my tears. "Nick—Nick I'm _sorry_—please, please forgive me—I didn't mean to do this to you…"

I was dragged forcibly back to proper reality when above me, Vaikuntha started coughing and shouting as well. I looked up at the bunk above me, eyes still wide. I wasn't alone here; Vaikuntha was here. This was real. The nightmare was gone, and although its message was still too clear in my mind, I had to focus on the here and now.

I ran my wrist across my eyes and shakily got out of bed. I peeked over the edge of the top bunk. Vaikuntha was hunched over, shoulders shaking, still coughing. I could dimly make out the words between coughs. "Sa… Sarika…!"

"V-Vai?"

He jumped violently and turned to me. It looked like he had either been crying, too, or was near it. Almost immediately afterward, he clamped a hand over his mouth as he kept coughing. He took a couple deep breaths and turned back to me after it subsided, and managed to get out from between his fingers, "I-I'm sorry, brother, for waking you…"

"You had a nightmare too, didn't you," I whispered with a dawning, awful realization. Vaikuntha nodded, brow furrowed, hand still over his mouth.

Out in the hall, someone started shouting, and a moment later, a door banged open. More shouts and even screams soon followed. "I-It looks as if it was not just us," Vaikuntha mumbled, hands dropping to his lap. He slid off of the top bunk, gave me a reassuring, if impossibly weak, smile, and we both peeked out hesitantly into the hall.

More doors were opening, more heads were looking out. A couple trainers were already out in the hall. Most looked stricken or still had tears running down their cheeks. A sleepy-looking Gardenia was already out in the hallway, trying to figure out what was going on. I took a step out and glanced down the hallway. Alicia's door was still closed, as was Benjamin's. Still, they were in the minority. Most trainers were either standing in their doorway or were assaulting Gardenia with questions.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Somewhat predictably, Sela was one of the ones who was asking questions. "What sort of security does this place have if this could happen?!"

"Everyone, please, calm down!" Gardenia pleaded, though she was mostly ignored.

"I agree with Schaffer! This is an obvious attack!"

"Yeah! I-I mean, you don't _accidentally_ order a Dream Eater or Nightmare on a whole floor of Gym race trainers, do you?!"

"Are you insinuating that it was one of us?!"

"Who else could it be?"

"Then just find out who didn't have a nightmare!"

"Who's going to tell the truth?! They could just lie about it!"

"Ask for specifics! No one could lie about—about _these_ kinds of nightmares!"

"And are _you_ going to volunteer the specifics of your dream first?!" Sela rounded on the bickering trainers, successfully silencing them. She glared at them, looking drained and slightly sick. It occurred to me then that this wasn't really just about me. Or Vai. Every one of these trainers had had a nightmare that had been just as disturbing. Every one of them had their dirty little secret, or tragedy, or something thrown in their face in the most brutal way possible. Sela gestured widely to the hallway. "No one here is going to want to talk about their nightmare, let alone actually share it with others. Unless you're going to step up first."

No one did.

And so the sixth day dawned. It dawned with panic and tears and screams and coughing and a floor full of nightmares. Whoever had done this had done a good job of it; no one had gotten any more sleep, so the trainers were dead tired the next day. The race was supposed to be tomorrow, too.

It was obvious we all wanted naps, though everyone was afraid to go to sleep until they knew it was safe again. Paranoia broke out, accusations were thrown, and there was little to no trust anymore. The Gym leaders tried to smooth it over as best as possible, but there was little they could do. It was more or less assumed that it had been a Dream Eater or Nightmare attack, which meant that a Pokemon was involved. Or even several. It meant that it was a trainer, however, who had access to a Pokemon with those abilities.

That meant a ghost or a psychic. Unfortunately, almost every trainer had one or the other, and all were fierce in protecting their teams, so it made for a lot of fights. Gone was the hesitant camaraderie of the Gym race and the nervous smiles exchanged in the hotel lobby. Now it was nothing but distrustful glares and scathing words.

I knew it wasn't my fault, at least not this thing, and I knew it likewise wasn't Vaikuntha since I woke up before him and the only ghost he had, Pollyanna, had been tucked away in her pokeball. This meant that we managed to escape a great deal of the suspicion and fear of the other trainers. We were more distant with each other, but really, who wouldn't be? I had woken up sobbing and he had woken up coughing and the rest of the floor had woken up screaming and everyone's nightmares were suddenly all too visible in their minds.

Lola had been right. Someone out there was using psychological torture in order to get ahead. The question was who.

One night full of restless sleep later, the race began.


	91. The Race Part I

"Why wasn't this moved?"

"Surely they could have moved it. It's too soon."

The race was not moved, and it resulted in many a hiss and angry murmur. So instead, they went on ahead with it and broke us into two groups. They divided us by room, so I was in the first group, and Vaikuntha was in the second. So much for our alliance.

"Should it have been canceled altogether?"

"They could have at least postponed this. It's not like it's already started. It would've been easy to move the date."

"What about all those foreign dignitaries? They're already here…"

The race itself would start at the northern beach of Sunyshore, continue through a marked path in the city itself, go out into Route 222, and end at some point on the far end of that. It was supposed to end in front of some sort of restaurant, but I hadn't ever been there before, so I was just going to try to follow the markers and other racers.

"I think it's better this way. It's a real test this way. Don't you think?"

"Of course I don't think that! I can hardly keep my eyes open and now I have to race against you idiots. I wish they would've postponed it—"

"What would that have done? No one would've gotten any sleep tonight, either. We'd all be just as tired tomorrow as we are today. Maybe this is a mercy. We'll all be so exhausted after today that we'll just be dead tired and fall asleep right away. Maybe we won't even dream."

The trainers were allowed to have their Pokemon out—in fact, we were supposed to. Each member of the team had to be out for at least one minute during the race, and all of them had to be out once. None could be out twice, though there was no time limit on how long a single Pokemon could be out. It made for some interesting strategies, that was for sure. It also meant that I'd have to deal with Des and Zarek. Alice and Konstantin could fly, and Carlita and Ike could run well enough, but Des was large and slow, and Zarek was still tiny and I didn't trust him to do anything more than be carried for his minute.

Attacking was also allowed.

"It's supposed to be a test of our creativity and ability to think under pressure. Pretty good attributes for a Gym leader to have, don't you think? That's why they're not judging this on winning or losing. They want to see how we think and act with our teams," Lola said dryly, suddenly standing beside me. I took a couple steps away from her.

"…Oh really," I replied, for lack of anything better to say.

She yawned and reached back to tie her hair back. She still had a black fringe that covered one eye, though; I wondered how she could see with it. "I'll share whatever information about the race with you if you do the same for me."

"Um… Vai and I heard that it'll be an obstacle course. They were setting up things in the city, too. I-I heard a rumor that out on the Route, there's going to be worse obstacles," I said, trying to think of rumors that had been circulating. We were the first group, so we were going in blind. At least the second group would have more information to work off of.

"Oh, fun," she remarked dryly. She finished tying back her hair and did her best to tuck the rest of her dark hair behind her ear. She yawned again, which made me yawn. "The distance from here to the restaurant is about a mile and a half, or two miles, maybe. So I suggest you don't go sprinting out of the starting gate like the rest of these idiots are going to try to do. And tie your shoes on tight."

"Why?"

"They made a bog." With that strangely cryptic piece of knowledge, she walked off, boot heels clicking. I stared after her. A _bog_? What was that, like a marsh, right? Which meant mud. So lots of mud. That didn't sound fun.

"…A mile and a half. What if we get lost?" I jumped as the boy with the messy black hair on my other side spoke up. I hadn't even been aware he'd been listening.

I didn't mention the fact that I'd been wondering that same exact thing. "They'll have it marked, don't you think? If all else, follow the others…" There were no illusions in my mind about my athletic ability, or the fact that there were older and stronger trainers out here. Heck, Lola would probably beat me. I jammed my hands in my hoodie pocket and surveyed the other trainer, trying to look confident. "You worried about this?"

"Not really. I'm more worried about the other trainers than of the race itself. They're not all… that friendly. Especially the older ones."

Meaning Sela. I nodded in total agreement. "Yeah… You got a strategy for this thing?" Me? Desperate? Nah, of course not.

"I think so."

"…What would that be?"

For a moment, he just looked at me (or I assumed he did, since I couldn't see his eyes beneath his shaggy hair). I wondered if he was going to turn me down or call me an idiot or something. He wouldn't have been the first. Then, instead, he tilted his head to the side, smiled, and said, "I'm going to run, of course. Or probably jog, since it's that long."

"…Right."

"Attention! Group one trainers, this way, please! Make your way to the starting line! Remember the rules, be careful, and do your best!" Gardenia was standing next to a woman I didn't recognize, holding a megaphone to her mouth. She waved all of the trainers, who had been in nervous little bunches, to the painted red line on the beach. A couple trainers got down into serious racing positions. I wondered if I should. "Everyone, please release your first Pokemon!"

I reluctantly let Des out. I figured if I could get him and Zarek out of the way early in the race, I could spend the time with the other four catching up to the rest, since they were faster. Alice would probably be last, since she could fly me the rest of the way. (Unless I was doing really well. But I doubted that.) The shaggy-haired kid beside me let out an Absol.

The woman beside Gardenia handed her a pistol. A couple trainers shied away from her, which made her grimace and frown. She pointed it in the air, and right before she pulled the trigger, the boy beside me said, "Good luck."

"Uh—" Bang. "Good luck…!" I called to his retreating form. I turned to Des, who licked my hand, and then started walking. A couple other trainers had the same strategy as I did and were walking leisurely beside larger, slower Pokemon. I started counting off the time to a minute. "One Lickilicky, two Lickilicky, three Lickilicky…"

"_I can move faster than this,_" Des whined, head butting me. I tried to keep count and nodded, so I broke into a light jog. He did the same. He looked weird, in a sort of half-gallop, half-trot, but at least we were moving faster. I wasn't in last anymore; we were pulling ahead of a couple others.

We got into town, and around a building, we came across our first obstacle. I stopped short and stared up at the wooden wall. It was one of those climbing ones that they used in the military or something like that (I saw it in movies during training montages usually). "…Oh boy." I looked at Des. How was _he_ going to get over this? Behind us, a couple more slow trainers came around the corner and stared in horror at the wall.

"Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Yeah, it is." There was a man with light blue standing beside the wall, arms crossed. He grinned lazily at us. "Get over the wall if you want to keep going. Or just give up here. A couple trainers already have."

"Is this boot camp now?" an older trainer behind me, standing next to a Probopass, demanded.

"You could wait until the minute's up and just switch your Pokemon, if you think that'd help," the man replied with the same grin. "I don't think it would… And no, you guys can't walk around it. That's against the rules and it'll get you disqualified."

"I know you—You're Brawly! You're from Hoenn!" someone called suddenly.

I did a double-take. That was one of the foreign Gym leaders? He didn't exactly look it… Brawly shrugged though, and knocked on the wall. "This talk isn't getting you past this, isn't it? C'mon, use your strength! Let's see what you Sinnoh guys are made out of!"

Des suddenly shuffled away from me. I turned to him in confusion, only to find him backing up. After he was a sufficient distance away from the wall, he began pawing at the road in front of him. I smiled in confusion; he lowered his head and continued the movement. "Hey, Des, you look like a Tauros ready to…" I paled when I realized that was exactly what he was doing. "Get out of the way!" I shouted, running to the side just as my Camerupt charged at the wall. Trainers and Pokemon scattered with shrieks and yelps.

I turned, a safe distance away, just in time to see Des break a hole clean through it, boards and splinters flying everywhere.

For a moment, everyone just stared. Then Des peeked back through the hole, flicked his ears, and asked, "_Coming, Trainer?_"

I gulped, nodded, and pranced nervously after him. I glanced back once to see Brawly staring at the mangled remains of the wall with wide eyes. I couldn't help but crack a smile. "…This is how we Sinnoh trainers do it, Brawly," I told him and jogged through the hole. "Des, that was genius. Your thick head finally came in handy!" I joked.

"_If we would've used your thick head, it probably would've broken easier_," he replied with a frown.

And so we continued. At least, we continued until the next block, where a woman was fighting with a Lapras. Des and I skittered around her—literally skittered and slid, since the Lapras had frozen a great deal of the road. The water Pokemon was making me nervous, especially since it appeared that the trainer couldn't control it.

I ended up returning Des when it sent out a wave of water. I slipped and fell on my hands and knees, cutting them nicely on the ice, and tossed out Ike's ultra ball. He dug his claws into the icy surface for purchase and glared at me. "_This does not look much like a race—_" he began, but I cut him off.

"Keep that Lapras from attacking and help me!" He gave me a disdainful look but allowed me to throw an arm over his shoulders. He half-dragged, half-carried me to the edge of the ice. As soon as I'd let go, he sent a Thunderbolt at the Lapras, nearly shocking the woman in the process. The Lapras fell over with a cry. "Hey—Ike!"

"_It will not attack you anymore,_" he said coolly. "_Now let's go. I don't want you to lose again._"

It was faster traveling with Ike. It was also a lot more tiring. He had me running at a straight sprint and he hadn't even broken into a pant when we came to our second big obstacle. I put my hands on my knees and wheezed for air. Ike laid his ears back and glared at the building in front of us. "Hey… The markers… are there. We have to… go in…"

"_A building, though? I think it is a trap._"

"It's… a mall, Ike…"

"_As I said. Why would they want a bunch of trainers running around in a 'mall' with their Pokemon out? This does not seem right._"

"I don't know."

We soon found out, however. Inside the building, it was completely dark. The windows had all been covered and the lights were out. The only light was from the door behind us, and that soon vanished as well.

"_I can see,_" Ike said suddenly, once the light had run out. My eyes hadn't adjusted much. There just wasn't enough light to see by, unless, apparently, you were a Luxray. "_Cover your hand with your sleeve and put it on my shoulder. I will guide you._" He didn't sound happy about this.

"Why cover my hand?"

"_I would rather you don't touch me, if at all possible. I may have to put up with you, but you're still a filthy, vulgar human and I don't want that to rub off on me._" I rolled my eyes and pulled my sleeve down so that it covered as much of my hand as possible.

Ike started leading me through the darkness. Or rather, we took maybe a dozen steps before my shins banged into something very solid and very hard and I tripped forward, landing in what appeared to be very cold water. "I-Ike—?!" I spluttered, trying to orient myself once more. The water wasn't all that deep, but it was cold and I was thoroughly soaked nonetheless.

"_There was a fountain there,_" he said tonelessly from right beside me.

"…Do you want to win or not?"

"_Of course I do_," he replied with a sharp smile in his voice.

"Then stop it and actually _help_."

"…_As you wish, Master Trainer._" He promptly lit up the mall with some sort of electrical attack, fur still glowing even after the attack faded. The Crobat he startled with the attack wasn't as grateful as I was, however, and promptly decided to attack my face. I screamed and flailed. Ike growled and dragged it away from me, making it squeal in terror and probably pain. Its trainer started shouting at us, so I crawled out of the fountain, grabbed Ike's tail, and we made a break for it.

There were a couple other trainers still stuck in the dark mall, two of which tried to attack us when we ran past. It was like one of those horror movies. I laughed nervously as we found the exit, leaping out into the sunlight once again. "That… That's the second one down." We were almost out of Sunyshore, too; the building leading to Route 222 was visible in the distance. Looked as if it was clear, too. Ike and I sprinted to the building, passing two trainers and their Pokemon, and ran out onto the Route.

We halted and stared in shock. Lola hadn't been kidding. There was a bog.


	92. The Race Part II

Ike went back in, and Alice came out. My strategy was shot, but I really had to go with the flow on this one. And the flow dictated that I didn't spend a half hour wading through mud and other trainers and Pokemon. "Alice, could you fly me over that?"

"…_Why?_"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll let you have Zarek for the rest of the day if you fly me across that."

"_Okay!_" That had been entirely too easy, but I wasn't complaining. "_But you're not riding on my back. You're too heavy that way._"

"Then how am I supposed to?"

"_Grab my claws._" She flapped into the air and extended her feet. I stared at her flatly, conveying my enthusiasm for her idea with my look. Alice hit me in the back of the head with one of her wings, and said, "_Grab my claws! I'll be able to maneuver better this way, anyway, and if need be, I can drop you._"

"Why would you want to do that?" I asked pathetically, surprised by her potential betrayal.

"_Aren't other Pokemon going to be attacking?_" she asked in confusion.

"…Oh. Yeah." I still didn't fancy getting dropped into the mud, but it was a pretty sound excuse she had. At least a dozen trainers and their Pokemon were already stuck in the mud or trying to get through, so undoubtedly they wouldn't be happy if we just flew right over them. They might even take it as a challenge.

So I grabbed onto her feet as securely as I could, and she lifted me into the air. My arms didn't like this position, but at least we were moving. And my feet could have a break for a little bit. I could see more of the Route like this, too. Almost half of it had been soaked and turned into muddy marsh—much to the supreme annoyance of the wild Pokemon in the area. I spotted a Floatzel trying to add more water to the area in a vain attempt to get unstuck from the mud. At least not all of the Route was flooded and muddy; there were grassy patches that were crowded with wild Pokemon, glaring resentfully at the trainers. Too bad the racing trainers weren't allowed on the solid ground, at least not until the second half of the Route.

A couple other trainers were flying over the muddy mess below, and the ones stuck in said mess were taking potshots at them. An irate trainer with an Infernape tried to catch Alice with a Flamethrower, but she flew out of the way. It nearly caught my legs, though. "Hey, careful!" I shouted down at them.

The next things happened so quickly I didn't have time to properly react. I felt something cold and fast barely miss my arm and next thing I knew, Alice was half coated in ice and shrieking at the top of her lungs. She immediately dropped me and tried to shake the ice off, but she soon started to fall as well. I hit the mud with a painful, wet splat and just barely managed to return her before she hit the ground as well.

I glared daggers at the laughing trainer and recoiled when I recognized her. Sela grinned savagely at me, her Lopunny beside her giggling as well. "Can't dodge very well, can you?"

"That was just mean!" I snarled, trying to stand in the mud. It sucked me down and acted like glue, however.

"Better hurry and get that new Pokemon of yours out. You know the rules," she scoffed, though she had lost most of her humor. I scowled and dug around in my pockets. Des, Ike, and Alice were all out. I didn't want to let Zarek out here, but did I really want to let Konstantin out now? I might need his help later on. And if all else failed, while Carlita would probably get stuck with me, at least she could beat Sela's Lopunny.

"Urgh, come _on_ Wocky!" Sela's attention was thankfully shifted to another hapless trainer stuck in the mud, who was currently trying to get unstuck via a Beedrill. Carlita and I took the opportunity to start wading ahead, angling away from all of them.

"Dana, Ice Beam!" Sela called. Her Lopunny, nearly face planting in the mud in the process, turned around and started trying to take out the Beedrill.

"Hey! Wocky, dodge it—you hateful old hag, stop it!" the other trainer snarled. I only felt a little sorry for him. His Beedrill could dodge well enough, and plus, at least it got Sela off my back. This was a competition, I had to remind myself. I wasn't going on the offensive like she was, but I wasn't going to jump to anyone else's help, either.

"What did you just call me?!" Sela screeched, fighting through the mud herself to get to him. He blanched and his Beedrill buzzed back over to try to pull him free once more. It turned into a very slow motion race; Sela was slowly making her way to him, and inch by inch, he was slowly getting free of the marsh.

It took a couple moments for Carlita and I to get going, but once we established a rhythm of sloshing through the muck, movement became easier. The fact that I was holding onto her tail and she was half-dragging me forward helped. Behind me, I heard the results of the low-speed chase. I glanced over my shoulder to confirm the casualty; the male trainer had managed to get pulled free, but Sela had made her way over just in time to grab him by the ankles and pull both him and his Beedrill back down into the mud. I grimaced in sympathy. I didn't think I'd wish Sela on anyone, though in this instance, it worked well enough for me.

Carlita and I managed to make our not-so-speedy getaway.

"_She's scary,_" my Breloom whispered, once we had made it to the edge of the bog. I never thought I'd be so glad to see solid ground again. We lay there for a few precious moments, catching our breaths and letting our legs rest. "_I thought she was going to eat that Beedrill._"

"I wouldn't put it past her at this point." When another mud-covered trainer passed us, giving us a very disdainful look for our break, I decided we were rested enough. Plus, if we were out of the bog, it meant we were halfway done with Route 222. I got back to my feet, sighed dejectedly at the mud covering both of us, and started walking. "Looks like there's not much left here."

I heard the movement of air behind me. It was nothing more than a reflex to throw myself to the ground; Alice had come at me in a tackle that sounded just like that too many times before. Carlita, however, didn't have that instinct and instead looked quizzically behind her—just in time for two metallic claws to clamp down on her shoulders and lift her into the air. She screamed and started wiggling, but the Skarmory that had taken her hostage somersaulted in the air. It let go of her, and for a brief moment, Carlita was falling again. It caught up with her again before she hit the ground and hit her with an Aerial Ace that had her out cold before she hit the ground.

I fumbled her pokeball when a jet of water hit me in the back, sending me tumbling. I scrambled forward and returned Carlita before the Skarmory could get at her again. I glared over my shoulder at the Pelipper that was laughing at me.

"Better release your next Pokemon! It's against the rules not to have one out," a high, airy voice called. I looked around, but the owner was nowhere to be found. "Up here!"

I looked up at some sort of large, brown and green Pokemon, who was lazily flapping what appeared to be _leaves_ to stay airborne. A young woman was seated on its back, leaning on its neck and smiling down at me.

I was down to either Konstantin or Zarek. At least Konstantin could—_wait_.

"Kostya, come on out! Shadow Sneak!"

My Duskull took one, nervous look at the birds and shoved me down into my shadow. We reappeared outside of the restaurant. The end of the race.

I sighed and hung my head. "Why hadn't I thought of that sooner…? Wait, was that legal?"

"Yes, it was allowed," a dry voice said to my right. I jumped and looked over at a solemn woman who was seated at one of the outdoor tables, a Kadabra beside her. "You must still obey the one minute rule, however. You must also have each of your Pokemon out once if they have not already been out."

"…Yeah." I edged away from her; she was _creepy_. She sort of gave off a Lola-esque vibe, too.

"_We're done?_" Konstantin asked, floating over to me. I nodded. He gratefully attached himself to my face in a hug. "_You survived! And we didn't lose!_"

"Mmph—what is _that_ supposed to mean?" I demanded once I had separated him from my head once more. He averted his eye and twiddled his paws in front of him.

"_Well… The others told me what happened in that tournament you were in, comrade. You lost then. We were all very worried that you would lose here, too_," he explained.

"…Thanks for the faith."

A couple other trainers were waiting outside of the restaurant, presumably for their time to expire as well. I sat down on the top step leading to Route 222, kicking my feet in front of me. In the distance, I could see the bird lady and her Pokemon attacking another hapless trainer from above. She didn't seem to be moving forward any, so maybe she wasn't another Gym race trainer? It was possible that she was another Gym leader…

Beyond her was what looked to be a large, deep ditch with a single rope dangling across it. It was the obstacle I had managed to avoid. Though if I had only remembered Konstantin's Shadow Sneak earlier, I could've potentially avoided _all_ of them. As it was, however, Alice and Carlita were down for the count, my clothes were ruined, and I still had another twelve seconds to go with Konstantin. Then a minute with Zarek, and then I could go into the restaurant and be done.

"Hey, isn't that…?"

"Yeah, it is. Man, I thought I'd be in the restaurant before she got here."

"Sucks to be you. My time's almost up. I'm outta here once she arrives."

A couple of the other waiting trainers came over to sit beside me, and we all watched as Sela managed to cross the rope. Now she had an Ariados creeping after her, keeping its balance as well as she was. They made it across without falling or anything. My time was up with Konstantin, and I hastily switched to Zarek, holding him protectively in my arms. Even in his short two and a half days of life, he had already grown a lot. His shell had almost completely hardened, too. While he was bigger, I wasn't about to trust him near Sela.

Of course, Zarek didn't really appreciate being crowded and pinched my arm. I hissed and tried to detach him (I had yet to find a successful way aside from pulling as hard as I could) as Sela marched past me, head held high. She went right into the restaurant. The rest of us left outside breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"_Ow_, Zarek, let go," I whined, now trying to get him off of my finger, which he had pinched while I was trying to get him off of my arm. He responded by blowing a couple bubbles at me. "When I get you a translator, mister, you are _not_ going to have the excuse of the language barrier. And I know you can understand me, too. You seem to understand me well enough when I say it's supper time."

He looked innocently away, letting go of my finger. I shook it out and sighed at the blood already dripping onto my palm. Zarek was turning out to be potentially the most abusive Pokemon on my team. So far, every single time I had let him out, I ended up bleeding in at least two places. Now we were up to two and he still had twenty seconds with me.

"Is that your Krabby? It's cute. Do you have a second to spare for an interview?" I looked up to see a woman standing beside me, smiling down at me. Aside from her smile and the ringlets her honey blonde hair was in, the first real thing I noticed about her was her chest. She had breasts to rival Sela's, but contrary to Sela, she was wearing a _very_ low-cut shirt. I regarded her warily, tried not to blush, and hunched over my baby Krabby again—though he responded by grabbing my nose in his claw. By the time I had managed to drag him off of my face and clamp a sleeve over my nose to stop the bleeding, the woman had sat down next to me and daintily crossed her legs. "You're very young. How old are you? What's your name? Where are you from?"

"Uh, are you some kind of reporter?" I asked, doing her a favor by keeping Zarek away from her.

"Yes, I am," she replied perkily. "Sara Grace Kellner, at your service. I'm a reporter out of Jubilife—"

"_I_ know _you_!" I gasped, jumping to my feet. Zarek frothed angrily at the sudden movement and grabbed hold of my wrist, but I was barely paying attention to him anymore. I knew reporters were flooding Sunyshore, and I knew that some of the trainers were giving interviews. The problem here was that while a lot of trainers from eastern Sinnoh wouldn't know who she was, I was from western Sinnoh and I knew exactly who she was. She was the single most determined, gossip-grubbing, story-spinning, indomitable female reporter in Sinnoh. She went after stories with a startling ferocity and dug deep until every single secret and scandal was uncovered. Scandals were actually her specialty. She ruined reputations for a living.

Too bad I was a walking scandal ready to happen.

I marched stiffly over to the restaurant, waited my last five seconds, ignored her calls after me, and then went through the doors. The race, at least for me, was over.


	93. Red Letter Day

"This way, _monsieur_," a waiter said with a deep bow, ushering me over to a table by the window. It looked as if most of the trainers were already in here—or at least half—but at least I wasn't in _last_. Besides, it wasn't about winning or losing, right?

That train of thought promptly went out the window when I saw who was seated at my table.

"Hanna!" I yelped, getting practically tackled as she leapt up to hug me. "Wait—why are _you_ here—? What did you do to your _hair_?"

"Oh, I cut it. Do you like it?" She let go of me to run her fingers through the ends of her shorter hair. It was now cut in a stylish little bob, not quite coming to her chin—whereas before, it had been halfway down her back. That would take some getting used to, seeing her with short hair.

"Uh, yeah, but why—?"

"I wanted a change. Plus it was getting too hard to manage."

"I meant… Why are you _here_?!"

"Daddy is one of the sponsors of this Gym race thing. It only took a couple calls to get me in as a spectator. They'll be releasing that to the public once the choices are whittled down more, so Jude will be coming then. Ohh, but look at you! You're going to be a Gym leader, you have a Krabby—you're covered in mud." All of the enthusiasm vanished from her voice when she realized what hugging me had done to her outfit.

"Yeah… Sorry about that. But how did you know—Jude told you, didn't he?"

"It's already been in the news. A complete list of all of the invited trainers is on the internet, too. But they're disallowing—is that a word?" She trailed off, frowning in thought. I snapped my fingers to catch her attention again. She glared at me for it. "They're not allowing spectators until there are less trainers, though. They're discouraging it, but then again, they can't really stop people from coming into the city itself, can they?"

"But you went above that."

"Naturally. I'm actually staying in the same hotel as you guys. I saw you this morning in the lobby, but you looked like a zombie and you didn't hear me."

"Not my fault," I said, putting my hands up in my defense. "I… haven't been sleeping well lately."

"You and all of the other Gym race trainers, it seems," she mused casually. If only she knew. She looked down in dismay at her clothes again. "…We're going to need another shopping trip. This time for both of us. You're done, right?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." I was done with the race, sure, but wouldn't there be some sort of after party or something? Surely _something_ would keep me here to wrap up the race while everyone finished. Right? I would have to confirm my win with the Gym leaders, at least if I wanted them to know I won. "I think I should stay here…"

"Hmph." Hanna crossed her arms and glared out the window. "So I have to sit here in _muddy clothes_ while those Slowpokes drag themselves over the finish line?"

"Something like that… You're not alone in the clothes thing, though," I reminded her, gesturing to my outfit. It was more mud than fabric at that point, and I wasn't the only one to have lost a fight against the bog outside. More than half of the trainers inside were just as bad as I was.

"But—_look_ at me! This is disgusting."

"Sorry. But it's really not that bad…"

"I'm sorry, but I can't sit here in mud. I tried." Yeah, she had tried for all of the minute it took for her to whine about it. I rolled my eyes; Hanna still hadn't changed. Though I couldn't help but notice that the black bracelet was still in place on her wrist. I halfheartedly wondered if her sudden haircut had anything to do with that. "I'll see you after a shower and a change of clothes. Meet me in the hotel lobby at one, okay?"

"I should be done by then. I hope. I'll text you if I'm not done by then, okay?" I wanted a shower, too, of course. Thankfully, even if I was stuck here for the next however long, I would probably beat Hanna done with that part.

"See you, then. Congrats on winning, by the way. Although you had better win the rest of this, too!"

-.-.-

"Uh… What is this?" I was not the only one to ask. Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the trainers had either completed the race or dropped out. The ones who had gotten through all of the obstacles while adhering to the rules were gathered in the restaurant. Most of us had made it through, it seemed. I noticed the messy-haired kid from before, the unfortunate guy with the Beedrill (though now he had a black eye), and Lola had all made it. And, of course, Sela.

The prizes were handed out by the Gym leaders who had been helping out. Gardenia and Crasher Wake were in charge of our group, with help from foreign dignitaries Brawly, Winona, Morty, and Sabrina. I recognized Brawly from the wall and Winona as the woman with the birds, as well as Sabrina as the solemn young woman watching us outside of the restaurant, but the guy with the scarf I hadn't seen. I guessed that he was in charge of watching the pitch black mall, though. They went through the small crowd and started handing out the prizes—which turned out to be nothing more than cords with beads on them.

Crasher Wake handed mine to me and clapped me on the back with a grin. I smiled weakly back at him, wishing I could hide instead. I glanced down at my 'prize'. The cord wasn't quite long enough to turn into a necklace, so maybe it was supposed to be a bracelet? It had two little red glass beads on it, though, glinting warmly in the light of the restaurant.

"These are our prizes? What are they supposed to be? Are they—"

"_No_, Sela, they're not necklaces. They're strings. You can turn them into anything you want. A bracelet, an anklet, or just tie it onto a belt loop… We recommend that you do find a way to secure it to your person, however._ Don't_ lose these," Gardenia said, handing her one as well.

It was then that I noticed not everyone got the same amount of beads. Lola was holding hers up, three beads sparkling, and the trainer immediately to my right was staring dismally at the single crimson bead on his string. No one had none, and no one had more than three, as far as I could see. But surely the number of beads was significant; why else would there be differences?

"You're all probably wondering why some of you got more beads than others—don't _trade_ them!" Gardenia exclaimed. The two trainers who had been attempting to do just that Mareepishly stopped. "These are your prizes, and for all intents and purposes, these beads will be your currency during the Gym race. Which is why it's important you don't lose them or give them away. I'm saying this right now, too: if you are found stealing someone else's, you will be disqualified immediately. Don't do it. You can give your beads away willingly, as long as you tell a Gym leader about it."

So these were our prizes? I wrapped mine loosely around my wrist, eyeing the two beads with some slight wariness. I didn't get three—but I got more than one, at least. So I was in the middle. I could deal with that for now.

"You may be wondering why you got these, right? And how they're supposed to be the currency. Well, that's easy to explain!" Crasher Wake boomed. "As long as you have beads, you get to stay in the Gym race!"

"Don't bother trying to create fake ones, however," Sabrina interjected suddenly. She gave us all a stare that wasn't _quite_ evil, but was pretty close. I again got the feeling that she and Lola would get along great. "We know how many we are distributing and we have ways of discerning fakes from the real ones."

"Ah, yes. That too. If you are found with fake ones, you'll be disqualified as well," Gardenia added.

"What if someone gives you _their_ fake ones?"

"That's why you ask a Gym leader about it first. We'll be checking all beads that are being given away for just that."

"So now we all have one or two or three. What can we buy with that many?"

"You buy nights."

Gardenia's words were met with a confused silence.

She sighed and muttered something under her breath. "…For every night we _don't_ have a competition, we will charge you one bead. If you don't have any beads, you are out of the Gym race. On days we do have competitions, you don't have to give up a bead. So everyone is safe for tonight, and since everyone here has at least one bead, everyone here will be safe tomorrow night, too. The day after tomorrow, we'll hold the next competition, which means that if you made it this far, you can at least have the chance to compete again. Of course, if you don't win any beads at that one… You're out of luck the night after that, now aren't you?" she chirped with a bright smile.

"We will also be grading you more strictly after this. This time, if you made it to the finish line, you got at least one bead. From now on, that might not always be the case. Think about the competitions and what we might be looking for, and do your best to show off in that way. You'll earn more beads that way. Each competition will give you no more than three beads, too," Winona added, just as cheerily. Aside from the fact that the two female Gym leaders were sort of creepy, smiling at us like that, at least we knew what this Gym race was turning out to be. It would still be a race; a race to beads.

I looked down at my two beads again. One night in between competitions, so I'd use one bead then. That meant that I'd have one left over. If I didn't win any beads in the next competition—whatever that would be—I'd only last one night after that. Maybe that would get me into the third competition, if they were all spaced one day apart, and if I won beads in that one I could stay in.

Unless they weren't going to space them uniformly and they were going to use that against the trainers. I sneaked a peek up at the Gym leaders again. Were they going to be that spiteful? Probably not this early in the race—but what if they'd do that just to weed out the weaklings and ones unfit for the positions? Would they do that?

I simply made a mental note to win more beads in the second competition.

"What will be the second competition?" Lola asked dryly, speaking up for the first time.

"That won't be announced until the day of the competition itself," Morty replied with a shadow of a smirk. "Some competitions will have information given to you early, and some won't. It will see who can develop strategy and who is capable of thinking on their feet. Both very good qualities for a Gym leader to possess."

"Alright, dismissed! We still have to get the second race underway, so all of you, out! Back to Sunyshore!" Brawly barked, shooing us out. We were herded outside and released again. I saw Sara Grace the reporter picking off trainers to interview again and pulled my muddy hood over my head, angling away from her. I'd have to continue to avoid her throughout the race. Especially if I lasted longer than others.

And why shouldn't I? Sure, my team was a little uneven, but they were good. We were team awesome, weren't we? We could do this. I had to do this. A Gym leader had power, both politically and raw strength. A Gym leader could better hunt down Nick. A Gym leader could properly deal with Nick. A Gym leader would have the backing of the others and even the Elite Four to deal with such things.

If need be, a Gym leader could help to save him from the sentence Sinnoh was already passing on him.

…Right?


	94. The Landlord's Laugh Was Ready Chorus

I never made it to my meeting with Hanna at one. Thankfully, I did manage to make it back to Sunyshore, take a shower, get the mud off of me the best I could, and change into some clean clothes. That, along with the two red beads hanging from my new bracelet, was pretty much the sum of my accomplishments for the day (and even that made me even more exhausted than I already was).

I didn't get to do much of anything else that day because I got kidnapped.

I walked back out into the hotel room, toweling off my hair and disappointed that it was _still_ coming away with mud. I froze, however, when I noticed the figure perched on the bottom bunk. I felt like a Stantler caught in the headlights as the slanted eyes regarded me momentarily, before turning back to the charm he was swinging back and forth lazily from a finger. I looked down at my backpack, lying on the floor near the bed. My pokeballs—my team was inside. Could I make a dive for it?

"_I wouldn't recommend it_," Who the Hypno advised dryly, still swinging his charm.

Oh yeah. Hypno were psychics. My hand tightened on the towel and I scowled at him. "…What do you want, Who?"

"_What do you think?_" he asked, mental voice deceptively mild—and at odds with his smile, which was insanely curved and had very sharp teeth. I hadn't even known Hypno _had_ sharp teeth. It was then that I realized what I had done. I had already fallen into his trap.

I tore my gaze away from him and the charm, digging my nails into my arms. I blinked a couple times, and the room came back into focus. Who lost his sadistic smile and was again sitting innocently on the end of my bed, swinging his charm as if nothing had happened. "You… Get out of my room."

"_Not without you._"

"Leave me alone. I'm not going anywhere with you, not again."

"_Are you insinuating you have a choice?_"

"Why _me_?!" I burst out, finally losing the last vestiges of my patience. I rounded on him, half-tempted to throw the towel at him to make my point. "Why me, Who?! Why does it always have to be me?! I went along with this last time because—"

"_Because why? Because you don't want the mental image of your best friend being sentenced to death? Or the death itself? Because you still care about him? Because you feel guilty for what happened to him?_"

"No—not this again—" I shut my eyes and turned away from him again. I wished he would leave. I wished it with all of my being. If he just left me alone, it meant that Nick would leave me alone, at least for the time being. Then I could go back to my normal life, with my normal Gym race, and worry about my normal problems.

When I turned back, Who was gone.

I stared at the empty bed. That had _worked_? I needed to try positive thinking more often. I crept cautiously over to the bed, but he was really gone. I shakily laughed, sinking down to kneel beside the bed. I rested my head on the mattress, feeling tired, too tired. I hadn't slept at all last night, little sleep the night before, combined with the race today and the shock of Hanna's arrival… I was exhausted.

I barely noticed when Who reappeared, this time accompanied by a figure in a black hoodie, hood drawn up over his head. He picked me up, nodded to the Hypno, and we left.

-.-.-

"Brother! I have received beads!" Vaikuntha burst excitedly into the room, holding up a bracelet with three beads on it. Much to his disappointment, however, his roommate wasn't there. He frowned and looked around; he had the second race, so shouldn't he have been back last? Yet here he was, alone in the room.

The slight curiosity morphed into flat-out worry when he found the backpack on the floor. It still had the four pokeballs, one great ball, and one ultra ball—all six. It was an unspoken rule of the Gym race not to go anywhere without at least two Pokemon accompanying you. And he knew for a fact that these six were all his roommate had, so it wasn't as if he had other escorts.

Vaikuntha, already tensed up at the implications and worry, nearly jumped out of his skin when there was a bang on the door. "Ah—c-coming!" he called weakly, struggling to get his heart rate back down to normal. He flung the door open with a cheery smile, pretty much expecting his wayward roommate to return.

Instead, there was no one.

"Um… Hello?" He peeked out into the hallway, but it was deserted. That was odd. He did notice, however, a note taped to the door. He plucked it off of the door, and, after one last look around, shut the door behind him.

On the piece of paper, scrawled in very messy handwriting (that he could barely make out), was 'WE HAVE HIM. IF YOU WANT TO GET HIM BACK, YOU WILL COME ALONE. INVOLVE ANY OF THE OTHER TRAINERS AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.'

"…What is this…?" Vaikuntha asked, staring at the words as if they'd change. This was supposed to be some sort of ransom note? "Why…"

"Why? Because, that's why. Because it's _fun_ and I was _able_ to." This time, Vaikuntha was sure he had a heart attack from the shock. He whirled around, but before he could see who had spoken, a blindfold covered his eyes, yanking him backwards in the process. He managed to catch himself before he fell, lashing out with nothing more than instinct, but whoever it his assailant was was either very good at dodging, or not there at all. A ghost or a psychic had been the one to cause the nightmares, and you couldn't touch a ghost.

"Who are—mmph!" Vaikuntha was finally forced down, mouth and nose covered with a vaguely sweet-smelling cloth. This time, he felt someone's arms around his shoulders, but ghosts could go tangible, too. Before he could gather his thoughts much more than that, however, consciousness slide from him.

He awoke hours later to see the sun setting over unknown mountains. Vaikuntha sat up and rubbed his head, wincing. He had a slight headache—what had happened? He glanced down to see the bracelet with the three red beads hanging from his wrist. Only instead of just that, he had another one, nearly identical, save for the fact that it only had two beads. Blinking in surprise, he raised his arm so that the five beads caught the fading sunlight.

"Why… Why do I have five now?"

That was immediately overshadowed when he noticed something else. His sleeve… It wasn't the same sleeve he had put on earlier that day. Vaikuntha squawked in surprise when he looked down at himself, alarmed to find that his entire outfit had changed. He was now in a suit, tie suddenly uncomfortably tight around his neck.

"Wha—What happened to my clothes?! Where am I?!"

"_I don't know, but panicking won't help you with that, now will it?_" a voice suddenly near his ear deadpanned. Vaikuntha got a very nasty sense of déjà vu and made a blind attempt at attacking whoever it was, his elbow making contact with something very hard. "_Ow! Why would you do that?! I thought we were comrades!_"

Vaikuntha, arms now raised defensively in front of him and elbow stinging, was surprised to find a Duskull holding its mask with both its paws, whining in pain. "Ah? Who are you? Are you the one who attacked me before?!"

"_No! I told you, I'm a comrade! I'm comrade's—ack, I mean—_"

"…Wait, you are his Duskull, are you not? Konstantin, correct?"

"_You have a pretty slow learning curve_," the Duskull said huffily, still holding his cheekbone. "_And… it's Kostya for short. Do you know where my trainer went?_"

"Ah, no. I am afraid I do not. I remember he was missing, and then… I received a ransom note."

"_Ransom?! Are you saying he was kidnapped?!_" Konstantin cried, flying at him and hovering in front of his face, so close that their foreheads touched. Vaikuntha felt a shiver go down his spine and nodded. "_Oh no, not again… Where is he? What did the note say? Why are we here now and not… Where are we?_"

"I do not know. I do not recognize any of the surroundings."

"_Then we have to find out our location, then rescue my comrade. Where is the rest of the team, I wonder…_" He floated away, red eye searching the surrounding trees.

"I am not sure, but—" Anxiety kicked back in and he frantically searched the suit's pockets. No luck; they were empty. He didn't even have the ransom note anymore, let alone his own Pokemon. Not even Koel… Vaikuntha felt a sudden, acute pang of loneliness. He hung his head and sighed dejectedly. "…I was taken by surprise and attacked. I do not know where your teammates are, nor do I know where my own team is. This… is not a good situation."

"_No, it really isn't,_" Konstantin agreed dryly. "_But I am almost used to these situations by now. Come, we can find our comrades before the light fades with some luck._"

"How do you know they are even here? We are nowhere near Sunyshore anymore, and I am starting to believe not even in Sinnoh. There are no guarantees we will find anyone."

"_So defeatist… I thought you were the cheerful one._"

Vaikuntha immediately felt guilty. He had forgotten his promise again. It seemed the Gym race was doing that to him more and more often. Forcing a smile and swallowing the lump in his throat the mere thought of Sarika brought, he chirped, "Sorry, friend. You are right. We must stay optimistic. If you were left here, then the chances are high we will find the others."

That was much, much easier said than done, however. The forest, while not particularly dense, was dark and eerily silent. No wild Pokemon were around. This set them both on edge, and more nerves weren't something that helped the situation greatly. The sun was setting too rapidly over the far mountains for them to accomplish much—aside from getting themselves lost. It was full dark before either of them admitted that they were, however.

"Maybe… Should we keep going or try to make some sort of camp?"

"_Could you sleep in this situation?_"

"Probably not."

"_Then we persevere through the darkness._" Vaikuntha was starting to get a little irked by the Duskull's dominant behavior, but since it was the best idea they had, he decided to go with it. He followed Konstantin wordlessly through the thick trees, eyes peeled for any signs of either of their teams.

They came out, very suddenly, of the woods. The trees were just gone, and in front of them was a steep hill overlooking a wide, grassy plain. There was a tiny little path winding down through it, leading off towards what looked to be the base of the mountains. The pair blinked in surprise. It was easier to see here, even if they were being led by moonlight, and it wasn't so spooky, either.

"…I suppose we are to follow that path, then," Vaikuntha announced, pointing towards the dirt road amongst the grass. Konstantin bobbed in the dark, red eye glowing. It was a little unnerving, but he was more or less used to ghosts as company, since he had Pollyanna.

They traipsed down the hill and out onto the plain. It was flatter and darker than it had looked from the hill, and a bit of a breeze had started up as well, ruffling Vaikuntha's hair. He nervously loosened his tie and looked around. It was empty, but still unsettling for some reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.

That feeling became reality when overhead, a roar suddenly rent the air. Both of their heads snapped up to behold two dragons fighting it out, exchanging blows and snarls. "Oviya!" Vaikuntha shouted desperately, recognizing his Flygon at once. It took a little bit longer to place the Garchomp she was struggling with, but when he did, his breath caught.

"_What is he doing here?!_" Konstantin growled, red eye narrowed. He suddenly vanished, however, looking as if he melted downward into the shadow below.

Vaikuntha paid him no heed. "Oviya, get away from him! Run!" he shouted desperately, running along behind the fighting dragons. Oviya didn't even look down at her trainer, instead concentrating on beating back the Garchomp at her throat with her tail. She head butted him, her eye guards catching his cheek. The other, larger dragon backed off with a hiss, tail lashing in midair. The Garchomp shot a Dragonbreath at her, catching her in the side and making her scream with pain. She was falling, falling to the ground so far below and so far ahead of him.

But instead of hitting the ground, she sunk into her shadow as if it were water. The next thing he knew, before he could feel even relief, he felt a rough push downward, and for a moment all he saw was black.

He was dumped on his Flygon, surrounded by trees once more. Konstantin hovered protectively over them, glaring out at the Garchomp circling the field, roaring in confusion and anger. Vaikuntha only glanced at them before turning down to his own dragon. "Oviya, Oviya, are you alright…?"

"_Of course_," she replied bravely, grinning for him. She winced only a moment later, folding one of her wings over her side, which was scratched and burned, thanks to that Garchomp. "_…Where are we?_" she asked, drawing his attention to her face again.

"I do not know, but I will find out. We will find the rest of the team, and we will leave. You will be fine, Oviya."

"_Heh… Of course I will be. I always am, aren't I?_"

That was how they passed the first night.

-.-.-

The second day dawned with overcast skies and the threat of rain. They were still holed up in the edge of the forest, watching as the Garchomp routinely flew over the field below, belting out challenges.

It also dawned with the closest call they had yet.

Vaikuntha had been sitting by Oviya, scratching her neck like she liked. He had been relieved that her wounds didn't look as bad as they had last night, but still concerned. She could move, and she could attack, but she would be slow. And neither of them were sure if she could still fly. They couldn't exactly try, not with the Garchomp watching the skies.

Vaikuntha looked over curiously at the nearest bush, which was rustling. Something was in it. Last night, he would have been alarmed, but with the light, he felt braver. He also had a Flygon which, while injured, would be more than a match for most Pokemon that came across their way.

He was surprised to see a baby Krabby waddle out, however, trailing bubbles. It skittered around for a little while, still foaming at the mouth, until it noticed them. It raised its claws, perhaps in greeting, and started making its way towards them.

"Wait… You are Zarek," Vaikuntha said suddenly.

"_Huh? Zarek's here—oh no, Zarek's here_." Konstantin, who had been dozing, looked up at the sound of his voice. He looked down at the small Krabby with something like fear.

Not a moment later, a blue and white mass of squawking, shrieking clouds burst onto the scene and scooped up the Krabby. Vaikuntha raised his arms, fully prepared to defend Oviya if need be, but Konstantin flew in front of them before anything else could happen. The clouds turned out to be an Altaria, and a very familiar Altaria at that, dripping blue flames from her beak. Her wings were curled around Zarek, whose claws were just barely visible. "_You can all go die and burn before you touch my baby—oh, it's you._" Just like that, the anger vanished from her voice and she arched her neck regally, regarding them all as if she hadn't been spitting and snarling at them seconds before.

"_I thought you were going to attack us!_" Konstantin scolded her, still floating protectively between them.

"_I was defending my baby! I was protecting a teammate—something I haven't seen you doing a lot of, Konstantin! Speaking of which, where have you been?! I haven't been able to find anyone but Zarek, and even that took all night!_"

"We have been as lost as you were. But the important thing is that you and your, ah, child, are here safely with us," Vaikuntha stepped in, breaking the tension with a hesitant smile. Alice gave him a beaky smile in return and nuzzled the Krabby, who responded by snipping a clump of her clouds off with a gurgle. "Do you know what is going on…?"

"_No, I don't. I've just been guarding Zarek and fighting with that human's crazy Pokemon all night._"

"Why is he here, I wonder… Is he behind all of this?" Vaikuntha completely missed the look Konstantin and Alice nervously exchanged. "Why would he kidnap him, though… This does not make any sense." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. It was frustrating, not only getting lost and kidnapped, but also separated from his team. He had _never_ been away from Koel this long. It was making him antsy.

The haphazard group sat together for the rest of the afternoon, making assumptions and wild guesses about what was going on. Chase was still watching the plain, which meant that they had to find an alternate form of travel—or something that could stand up to him. It was true, Vaikuntha hated to admit, that he had two dragons here in front of him, though. He didn't want to order Alice around, and Oviya was in no shape to fight (though she probably could, he forced himself to acknowledge).

"_What about that direction?_" Oviya asked, pointing with her tail towards the far end of the plain. "_What's there that we need to find?_"

"_Our trainer!_" Alice squawked, fluffing up. Zarek bubbled his agreement. Or, you know, he might've just been bubbling. "_Not to mention we're both missing teammates…_"

"How are we going to get to there with Chase there? Kostya, can you Shadow Sneak us that far?"

"_Not that far, but maybe… Maybe far enough to get a head start on Chase. If we just crossed the distance in several trips…_" Konstantin rubbed his chin with his paw, looking out over the plain.

"_Will that work?_" Oviya asked. She looked rather nervous, but since she had already gotten hurt from Chase, Vaikuntha didn't blame her. If only he had her great ball, or he had Koel…

He was really starting to worry about Koel. They had been together since the Skarmory hatched from his egg, and that had been several years ago. Vaikuntha was the type of trainer to let his Pokemon out frequently, and Koel came out the most. To say his absence was obvious was an understatement. Vaikuntha irritably wondered if this was what it was like to go into withdrawal.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Alice pecking him in the arm. "_Are you even listening? We're trying to make a plan here!_"

"Ah, yes, sorry," he said, rubbing his arm.

"_We are going to cross the plain with Shadow Sneaks. It'll take a couple, but hopefully we'll be far enough from Chase that he won't be able to catch up with us in between_," Konstantin announced. Vaikuntha nodded absently.

The plan went off without a hitch. It was a sound plan and they had logic on their side, but something about working with another team had Vaikuntha on edge. It wasn't a lack of faith in them—far from it—but more… Well, he had seen how they acted as a team. They weren't exactly coordinated. Still, they made it across the plain in a matter of minutes, and without the Garchomp breathing down their neck as an added bonus. The random team they'd created was now staring up at rocky foothills leading up to even rockier mountains and canyons and cliffs, all made that much sharper by the soft, red glow the entire area had. There was ash in the air, Vaikuntha noted, which confirmed his suspicions about a volcano being near.

And, standing calmly between them and the path leading upwards, was a Magmar.

"_Hey!_" Oviya snapped, standing up to her full height to try to use intimidation, "_Get out of the way!_" She either didn't recognize him or didn't care; Vaikuntha, on the other hand, remembered belatedly that there had been a Magmar involved in the Champion's tragedy.

"Mar," the Magmar replied evenly, spitting out a mouthful of flames.

Before a battle could break out, however, two feet belonging to two different Pokemon came crashing down on top of the Magmar's head. Vaikuntha's heart leapt when he saw his Lucario. Ranga and his Breloom companion hopped off of the Magmar, giving each other their equivalent of a high-five. The Magmar got back up, however, now angry and shot a Flamethrower at them. The two screeched and danced away from the flames.

Konstantin ended up saving them all from death by fire with his Shadow Sneak—used on the Magmar.

When he returned, he was assaulted by two fire-weak, very grateful fighters. And Vaikuntha. Konstantin ducked out of their collective grasp using his intangibility and looked away, apparently feeling a bit Mareepish. The three didn't mind and instead turned it into a group hug between themselves. "Ranga! You and—Carlita, is it?—you are both here now too! We have found two more of our missing friends!"

"_Wait—so you don't know where Trainer is?_" The Breloom was the first to pull away from him, frowning worriedly. Vaikuntha looked away, happy mood now ruined by the sharp feeling of loss. He had Oviya and Ranga back, but he still need four others—he still needed Koel. He was also still missing three more Pokemon and a trainer, too. Not to mention the logic behind the entire situation.

"No… I am sorry, but I do not know where he is. We are currently looking for your trainer and the rest of our teams."

"_And also why we're here in the first place,_" Konstantin added.

"_Though finding more of our teammates should be our priority,_" Oviya said with a sigh, hanging her head.

Ranga and Carlita looked at each other. The Lucario blinked innocently, turned to his trainer, and said, "_We know where Subrata and the Camerupt are._"

-.-.-

The two fighters had found each other early on and had teamed up, and had actually been running _away_ from the Houndoom and Camerupt. Up the canyon path was a volcano, and at the top of it, the two fire Pokemon were guarding the entrance. They had chased the fighters away with flames when they had approached. "But why would they do that? They did not recognize you, or—?"

"_They recognized us,_" Ranga said with a pout.

"_We even called to them once we were far enough away. They didn't answer us, though,_" Carlita added with a similar frown.

"Are you sure it was them?"

"_Of course!_" they cried in unison.

The now larger group made their way up the path cautiously, on the lookout for more potential enemies. The fact that Subrata and Des had defected worried him. He couldn't think of any real reason why they would attack the others—especially others they _knew_ were weak against fire—aside from some sort of coercion. He hoped that. It was terrible of him to hope that his Pokemon was getting forced into anything, though. But really, it was preferable to the thought of Subrata turning evil. Sure, he was a dark Pokemon, but he had always behaved and was a very loving, very loyal Pokemon. He had even taken Vaikuntha's fear of fire into account and very rarely used any of his fire moves.

The Magmar had made him nervous, but that had been over with quickly. He wasn't sure how he'd react to a Houndoom and Camerupt, both of which were supposed to be allies, staring him down.

"…We need to find Naiya," he murmured, running a hand through his hair. He loosened his tie again (they were definitely nearing a volcano, since the temperature was rising so much) and unbuttoned the first button on his shirt. He had taken off his jacket earlier and had it tied around his waist. Vaikuntha stopped walking. After a couple steps, most of the Pokemon turned to give him a curious look. Oviya could fly, but he didn't want to push her when she was injured. He wanted Konstantin near in case of an emergency. And while he hated asking a favor of someone else's Pokemon, he had to. "…Alice, may I ask you for some help?"

She regarded him coolly, fluffing up a little. "_…It depends on what it is._"

"I need you to fly on ahead and see if you can find Naiya, my Walrein. She is a water Pokemon who can help us against Subrata and Des. Actually—would it be possible for you to find any more teammates? Naiya or Koel—please."

"_I'm not leaving Zarek._"

"I will take care of him. I promise to protect him with my life."

"_Why should I trust you? You're not my trainer._"

"_Alice, don't be mean_—" Carlita started, but Vaikuntha held up a hand to stop her.

"She has a point. Alice, if my word is not enough, then look around you. We are both missing teammates. You are missing your very own trainer. If you would like, we would not travel any further and would stay here while you search. There are more than enough Pokemon here to protect Zarek if something should happen."

The Altaria surveyed him, then quickly bent down and nuzzled her beak against the baby Krabby. She flapped over and swept Zarek off of her back with her wing. Vaikuntha caught him with a grin—that soon vanished as the Krabby grabbed hold of his thumb in a rather vicious pinch. Alice tweeted a laugh and said, "_You have to keep holding him until I return. If he's hurt when I do come back, it'll be your head, got it?_"

"I—ow—understand," Vaikuntha said with a wince. With a couple beats of her cloudy wings, she was far overhead, circling around and eventually disappearing against the sooty overcast. Vaikuntha tried to smile, but the Krabby attached to his thumb made it a little difficult. "Zarek, please let go?"

"Bii," he gurgled in response. If anything, he clamped down harder.

Four sets of eyes watched him curiously as he tried to gently disengage his claws from his hand. Zarek started blowing bubbles, almost angrily, and reached over to fasted his other pincer on Vaikuntha's hand, right below the other one. There was now blood dribbling down his claws onto the rock below, too. Smile strained, Vaikuntha tried once more to separate Zarek from his hand, this time less gently.

It was rapidly turning into a painful tug-of-war. Zarek's claws were pulled a little bit from Vaikuntha's hand, which resulted in the water Pokemon tightening his grip to the point of closing his eyes with the effort of it. Vaikuntha hissed in pain and grit his teeth, trying not to let it show.

Konstantin let out a giggle.

Before Vaikuntha could offer more than a hurt look, someone else started cracking up. The other three looked around for the source in confusion. Vaikuntha, after getting over his initial shock, tried his best to frown sternly and looked down at his shadow. "Pollyanna, come out," he commanded. He also took the opportunity to gently pry Zarek off of his hand, since the little Krabby's grip had slackened with the shock of the sudden laughter.

"_Hee,_" Pollyanna said, red eyes opening in his shadow, roughly where his own eyes would be. He had learned early on that the Gengar liked to hide in his shadow and had a knack for doing so. She almost seemed comfortable doing so. She rose up out of his shadow with a flourish, grinning madly. "_You dripped blood on me, heehee. Can't handle a tiny little Krabby?_" she asked. As usual, her grin stayed firmly in place and she somehow spoke around it.

"_I'd like to see you try to hold him,_" Konstantin said with another chuckle, though at least he had the shame to cover the teeth of his skull mask with his paw when doing so.

"I am not handing Zarek over. See? We are getting along now." He held him out, hands cupped underneath him so he couldn't reach them, try as he might.

"_Aw, don't you trust me Trainer?_" Pollyanna crooned, sidling up to him.

"Alice charged me with protecting him. I trust you, Pollyanna, but that is not the issue here. How long were you following us?" he asked, changing the subject.

She twirled away from him and settled near Konstantin in the air, crossing her legs as if she were sitting. "_Awhile. Ever since Kostya used the Shadow Sneak to get you across the plain._"

"_I thought I had felt something off…_" the Duskull muttered. She giggled again, winking at him. He skittered away from her, covering his mask with both paws.

"_What's going on here, Trainer?_"

"I honestly have no idea, I am sorry to say. I was hoping to find their trainer and see if he had any answers, or, as the case may be, face his kidnapper at that time. First, however, we are going to try to find the rest of the team—both of our teams—and then… I suppose we will have to see why Subrata and Des are guarding the path."

"_Some plan_."

"_I don't see you coming up with anything better,_" Ranga barked, baring his teeth at her. They had never really gotten along, but thankfully, it had never been more than arguments between them.

"_Why not just Shadow Sneak past them?_"

"We need to confront them both. Are you not worried about the fact that your teammate attacked another one of your teammates?" Vaikuntha asked with a hesitant smile. "Come, Pollyanna, we will do this our way. We need to find out what is wrong."

"_Fine. I guess it'll be your funeral. Death by fire,_" she replied airily. Vaikuntha flinched and looked down at Zarek instead of her. The Krabby looked reproachfully back up at him, still foaming at the mouth.

"_Hey!_" Everyone jumped back as Alice alighted in the middle of their group. They had been so wrapped up with Pollyanna's arrival that no one had thought to search the skies for her return. The Altaria hummed happily, arched her neck to the path in front of them, and trilled, "_This waaaaaay!_"

"_What's that way?_" Oviya asked, eyes narrowed behind her eye guards.

"_A very nasty surprise for a very unfortunate Hypno,_" Alice said with a dark snicker. She then refused to say another word and instead bustled over to Vaikuntha. Relieved, he handed Zarek back over to her and he disappeared into the clouds on her back again, tips of his claws the only things visible. She cooed over him for a few moments before flapping into the air, beckoning them forward.

It was only a couple minutes of walking before the canyon around them narrowed. The path was now only wide enough for them to walk ahead in single file, which made them nervous, but Alice said that it would be alright. She flew on ahead of them. Vaikuntha led the procession, followed by Oviya. He didn't see who was following her.

The canyon path abruptly widened again into a large circle, ringed by high cliffs. He arrived just in time to see the aftermath. Alice was perched on the Camerupt's back, humming again. Des and was shaking his head, as if to clear it, and Subrata was growling at an unconscious Hypno laying on the ground between them. Naiya, surprisingly was also there, looking as clueless as Des.

And on top of the Hypno, licking his chops in a very contented manner, was Ike the Luxray.

"_I came across Ike earlier and guided him to Who. Who had hypnotized Naiya and Des, and was using her to force Subrata to guard the path with Des. They would've roasted you if we hadn't come,_" Alice sang proudly, fluffing up her clouds again.

"_I—I didn't mean to! They made me use my fire! He had Naiya and the Camerupt—_" Subrata was immediately all over Vaikuntha, whining, tail between his legs, licking at his face in a mix of apology and eagerness. Vaikuntha laughed and scratched him under the chin.

"Do not worry. It all worked out well, did it not? I am just glad you are all alright," he said, although he was immensely relieved they hadn't had to face any more flames than they had to. Subrata barked happily and got off of him, tail now wagging. Ike rolled his eyes and primly stepped away from the Hypno. "That Pokemon… That is Sayre's as well, right?"

"_That's right. His name is Who…_" Des said, still sounding a little befuddled. Naiya nodded, likewise looking sheepish about the entire thing, too. She waddled over to her trainer and murmured apologies as well, but Vaikuntha dismissed that just as easily and was instead glad to have her back.

The larger problem had presented itself, though.

That was three of Sayre's Pokemon they had met. That was no coincidence, no accident. Nick Sayre was definitely involved in this. Had he been the one behind the kidnapping? It seemed likely, though it also went against his usual order of things. Didn't he usually kill—Vaikuntha immediately and emphatically shook his head to banish the thought. No one was dead. Oviya was a little hurt, Subrata and Des had been hypnotized, and his hand was still tender and oozing blood, but no one was dead. This was only a kidnapping and a very bizarre adventure.

He now had all of his team except for Koel, who he was missing even more with the rest of his team around him. He counted off the other Pokemon, though, and came up with six. They were _only_ missing Koel. He ground his teeth but tried to smile at the concerned look Oviya shot him. A Skarmory and a trainer were missing, Nick Sayre was involved, and they were _still_ in an unknown area. Still, once they got the two missing members of the alliance, they could talk it out and fight their way out of here. Plus, they both had birds. They could Fly back home if need be.

"_Why are you wearing a suit?_" Naiya asked with a giggle. She covered her tusks with her flipper, though it didn't discourage her laughter. Pollyanna immediately burst out laughing again, and they even managed to get Oviya to crack a smile.

"I… am still not sure about that," Vaikuntha admitted, grin coming easier now. "I just woke up in it. Weird, huh?"

"_Very_," Naiya agreed.

That was how they managed to pass the second day.

-.-.-

The group woke up on the third day to a reddish, overcast sky, a lot of soot that had collected on them while they slept, and various aches and pains associated with sleeping on hard rocks.

"_The peak of this mountain-thing isn't that much farther ahead. Maybe an hour of walking? I don't know, I can't judge distances well,_" Alice said with an oddly musical yawn.

"_It's closer than that. I was near the peak when I first woke up here,_" Subrata said. He pointed up the path with his orange muzzle and added, "_I saw their trainer there, along with a couple other humans._"

"A couple? More than one?"

"_Yeah. Two, not counting their trainer._"

"_I knew I had smelled him…_" Ike growled under his breath, tail lashing behind him.

"Him? Who?" Vaikuntha asked, half curious, half worried. Ike surprised him by snarling at him and laying his ears back. Instead of replying, he just glared daggers at him and stalked on ahead.

"_Don't mind him. He just doesn't like humans very much._" Des said it matter-of-factly. It didn't cheer Vaikuntha up at all, though. He was unused to Pokemon hating him right off the bat—or at all, actually. He wondered how his trainer dealt with a Pokemon like that. In fact, all of his team had their little quirks and oddities. They seemed like a rather… difficult team. It made him all that much more grateful for his own team, though.

If only he could find Koel…

"Subrata, have you or Naiya seen Koel at all?"

"_No, I haven't._"

"_Me neither, sorry._"

"That is alright…" It really wasn't, though. It was day three and they hadn't found Koel. It was starting to get to him. Koel was such a big part of his life for the past few years, more so than the rest of the team. It wasn't mean, just a fact. "I just hope we find him soon."

They trekked on ahead. They came across no more of Sayre's Pokemon, still no wild Pokemon, or Koel. In a little over a half hour of walking, however, they came to steep steps leading upward to some sort of plateau, apparently the end of the canyon. Cliffs rose up all around them, only pushing the point on the fact that it was a dead end.

"_I smell humans. Pokemon, too._"

"Koel?" Vaikuntha asked hopefully.

"_Sorry…_" Subrata replied, tail drooping.

They mounted the stairs. The Pokemon pressed uncomfortably close to him, even those that weren't his. Konstantin was nearly attached to his shoulder, Pollyanna had sunk back down into his shadow, Subrata was pressed against one leg, and Oviya was looming over him on his other side. Ike still was leading the way, tail swishing back and forth with either anger or impatience.

The Luxray reached the plateau first. He paused at the top, then with a savage growl, leapt further onto it and out of sight. A moment later, there was a shout and then a high-pitched yelp. Oviya growled and started up the stairs, but Vaikuntha beat her to it.

Ike was laying on his side, still growling weakly, pinned to the ground by the Garchomp. The dragon looked up at them and offered a curled lip, but otherwise kept his attention on Ike. Beside them, however, was Ike's trainer, tied up, gagged, and glaring daggers at the black-haired trainer leaning against the rocky wall with his arms crossed. Nick Sayre. Vaikuntha's first reaction was fear—he had known that Sayre was here, he had fought against his Pokemon, he had seen what he'd done to Sinnoh—but that was quickly erased by delight.

Koel was standing on the other side of a throne-like rock formation, ropes tied around his torso. The moment he spotted his trainer, he squawked with something like joy (that alone rare enough from him) and cut through the ropes as if they were butter. Razor-sharp feathers helped with that. Vaikuntha ran to his Skarmory, unable to feel anything but relief and happiness.

"How touching."

There was a figure seated on the rocks, legs daintily crossed and chin leaning on a hand. Vaikuntha hadn't noticed the person before, having been concentrated more on the infamous criminal and return of Koel. It was a girl, undoubtedly a trainer, probably a little older than he was. The thing that unnerved him most about her, however, was the fact that she had a grin not unlike Pollyanna's.

Everyone had frozen when she spoke, though either from surprise or something else, he didn't know. She waved a hand dismissively at the Garchomp and his trainer. "Well? What are you waiting for? Start fighting."

Her words were like magic in the fact that just that happened. The other Pokemon were hurriedly untying their trainer and trying to fend the Garchomp off at the same time, and his own Pokemon were similarly occupied fighting off an array of other Pokemon. Vaikuntha wasn't sure how many were Sayre's and how many were the girl's, but he knew that this was turning into a battle royale that really shouldn't be happening in that small of a space.

"Koel!" Vaikuntha shouted desperately. His Skarmory, beating back an Arbok, jerked his head in response. He ducked under the serpent's lunge and dashed over to his trainer, wings held out like the weapons they were. The Magmar from before tried to get between them, but Subrata tackled it out of the way with a snarl. Overhead, Alice and the Garchomp were racing and fighting, screeching and snapping at each other. "Naiya, use an Ice Beam on that Garchomp! Koel, I need a feather!"

His Skarmory reached him and held out his wing, reaching back and snapping one of the edge flight feathers off with his beak. Vaikuntha caught the blunter end with his uninjured hand, grinning. He and Koel were a partners in the fact that they both used the same weapon: blades. Unlike other Skarmory, Koel didn't act like a bird in the fact that he stuck to long-range attacks. Instead, he was very much a close-combat fighter, swinging his claws and beak and wings like the swords they were. He had learned the odd but indescribably helpful fighting style as a young chick, copied from Vaikuntha himself.

"Woah, woah, stop it right there." Just as they were ready to _really_ join the fray, the girl stood up and held up her hands for attention. The move was so out-of-place that everyone turned to stare at her, effectively halting the fight. "You," she pointed at Naiya, "Are not going to Ice Beam Chase out of the air. I forgot you could even do that. And you," she pointed at Konstantin, "Are _not_ going to shove me in a shadow. That sounds creepy and I'm not allowing it."

"_Who are you to—_" Oviya began, but was quickly interrupted.

"No, no arguments. What I say goes. Moreover, this wasn't supposed to happen this way, either. First we were going to have this whole big dramatic argument about why I did it, and _then_ fight, but you guys completely skipped over that. Impatient much? We're going to go back and do that again, so chill the eff out and stop fighting for like, five seconds. You." Now, she pointed at Vaikuntha. He raised the makeshift sword defensively. "Ask me why I kidnapped him."

"Um… Why did you kidnap him? All of us?"

"Because." That wasn't an answer in the least.

"It was part of her plan. I'm not fond of it," Nick Sayre said with an undeniable roll of his eyes. The girl huffed and glared at him. "Cut the crap now. I'm tired of this and Chase was about to get taken out. I'm not allowing you to do that, regardless of what you say—"

"Nick, whose side are you supposed to be on?!" The girl and Des' trainer said this in unison, catching them both off guard. Nick smiled wryly, though there was no humor in it. If anything, he looked hurt.

"I have no idea what is going on here, but I am going to want some actual answers. So one of you, answer me," Vaikuntha broke in, pointing at the girl and criminal with his sword. "Why are we here?"

"Because I needed a place that was new to you," the girl replied, a little taken aback by the threat.

"Why did you kidnap him?" Vaikuntha demanded. He figured he might as well press his advantage while he still had it. Not to mention the fact that the talking was stopping the fighting.

"There are several reasons behind that one. Firstly, _I_ didn't kidnap him. Nick did," she replied with a bashful smile that didn't fool anyone. "Secondly, I not only wanted to draw _you_ out, but I wanted to mess with his head some more."

"More? What—Are _you_ the one behind the nightmares?"

"…In a way, actually," she replied after a thoughtful pause.

"What nightmares?" Nick asked flatly, giving her an evil look. The two who went through said nightmares looked away guiltily; the one who had apparently caused them looked away innocently.

"Don't worry your pretty little head over it."

"Stop saying things like that."

"I'll say what I want. Need I remind you that I hold the cards here?" Nick shut up after that, though he was looking as angry as his Garchomp at that point.

Grinning like Pollyanna again, the girl turned back to Vaikuntha. He glared at her, mouth set in a firm line. "Who are you?"

"A puppeteer, sort of."

"Why did you do all of this?"

"For fun. And because I _could_. …Not to mention the fact that I'm wondering how long my readers will continue reading this before they realize it's an April Fool's joke."

Her words were met with confused, blank stares.

She sighed and wandered back over to her seat, plopping down and setting her chin in her hand again. "Seriously, that's it. I had no ulterior motives past that. And for the record, none of you got hurt like I promised, so stop pointing that thing at me and stop glaring at me."

"Oviya got hurt—!"

"You were holding my Pokemon and my friend hostage! They very nearly got hurt!" Nick's shout overrode Vaikuntha's and he stalked over to her, glare dark. He hadn't looked that angry since, well, the Champion's tragedy. Vaikuntha grimaced and finally lowered Koel's feather, wondering if he should cut his losses, leave the crazy girl with the crazy murderer, and get out of there. The guilt would eat away at him for it, but then again, that girl had been the one to apparently put them through _all_ of this…

"Oviya was Chase's fault, not mine. Past that, chill. You're hot when you're angry at all, but you're starting to freak me out now."

"Why you—"

"Besides, for once, you weren't the main character here. So calm down. You only had to play your part and you get off scot-free, right?" the girl said with a very nervous giggle. Nick responded by wordlessly calling Chase over. "Okay, you're out of here!" She hastily clapped her hands, and as if it were a Teleport, Nick and his Pokemon vanished.

The first thing Vaikuntha realized about that was that the attacking Pokemon had all been his. The girl now was defenseless. The second thing he realized was that this was making less and less sense as time passed. Frowning in confusion, he couldn't help but ask the very thought on their collective mind right then. "…What is going _on_ here?"

"I only brought him in as a lure for the fangirls. You two, on the other hand, got dragged into this because I _like_ you. NamNar, c'mere." She gestured to the brunette boy, much to his bewilderment.

"Uh, _who_?"

"You, silly."

"That's not my name. My name is—"

"Ach! No, none of that yet. Just get your skinny little tail end over here before I _make_ you." The threat was sufficient to make him skitter over, though he wasn't the only one. Des took a couple steps forward and Konstantin was very obviously attached to the top of his head, glaring daggers at the unknown girl. "Good boy. Now, you played the part of the damsel in distress well, and I'm sure you nearly gave the readers a heart attack at the beginning of the story. You're free to go."

"…What."

"Go, shoo. You can go back to your canon."

"I have _no idea_ what you're even talking about anymore."

"That's probably a good thing. It was hard enough writing all of your tragedies without you getting smart about them." She raised her hands for her clap-Teleport-thing again.

But before she did, something like recognition sparked in his eyes and he lunged at her with a snarl. "_You_ are the one—!"

She clapped, and he disappeared like Sayre had before him. Vaikuntha was now left alone with his team and the crazy girl. He didn't feel great about that, but at least Sayre was gone and his friend was out of harm's way. He and his Pokemon could handle themselves, after all. "…Now tell me what is going on," he demanded, drawing her attention once more.

"I told you. April Fool's. It's the first of April and it's customary to play jokes—"

"I know what that is! I do not see the connection, though."

"Hmm. How to put this." She frowned thoughtfully before brightening. "I know! You know who Arceus is, right? Your god and creator and whatnot?"

"Um, yes."

"I'm like the step above him." Her declaration was, naturally, met with stunned silence. Koel was the first to break it, ruffling his feathers with a grating sound, causing several of them to jump. He stared levelly at his trainer; Vaikuntha nodded and turned back to the girl.

"Liar."

"Can you prove that?"

"Well, no, but can you prove that you are not lying?" he challenged, though it was more of a guess than anything else.

"Oh, Vai, you're so cute." She made a sound that could only be described as a dreamy sigh. "Fine, you win. I'll prove it. Let's see… How to go about that…"

"Tell me something that only one of your power would know."

"Like how Sarika died?" She said it with such a casual air, threw it out like such an offhand remark, that he nearly dropped his sword when he flinched. She had the Gengar smile again. "Or shall I tell you what your adorable little roommate dreamed about two nights ago? I could list off anyone's. Or do you want me to just, I don't know, smite you or something with lightning?"

"_Shut up already!_" Koel snapped, metal beak clicking.

Vaikuntha threw the sword at her. It missed by a long shot, but he really just wanted to get rid of it. "That does not convince me of anything save the fact that you know too much and are a—"

"Let's keep this rating PG. It's hard enough keeping the swearing to a minimum without you discovering your berserker button," she interrupted worriedly, sitting up straight. Vaikuntha glared at her. She frowned, looking almost _sorry_, and continued, "You know, you're such a puppy. I can go on and on about other's tragedies, but yours really gets me. I can't do this to you."

"I thought this was a prank."

"Actually, at this point, I'm writing it for the lulz. I'm sure about half of my readers angrily exited out earlier when they realized what was going on… and that there wasn't going to be any Nick on NamNar action." He wasn't sure what that meant, but he had a feeling. "Still, this was for my benefit, not theirs. By the way, you look good in a suit. You need to wear formal stuff more often."

"…" Well, that explained one of the lesser details he'd been wondering about. But little else.

"You can go ahead and glare at me all you want, but just remember that promise you made to Sarika. Smile, Vai, smile—ahh I can't do this anymore. You're such a kicked puppy." With a great sniff and looking like she was ready to cry, she motioned him away. "I can't stand torturing you. I thought this would be fun, but it wasn't. Next time I'm just going to go with my first impulse and involved nakedness and more lulz."

He wasn't sure how to deal with her anymore. The fact that she knew about Sarika and his promise to her made him angry and want to pry another feather off Koel to stab her with, but at the same time, she was a girl and he made a habit of nonviolence—but especially to girls. That, and she looked pretty broken up over the entire thing. Whatever that was.

"Okay, okay, go now. I'm sure the readers are getting fed up. Return to the canon, and be happy damnit. You're so much cuter when you smile."

She clapped, and next thing he knew, his surroundings had changed drastically. Vaikuntha hadn't been Teleported all that often, but it was a similar experience, he figured. He was now standing outside of the hotel again, unaware of what he'd just accomplished.

Whereas many had tried, all of them had failed. No one had been able to get past the author's sadism and love of cruelty to characters. One character had gone through nearly three years of torture, and another, one great tragedy and its bloody aftermath. Yet he was the only one who had managed, with one incident in his past and a nightmare dredging it up again, to break through the author's thick skin and make her feel _bad_ for what had happened to him.

-.-.-

**Author's Note: Yup. Yup yup yup. :D This was all an April Fool's joke that managed to mix canon and craziness (good luck figuring out which is which). This was my idea to switch point of views and have Vai go on an epic quest so save NamNar, naturally dragging Nick along for the ride. This was written purely for my own enjoyment, mental imaging, and wondering how long you readers read until you realized that it was a joke. Please tell me in a review! :D I'm veeeery curious. How many of you figured it right away? How many of you didn't until "I" said it outright? **

**The actual chapter will be posted tomorrow. **

**(And yes, originally I was going to spin this wild, sexy tale of Nick on NamNar action to please the fangirls. But I was worried about those who would be turned off (no pun intended) by that and hate me forever, so, eh. The idea was scrapped. And for the note: no, Nick and NamNar aren't canon together. I just have some very emphatic fans.) **


	95. Real Happiness Is Cheap Enough

I managed to meet up with Hanna at one, though my hair was still dripping and, as she put it, "You look like a hobo."

"What? They're sweat pants. They're okay to wear sometimes."

"If you're a hobo."

"Hobos don't wear sweats. Besides, aren't we going shopping for clothes, anyway? You can make me over then. But not any earlier—"

"I'm not going out with you while you're looking like _that_! You could have at least changed into something _nicer_!"

"Everything's dirty."

"With mud?"

"No, but I wore the—"

"Go change into jeans! You can wear them more than one day!" Oh, I was _very_ aware of that rule. And like any good trainer, I abused it, too. Which was why I was now out of clean clothes.

"Hanna, I don't have anything else! What's wrong with sweats!"

"_Fine_," she spat, giving up on her attempt to push me back towards the elevator. I rolled my eyes. "You can go out shopping with me looking like a hobo. But I'm buying you a new outfit at the first store we come across and you are changing there. I'm throwing away those pants."

"Why? They're perfectly good! Are you trying to tell me _you_ don't have any sweat pants?" I asked, giving her a very dubious look. She blushed and looked away, refusing to answer. "Ha! Point proven. You have yours, I have mine."

"But I'm not wearing mine on a shopping trip in Sunyshore!"

"We all can't be as privileged as you, Hanna."

"…That's true." With that, she conceded on the issue, grabbed my hand, and started marching me out of the lobby.

We managed to run into Alicia at the doors, though. I felt my face heat up and I waved at her with my free hand. "Oh, hi, guys. Wait… You're not a Gym race trainer, are you?" She raised an eyebrow, looking Hanna up and down. The brunette girl gave her a similar appraising look. Alicia's eyes stopped obviously on our hands. I went scarlet and pried my hand away from Hanna's, shoving it instead in my pockets. "…Oh. So you're here _with_ someone—?" Alicia started to ask, looking back up at us with something like confusion.

"No!" I said immediately. Hanna snorted.

"No, we're not _together_."

Alicia looked at Hanna again, and Hanna returned the look. They seemed to be sizing each other up. I had the bizarre feeling that they were having some sort of girly, telepathic conversation. Girls did that, right? Either way, they seemed to be done with whatever they were mentally discussing, because Alicia turned back to me and grinned. "Well, you two have fun. Wish me luck! It's time for the second race."

"Good luck, Alicia!" I said, a little too enthusiastically for Hanna to resist chuckling.

"I gotta go drag my slow Pokemon across that finish line, so I'll be back later. Vai will probably beat me back, but later do you and him wanna meet me and my roommate for supper? Your friend here can come, too. We discovered this cute little café down the street last night—"

When I was about to leap at the opportunity, Hanna grabbed my arm, pulled me toward her, and said coolly, "He's spoken for tonight, sorry. Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Maybe," Alicia said, looking very taken aback at the move. She gave Hanna one last look, glanced once at me, and then left. It might've been the lighting, or it might've been my heart dying a little, but she looked disappointed.

"Hanna, what was _that_ for?!" I demanded once we were outside and Alicia had disappeared in the other direction.

"You like her, don't you?" My blush must've been enough of an answer for her. Hanna let go of me and sighed in a very worldly way. "Now she knows you not only have female friends, but she could have potential competition. You just appeared on her radar. She'll be more interested in you now."

"Really? That doesn't work—"

"Girls work that way, trust me."

"…Girls are weird."

"Boys are the weird ones. Don't care what you look like, have no idea how to properly communicate with the fairer sex, all rough and tough and have to be in the middle of everything… Come on, we're going into this store. I _need_ to get you out of those sweat pants."

I had expected some sort of evolved form of past shopping trips with Hanna. True, I needed a new outfit (as she was fond of telling me), but she also needed one. I figured we'd spend most of the time with her flitting from store to store, trying on skirts and shoes and other things she fell in love with. Instead, it appeared to be the opposite. She bought herself one new outfit—yeah, exactly _one_—and spent the next three hours turning me into her personal doll.

I realized, too late, that that was what she had aimed for all along.

"Why are you doing this? If you just wanted to see outfits—they have mannequins for that!"

"Mannequins don't have hair or eyes or normal human proportions. They also aren't my best friend ever who'll let me do this to him," she replied with a sharp smile. I sighed and allowed her to shove me back into the dressing room. This was a regular facet of our friendship. In return for hours of my time and letting her play dress-up with me, I got a new wardrobe. It made me feel a little less guilty for getting new clothes out of the deal, though it also made me feel a little stupid that it took me _this_ long to figure that part out.

"Why don't you do this with Jude? Or—Or Cossette. You know each other, right? She'd love this."

"Neither of them are here. And I won't have the satisfaction of seeing either of them compete in this Gym race thing wearing an outfit _I_ picked out."

"Why don't you just design your own fashion line and be done with it? At least then you'd know exactly what you want instead of spending hours making me try on different combinations," I complained, coming out in yet another outfit for her to critique. I couldn't help but yawn—not because of the fact that this was boring, really, but more because of the fact that I was running on little sleep, had just raced earlier today, and wished dearly for a nap right now.

Hanna, of course, took it the other way. "Are you getting bored of this? You're getting a new, non-hobo outfit out of the deal, so I don't see why you're whining so much."

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just tired. I didn't mean I'm bored." I disappeared back into the changing room as she threw another outfit at me.

"Why are you so tired? Stayed up too late partying last night?" she asked, sounding slightly more sympathetic now.

"I wish. Just… really bad nightmares."

"Oh."

And that was all the seriousness she'd allow. I guess we filled a quota or something, because she set her mouth in a firm frown, grabbed the nearest shirt, threw it at me, and pushed me back into the changing room. Once the door had closed, I smiled weakly. She was still so Hanna. She was still good for me. She was the one who had lost her Pokemon, and yet she was still the one who was taking things so much easier, so much better. I blinked back the sudden stinging in my eyes. The lack of sleep was making me emotional, I decided, and started trying to fit into the latest shirt she'd pushed on me.

"…Hanna, this is too small," I complained, annoyed that I had only realized this _after_ I had fought to get it halfway over my head.

"No it's not. It's supposed to be tight. Just show me."

"I can't even get it on. Get me a size larger."

"That's a medium! You can fit into it. Just… suck it in or something!" she replied impatiently with a bang on the changing room door. I cowered and tried to fight with it some more. I was still losing the battle with the shirt, however.

"It's too small! Get me a size bigger."

"It's supposed to be—"

"Size bigger!"

"No! Ugh, get out here and show me, you pansy!" Hanna demanded. I managed to get it un-stuck from my head and opened the door, holding the shirt away from me at arm's length. She scowled at me and took the shirt. "Look, see? It's a medium. You can fit into a medium. I've put you in a dozen mediums just today!"

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying not to dive back into the dressing room once I realized I was missing a shirt altogether now. It was cold in the store, too. "I don't do tight shirts! Those are for girls and—"

"Leave me alone you crazy stalker woman!" Hanna and I both jumped in alarm when a teenage boy, followed closely by a head of bouncing curls I recognized as Sara Grace's, stormed onto the scene. He had dark hair, big sunglasses, and what appeared to be a flask in one hand. He stormed right past us and took my recently vacated changing room, slamming the door behind him. Sara Grace skittered up behind him, looking out of breath, camera in her hands.

"I just want an interview!"

"Fat chance!"

Unfortunately, it was then that she noticed the two frightened teenagers beside her—namely, us. I hid behind Hanna, turning red. My actual clothes were still in that changing room! Sara Grace broke into a wide, glittering smile, camera clicking away. Hanna immediately growled and threw the too-tight shirt at her, shouting, "Get out of here! You have no right to be taking my picture!"

"Sorry sweetie, but you're accompanying a Gym race trainer. They're legally public figures now. And my my, how cute! Is this a joint shopping trip? Come on, give me a smile—oh holy _hell_, I know you. You're that tournament hero!" The smile vanished as quickly as it'd appeared. She stared at us with her mismatched eyes, one hazel, one blue, lips pushed out in a thoughtful pout.

Hanna had taken another shirt off of the nearest shelf and threw it at her head. "Get out! This is a private venture and if you take any more pictures I'll sue you for slander!"

"Slander?" She laughed and picked the shirt delicately off of her face, smiling at Hanna like one would a child. I grimaced, almost feeling sorry for her right then. Big mistake.

"You and I both know what you'll be doing with those pictures, and I tell you, if a single _one_ makes even the last page in the rattiest tabloid in the city, you will be permanently out of work."

"Who are you to threaten me? I'm Sara Grace Kellner, starlet reporter of Jubilife—"

"I know." Suddenly, all of Hanna's anger evaporated and she smiled sweetly at the woman, even going so far as to bat her eyes. "My daddy owns your company."

"…Oh." I had never seen a grown woman turn tail and run before, but that day, I got to witness just that. I heaved a sigh of relief and leaned on Hanna's shoulder. I couldn't handle much more excitement today. I was still worried that pictures of a shirtless Gym race trainer and his female escort would reach the mass media, but at least Hanna's vengeance would be swift and probably overkill. At least I knew I'd be able to sleep tonight; I was too exhausted for anything else.

"That cow," Hanna spat, reminding me funnily of Alicia right then. "She's just a snoop and a sad part of the paparazzi…"

"I know you like her gossip columns," I deadpanned.

"…That's beside the point! She has no right to write it about _us_!" she exclaimed with an embarrassed blush. I rolled my eyes and chuckled wearily.

"…Is she really gone? Oh, and here's your stuff." We both jumped again when the guy she'd been chasing peeked out of the changing room, offering my clothes out to me.

"Hey! That's _my_ room!"

"I'm in it, so it's mine now," he replied simply. He frowned, eyes hidden by his sunglasses, then suddenly (and jarringly) smirked. "Well, I'll share it with you if you come over here, sunshine." He even had the gall to lower his sunglasses enough so that he could start making eyes at me. I went scarlet and hid behind Hanna (again). Today was _not_ my day.

Thankfully, I had my knight in shining armor in the form of Hanna. She might've chased away Alicia, but at least she was chasing away the actual threats as well. She moved protectively in front of me and held out a hairbrush from her purse like a knife. I had no doubt she knew how to wield it like one. "Who the heck are you, why did you steal his room, and why was Sara Grace Kellner chasing you?!"

He sighed and pushed his sunglasses back up on his nose. He stepped out of the room, relinquishing it with a grimace and a sip from his flask. "I'm a Gym race trainer, like him. But not like you, since you're not wearing one of these right now." He held up his wrist. Among other bracelets, I recognized the cord with the red beads; he had two, like me. "The name's Archie Owen, and I stole the room _because_ the witch was chasing me. She's been harping on all of the trainers for interviews and comments lately, and she happened to come across _me_—I was lucky you're from that tournament, because otherwise, she probably would've continued stalking me."

"Why are you so high and mighty? What makes you so special? And—is that _alcohol_?!"

"Yeah, it is. Want some or something?"

"No I do not! It's illegal—are you even old enough?"

"I am now. Though I've been drinking for a couple years now. Of course, the police ain't got nothing on me since I'm legal now—"

"You could get kicked out of this thing for that, though! In fact, we're going to report you!"

"You two? _You_ have no right to, and _he_ is currently scared stiff."

"Guys," I broke in weakly, still hiding behind Hanna, "I just want a shirt."


	96. Happiness Is Good Health & A Bad Memory

"I sort of like this shirt," I said, turning in the mirror so that I could see it.

"I don't like it, it's too big on you. It makes you look young and small and you're growing _up_. So wear something more appropriate."

"Hey, I like it on him. If he likes it, then let him get it."

"Why are _you_ still here."

Archie, much to the irritation of Hanna (and embarrassment of me), hadn't left. He claimed it was for protection from stray reporters, not only Sara Grace. It was true that Hanna seemed to act like a repellent once they figured out she didn't want to be photographed, so I couldn't blame him for that part. Though I was in agreement with her in the fact that he should leave. Clothes shopping was bad enough when Hanna considered me her personal doll.

"New shirt. I want to see that striped long-sleeved one on you again."

"I look like a mime in it," I whined. Hanna tossed it to me and gave me a look that if I didn't put it on right now she would go in there and put it on for me, so I hastily ducked back into the changing room.

"We can find a t-shirt to wear over it."

"This is boring. Put him in some tight jeans," Archie suggested, sitting cross-legged on the seat next to Hanna. She glared at him, giving him all the answer he needed.

"When are you going to leave?"

"When the rest of the trainers are done with their race and the reporters feed on them instead."

"When is that going to be?"

"I don't know. A half hour maybe? How long did ours take?"

"I didn't keep track of time, and you two are _not_ dragging me into this. I'm a mime. I'm not speaking," I said when I came out, and make a motion to zip my mouth closed.

"This is _not_ fun," Hanna groaned, sinking into the seat farthest from Archie. I was about to point out that it was getting late and we could probably politely bow out now—not to mention the fact that my stomach was growling and I was dead tired—but remembered my mime vow in time. So instead, I pretended like there was a sheet of glass in front of us, probably horribly, and managed to elicit a smile from her.

Archie flat-out laughed.

There went Hanna's smile. "Will you leave already?"

"No way. You're, like, the best Repel for reporters I've ever seen. And you don't wear off. Plus he's cute—"

"I'm a mime but I'd like to remind you that I can _hear you_ and do not like what I am hearing," I broke in irritably, pretending to shoot him with my mime-gun. "Bang." Man, I was tired. Or did I just default to silly and mute when I was near Hanna and strange people? I realized I was starting to crash either way, though. On cue, my eyelids started drooping, and I swayed on the spot.

Hanna worriedly jumped to her feet and slung an arm around my shoulders, steadying me. "…Okay, we're done now. We'll get you that outfit—you're wearing it from now on by the way, it's too cute on you—and I'm putting you to bed now."

"It's six," I mumbled, tone at odd with my words. I wouldn't object to falling asleep right then, though.

"Tired already?" Archie asked curiously.

"Didn't get any sleep last night or the night before—" that reminded me "—how are you not tired?"

"Took a nap earlier." I stared at him incredulously; I _still_ had visions of Nick telling me I didn't deserve my Pokemon whenever I closed my eyes. How had he gotten so lucky? As if to explain this, he amended, "Actually, it'd probably be more accurate to say that I drank until I passed out for a few good hours. Then I woke up, went outside to grab something to eat, got mobbed by that witch, and here I am. The end." Complete with a chipper smile.

I could feel Hanna's disgust rolling off of her in tangible waves. "I hope your liver revolts against you in a bloody coup," she spat, then forcibly straightened me, pushed me back into the changing room with my original outfit, and slammed the door shut. "Okay, hurry up. If you're this bad off, we need to get going and put you to bed. If you were so tired, why didn't you tell me?"

"It sorta just hit me now. Sorry…" I swapped shirts and came back out, blinking rapidly to keep my eyes open. I turned to Archie and asked, "Why are you so not-bothered by… all of this?" I didn't want Hanna to find out about the nightmares, at least how bad they had been.

"I think it's because I'm still buzzed," he replied happily.

"You drunkard." Hanna huffed at him and marched off with my newest outfit hanging in her arms. For a moment, I only stared at him, and he only stared back at me. The impromptu staring contest was broken, however, when he tilted back his head and evidently emptied the last of his flask.

"…Why do you drink so much?" He was eighteen, if he was legally allowed to drink, and no eighteen-year-old I knew of had a reason to drink himself into a stupor. Granted, those nightmares had been fierce, but still… I didn't even see the adult trainers drinking after that. I didn't mean any offense to him, but I was probably the worse off as far as dark, angst-ridden pasts went.

"Mm, because. The Champion's tragedy was hard." He was telling me. I rubbed at my eyes, biting back another yawn. I glanced over to see Hanna at the register, wrapping up the sale.

"That's not a good reason," I muttered. Sleepiness was making me emotional and easily annoyed, I noticed.

He didn't seem all too fazed, though. He just looked at me flatly over the tops of his sunglasses, expression hard. "You weren't _there_, kid."

"So what—" Oh god. Suddenly awake, I took a step away from him. In my nightmare, I had been in Cynthia's shoes and Nick was the only other one there. In real life, there had been Cynthia, Nick, a cameraman, and the trainer who had just lost against Cynthia. There had been _another trainer _there. "…That was _you_?" I whispered, unable to help but drop my voice.

He didn't look happy anymore. In fact, he looked downright depressed. "Yeah, that was me. I got the joy of watching the most amazing person in the world rip apart the Champion and her team, and two nights ago, got to relive that. Still blame me for drinking?"

I viciously ignored the title he gave Nick, not even _wanting_ to go there right then, and instead shook my head. "Oh… Um, I'm sorry." I felt stupid and selfish for thinking I was the worst one off, even if I was still pretty high on that list regardless. Not to mention the fact that it wasn't as if Nick was solely my problem, or the only one who had been affected by him. Nick had messed up all of Sinnoh. I couldn't even begin to comprehend actually _being_ there.

Oh, wait, I could. Half of my nightmare had been that, after all. And it was terrible.

"Don't worry about it. I've gotten almost two years of drinking under my belt to numb it, right?" He gave me a lopsided grin, though he was clearly not feeling it.

I still felt really bad about that, though. "Um, I hadn't meant—I mean—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories."

"See why the witch reporter was after me now? She's a stubborn lady. Found all that out and it's only the first real day of this Gym race thing…" He sighed and ran a hand through his dark bangs. "She's gonna figure out the nightmares soon enough, and then the hell will really begin. You might want to watch out for that."

"Great." Now I felt bad _and_ apprehensive. Not to mention _still_ really freaking exhausted. This was too much to handle all at once. I didn't want to worry about crazy gossip reporters as well.

Archie abruptly stood up, posture rigid, at odds with the alcohol on his breath. "I'm leaving then. Thanks for saving me from the witch lady earlier, and tell your friend thanks for being a great Repel. See you later in the race, sunshine."

Hanna passed him as he left, only sparing him a single look over her shoulder. I expected her to make some snide remark, but instead, she held out the bag to me and asked, "Nightmares, huh?"

"…Yeah."

"And everyone's been having them?" she asked suspiciously.

Uh-oh. I looked away, rubbing my arm guiltily. "Um, yeah…"

"What's been going _on_ here?"

"Can it wait until after I sleep? I think I'm going to pass out soon. Also, I'm sorry in advance if you have to drag me back to the hotel."

"You owe me one heck of a rain check then," she sniffed, but thankfully let it slide. I felt an overwhelming gratitude for her, once again probably due to my tired state. "…Come on, let's get you back and drugged up with cough medicine. I don't know about you, but it always knocks me out pretty fast. And it should prevent any of these nightmares you've been having."

"Thanks mom."

"I'll hit you."

"Child abuse."

For that, the threat turned into a reality. I laughed weakly and rubbed my shoulder.

"…Thanks, Hanna."

"I'm too good for you sometimes."

"Yeah. Nevermind the fact that these shopping trips are _still_ trying to apologize for getting me mauled by a wild Pokemon."

"That's only slightly beside the point."

-.-.-

I blearily blinked awake, finding myself staring into a pair of big brown eyes. "Good morning, Hanna," I stated in a sleepy monotone. "…Why are you in my room?" Had she stayed the night? Ah, just like our old expedition days…

"I let her in, brother! She says she is a good friend of yours!" Hanna was moved aside and Vaikuntha crawled into the bottom bunk with us, smiling brightly, looking as cheerful as ever. He didn't have the dark circles under his eyes from before, though, so apparently I hadn't been the only to get a good night's sleep. "She came in and tucked you in last night. She then gave me cough medicine and did the same for me. Is this some sort of Sinnohan secret for dreamless sleep?"

"No, I think that a two-mile long race and a long day made for the dreamless sleep."

"Um, are we forgetting about something?" Hanna broke in, crossing her arms over her chest. We both looked at her, puzzled. "Nightmares? Telling me what's going on? Explaining why he's calling you brother?"

"That one's just Vai."

"Is it wrong?"

"No, but—" Even Hanna couldn't resist his charm, apparently. So between my reporter Repel and my everyone-else Charm, I was set, right? (If Vaikuntha was aware of his power, however, he didn't let it show.) "You two have been sleeping since six last night."

"What time is it now?"

"Noon. You slept eighteen hours, congratulations." Vaikuntha and I exchanged a worried look. That… probably wasn't healthy. But it let us rest up and allowed us to dodge a potential night full of terror, so it was a good exchange, right? "Tell me what's up with these nightmares now."

I was uncomfortably aware of my roommate sitting next to me. On one hand, he knew about the nightmares, and we had an unspoken agreement not to discuss what ours contained. On the other hand, I had to somehow explain the concept of the psychological attack without going into specifics—which I knew she'd demand. Hanna could be a very sympathetic friend, but only after she knew the full details. Which I wasn't sure I wanted Vaikuntha to know.

"Well?" Hanna pressed, leaning in with something like impatience.

"…Imagine the most horrible thing you've ever gone through in your life," I mumbled, fully aware of what that would have been for her, "And then you relive it. You have to go through it again. You have to have it thrown in your face that you couldn't do _anything_ to stop it and it was just so horrible." Words couldn't fully convey the panic, the distress, the horror of it all.

Regardless, Hanna leaned forward and hugged me. "I'm sorry." She could probably guess at mine, too. "That sounds terrible. How… Who did it? Why would they _do_ that? Who would have done such an evil thing—"

"Calm down, Hanna," I said with a smile that was only partly forced. "We haven't figured that out who's behind it yet, and we'd really like it if this didn't reach the public, alright?"

"Well duh. Sara Grace would rip you all apart. Heaven forbid she actually figured out the specifics of what was behind everyone's—"

"Hence why we're not speaking of it anymore."

"Um, not to interrupt…" Vai interceded with a small, shy smile, fretting with the bottom hem of his shirt. "Our Pokemon have not eaten properly in two days. Neither have we. Can we continue this discussion over a proper meal with our teams?" Hanna's expression looked oddly blank at the last part, so I hastily jumped in.

"That's a good idea. Come to think of it, I'm starving. And—oh my gosh Hanna you haven't met Alice yet!" I was immediately taken with the idea that they would absolutely love each other. Maybe this was a good way for Hanna to start to like Pokemon again and maybe get a new one?

Unfortunately, I had forgotten some key points. The first being that my team didn't know I had won the race and received two beads. That led to many explanations, to Hanna as well, and a passing around of my two beads. Vaikuntha had secured three; I tried not to feel jealous.

Another key point I had forgotten was my promise to Alice that she could have Zarek for the rest of the day—and my subsequent disappearance and lack of handing the Krabby over. So Hanna's first impression of my Altaria was a rather bloody one. Zarek made things infinitely worse by literally pointing and laughing as Alice pecked and scratched at my head. He then got caught up in the excitement and pinched the nearest thing, which was very unfortunately Ike's tail.

By the time everything had been sorted out, Ike and I were bleeding, Alice was glaring daggers at both of us, Vaikuntha and Koel had been dragged in, and Hanna was nearly in tears she was laughing so hard. "I-I-I've missed th-that team of yours!" she gasped out, clutching her stomach. "I can't believe y-you finally have a f-f-full one and th-_this_ is how it is!"

"His team has always been like this?" Vaikuntha asked curiously, now that his Skarmory and he were a safe distance away (hiding on the top bunk). Hanna nodded.

"Always. It's part of what makes him and those freaks of his so great."

"_I take offense to that!_" Alice snapped and fluffed up around Zarek. The rest of my team, more used to Hanna and less thin-skinned, shrugged it off.

Ignoring her, Hanna beamed up at Vaikuntha and said, "He is going to be the _best_ Gym leader ever."

"I would agree with that. Though I do not know which to feel more sorry for—his challengers or him. Once they figure out his disadvantages…"

"Pfft, those things can take care of each other enough to beat out measly disadvantages."

"Guys I'm right _here_." I was touched by their apparent faith in me, but my annoyance was a little stronger. Even if it was true.


	97. What Are Called The Games And Amusements

Hanna and Vaikuntha took to each other immediately. I had to admit that I was a little surprised by it. I couldn't quite put my finger on why, though, so I shrugged off the feeling and was instead glad I didn't have to break up any fights.

In a singularly un-shocking development, Sela and Benjamin got into another fight. We had been eating at an outdoor café at the time and witnessed some of it, though not the beginning and not what set him off. Whatever it had been, however, led to some _very_ surprising results: Benjamin's Machamp threw Sela's Lopunny against the nearest building, knocking it out effortlessly. It was a one-hit knock-out and something that was like a bolt from the blue for the spectators. Sela hadn't yet lost a fight with _anyone_, much less the youngest Gym race trainer.

The three of us watched mutely as Benjamin stomped past, ignoring the shocked looks everyone was giving him. He was furiously scrubbing at his eyes. He was either crying or trying very hard not to.

"…What do you think is wrong?" Vaikuntha asked worriedly, smile gone as he watched the boy vanish into the crowd.

"That Sela woman seems like a total bi—"

"She's always like that," I cut in. "They've been bickering a lot lately, though. I never would have thought it was that serious…"

More importantly, it showed us another side of Sela, and another side of Benjamin. The tension between the trainers was starting to grow once more.

"We should go to the beach," Hanna announced later that afternoon.

"Why?"

"I bought a new swimsuit for starters." That figured. She looked perfectly serious, however. "That and we haven't been to the beach together in years."

Yeah, not since Nick had still been a good guy and sane. She wasn't looking at me, instead trying to win Vaikuntha over with a smile, which I'm sure was on purpose. "We go to the beach every day anyway, sister."

"But not to swim or do fun stuff, right?"

"Well, no…"

"Then let's go. It'll be like a mini-vacation. A sort of prize for getting past the first challenge. Isn't the next one tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I muttered, still fighting back memories of the Johto vacation. I still had some of the pictures from it, too. Des had evolved on that trip and Hanna still had all of her Pokemon… We had all been together.

"What's it going to be?"

"We are not sure yet. They will not inform us of that until just before the challenge." Vaikuntha held up his wrist, examining the three beads hanging from the cord with a pleased smile. "It will not be difficult, though, I am sure. We will both do our best, right, brother?"

"Yeah," I repeated sullenly.

"Vai, why do you call people that?" Hanna asked, completely ignoring my moodiness. Probably for the best, but it still hurt a little. _She_ was the one who had brought it up, after all.

"Why not?"

"Oh, come on. You have to have a better reason than that."

"Mm, I do," he replied with a chuckle. "I believe that everyone should treat one another as family. People should love one another. Humans should, Pokemon should. I am against animosity in the world. So I try to vocalize that."

"…You usually just sound like a creeper." Hanna effortlessly ruined the warm mood he'd set, which made me crack up. Vaikuntha pouted and crossed his arms, looking the part of the kicked Growlithe perfectly, which only made me laugh harder. "C'mon guys, let's go to the beach while it's still light out. Let's drag other Gym race trainers along. Tanning and swimming are great social activities, so you can get that whole world peace angle you're looking for."

By forcing us to change (doing everything in her power short of actually changing our clothes _for_ us) and by shanghaiing several Gym race trainers we didn't even know, our group grew. Friends of friends, roommates, word of mouth all contributed. It soon became a bit of a Gym race trainer party. Which was funny, since the person who'd thought it up wasn't even in it.

Eventually, just as the sun was setting, a large mass of people took over the beach. A couple of torches were set up at sporadic points for light, along with a plethora of fire Pokemon running about on the sand. There was an equal mix of swimwear and casual wear, although Pokemon probably had the majority of the population of the party.

It was actually fun, too. Not that I was doubting Hanna's party-making abilities, but she was really working against the grain with this one. The Gym race trainers were distrustful and suspicious of one another, and we hadn't socialized all that much as a group yet. Moreover, aside from a sparse few who'd managed to catch up on their sleep (it was obvious who they were; everyone else had bags under their eyes), the mass of trainers were mentally and physically exhausted.

Still, they all latched onto the idea of a good time like it was a lifeline. Most everyone let go, danced, swam, chatted, boasted, with even a couple friendly battles. It had been awhile since I'd seen someone laughing while battling with their team.

"I think you should talk to the Gym leaders about them hiring you. You should be the organizer for them," I told Hanna, draping myself over the foot of her raft. She nudged me off back into the water.

"I just wish I could've started this when it was lighter out. I could've worked on my tan," she sighed dramatically. "…Still, I'm glad you guys are having fun. The morose look didn't work for _any_ of you, trust me. Except maybe that emo chick."

"Lola?"

"Was that her name?"

"We met her in Snowpoint." This caught her interest and she raised her head to look at me. I nodded. "Remember? She was the only one who won against Devon in chess. We all thought she was a dark trainer?"

"…Oh yeah, her." I wasn't sure if she had actually remembered her or not, but at least she was going along with it. "You mean she's not a dark trainer?"

"No. She's an electric one."

"…A specialized trainer? Aren't those, you know, bad? Anyone with a ground Pokemon could stomp her into the ground. Heck, _you_ could."

"Thanks."

"What? I just meant that Des is pretty strong now, isn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but… She got here, anyway. She has to be strong." I still didn't know whether to be glad or sad that my Electabuzz was with her, but at least she seemed to be a capable trainer. I really shouldn't refer to it as mine anymore, too. It had been years since I caught it, and I had only owned it for an afternoon. It just stung a little to think that I had given up a Pokemon…

"Strength isn't everything," Hanna replied flatly.

"…Mood killer." I knew she was referring to Nick, too. She shrugged and went back to floating along on her raft. "Fine then. I'm going to go see what Alicia is up to."

"Go for it. Just don't make a fool of yourself."

"You have _so much_ faith in me, it touches my heart, really."

"Hey, she's gonna be in a swimsuit. Sure you can keep her eyes off her boobs?" I squawked in embarrassment and sunk lower into the water, feeling my face heat up. I hadn't thought about that.

"H-Hanna, I'm not going to… I mean, it's not like I'm going to look!"

"Most guys do." She waved a hand casually at the beach. "It's why girls wear bikinis. It gets us attention." That much was true. Hanna had already gotten plenty of male attention from other trainers. "I'm kidding. You'll do fine. Just don't stare so obviously."

"I'm _not_ going to stare," I replied with a huff, swimming off. Hanna was wrong; what sort of pervert did she think I was? Just because _she_ flaunted her body didn't mean all girls did, right?

The point went out the window when I actually found Alicia. She was talking with a brown-haired girl and both of them were in regular clothes. No swimsuits to worry about. Take that, Hanna.

"Heeeey," Alicia said with a broad grin, immediately holding up her wrist. She had two beads, like me. (I couldn't resist grinning stupidly at the thought that we matched.) "You got two, too? See, Sienna? We are not the _only_ ones who didn't get three. Most everyone else we know got three. Let's see. My roomie did, hers did, I saw Vai did, the little twerp Benjamin did, I think Sela did—"

"We get the picture. Everyone did better than us," the girl next to her—Sienna?—said with a sigh and a smile. "But we're gonna get three next competition for sure."

"For sure!" Alicia said at once, pumping her fist in the air.

"Uh, yeah," I agreed, feeling slightly out of place. Were two-beaded people in the minority? Maybe not. Archie had two beads, too, and other people had to have that many. Right?

-.-.-

Hanna drugged us up with cough medicine again—which alarmingly emptied the bottle—and sent us off to bed around midnight. As a result, Vaikuntha and I woke up with what I suspiciously deemed hangovers. Though since some of the partying got a little out of hand last night, we weren't the only ones.

"Competition announcement is up…" Vaikuntha said with a yawn and a stretch. I poked my head out of the bathroom, frowning around my toothbrush. We were still in our _room_. How did he know? I was answered as he held up a piece of paper. "It was taped to the door."

"Why?"

"Ah…" He scanned over it with a chuckle. "This will be fun, brother!"

"That doesn't answer my question."

Grinning in excitement, he held up the paper for me again. "We will compete with each other!"

I spat out my toothpaste in what was only half purposeful. "Wait—I thought we had an alliance!"

"We do." He looked at me in puzzlement, then bit his lip as he visibly reworded it in his mind. "Um… You and I will be able to be on a team. An unofficial team, but a team, yes!"

"Lemme see that…" I wiped my chin and swiped the paper. It was a set of instructions and rules with little explanation, as far as I could tell. The first rule was to stay in our room until a Gym leader visited us with more information and equipment we would need. "Equipment?"

"It explains that below, here. Water guns!"

"Eh?" I kept reading, feeling more confused than before. Water guns? Were we having some sort of water fight? Stay in our rooms until further instruction… We would be able to use one of our Pokemon, randomly selected, as a teammate. It didn't say anything about human teams—though it didn't say we _couldn't_ form them. Everyone would be competing together this time, though; either this competition allowed for a larger group, or enough people had been kicked out in the first round to allow this.

"This sounds fun, brother!" Vaikuntha chirped, rereading the paper over my shoulder.

"I still don't know what it _is_."

"I do not either. But the race was fun, was it not?" Easy for him to say. He got three beads and no Sela in his group. Of course, now he only had two beads left and I had one… I made a note to do well on this one. I needed more beads. Gardenia had advised that we examine the competition and its rules and find out what the Gym leaders were looking for so we could show off in that way. But we were only allowed to use one Pokemon here—and it wasn't even a guaranteed good one. My Pokemon were all awesome, true, but it didn't mean they weren't leveled equally.

The paper didn't really tell us much, though. We were supposed to wait in our rooms for a Gym leader, who would appear some time after noon. I glanced at the clock; it was five after.

Down at the bottom of the paper, however, there was a _very_ important detail: the next competition would take place two days from now. Which meant that we'd give up one bead in the interim. I was guaranteed the third competition, though I'd still feel better about winning beads here. It did give me a sense of security.

There was a knock on the door. Perfect timing. We let in a grinning Crasher Wake and a blond man in military dress I didn't recognize. The blond man saluted and then beamed down at us, barking, "Alright! At attention, men!" Vaikuntha and I nervously saluted back. "You ready for this second competition?"

"It would help if we knew what it _was_," I replied.

Crasher Wake laughed heartily, clapping me on the shoulder. I nearly fell over. Once again, the man's mere presence was a little too overwhelming and pushed me toward the flight instinct. "Ahaha, well that's simple! Either of you boys ever play Assassins?"


	98. How To Be An Assassin Part I

Assassins was like a mix of hide and seek and battle tag, as far as I could understand. Vaikuntha and I were given a water gun each, little brightly colored things that were currently empty. Mine was red and his was green.

"The rules on this are strict, so if either of you two break them, you're disqualified!" the military man announced. We nodded nervously. "First, no headshots. Anyone gets shot in the head and the shooter is out. No shooting civvies. If you shoot someone, even accidentally, who isn't playing the game, then you're out!"

"You can see that these are just water guns, but still, let's not get anyone injured." The way Crasher Wake said it, I had a feeling there had been a couple wounds in the race. "No throwing them at anyone—no throwing anything at anyone!"

"You two will be given a copy of someone's ID card once you select your Pokemon to use. That's your target. You're only allowed to shoot that person. That means that there will be one person hunting you, and you will be hunting that person. If you shoot anyone else, even accidentally, you're disqualified. You may, however, shoot their Pokemon in an effort to get to them. The Pokemon being used cannot tag you out, and offensive attacks are strictly prohibited. Any more questions on the rules?"

"Um, you said we're selecting the Pokemon? It says here they're randomly selected…" I squeaked, more than a little intimidated. On one hand, I had Crasher Wake, the water Gym leader of Sinnoh. And let's face it, he was kinda scary without that fact. Then we had the man in army fatigues and sunglasses who was barking orders at us.

"Oh, yes." Crasher Wake pulled a sack out of the duffel bag they had with them. "Pokeballs in! Then you draw one out! Simple, see? Come on, let's go! We still have a couple more rooms to go before the lights go out."

"Lights?" Vaikuntha and I echoed.

"It'd be too easy if you could see! This is a war zone now! The lights on the entire floor will be shut off. You could, of course, go turn them back on, but doing so would only make you a very visible target… That reminds me—restricted areas. Only this floor is a safe zone. If you go into the stairwell or use the elevators, you'll be immediately disqualified. And if you are shot and 'killed', then you will report to the elevator and meet in the lobby. It's where we'll keep the casualties," the military man summed up with a nod.

"Okay, say we shoot someone. Then we win?"

"No. Then you take _their_ ID card as proof, as well as the copy they had of their target. Their target is your new target. We've chosen everyone so that no one will get each other's card until the very end, so once it's a showdown between the two remaining soldiers, that'll be the end of things."

Vaikuntha listened to this explanation with silence. He fished around in the bag for his randomly selected Pokemon as a teammate, somewhat seriously. I turned my water gun over in my hands, thinking. There was a certain amount of strategy in this game—and it was already starting. For example, the fact that _we_ were choosing our Pokemon. The Gym leaders had to know that not everyone had pokeballs. Great balls and ultra balls each had different markings and ridges on them, so we could tell our Pokemon apart to some degree. I was sure this was on purpose. They were giving us a chance to control one of our variables.

I thought about my own team. Ike was in an ultra ball, and Alice was in a great ball. I could tell them apart easily enough. Then again, I didn't really want either of them for this mission. If we were confined to the floor, Alice, even with her flight, would be next to useless. Ike, while incredibly valuable as a Pokemon, would undoubtedly get too into it and someone would get hurt. He didn't need to be encouraged to hunt others.

I figured Konstantin would be the best bet. He could float through things, he would listen to me, and he was accustomed to the dark. Carlita would be my second choice. She was quick on her feet and also listened to me (it was sad that that was a mental requirement). Des would be okay, though he'd be too big of a target, too slow, and I didn't want to subject him to water guns. Zarek was also out the window, since he still pinched me all too often and he usually didn't listen to me.

First choice: Konstantin. Second choice: Carlita. Absolute last choice: Ike. Though when it came down to it, I supposed I could work with pretty much anyone but Ike or Zarek. Ike was still the bottom of the list. He would have _way_ too much fun with this game…

"Ah, I have Subrata," Vaikuntha said with a surprised smile, releasing his Houndoom. The fact that he got a canine was handy, though he was also a fire Pokemon. (Although come to think of it, I had never seen Subrata use a fire move, not even in practice.) Water guns might give him a bit of trouble.

I dumped my pokeballs in the bag and immediately started digging around. There was Ike's ultra ball; I pushed it over to the bottom corner of the bag so I could concentrate on the others. Now I understood why Vaikuntha had taken so long to pick his; he was trying for someone, too. I wondered if he got who he wanted. I found Alice's great ball as well and shunted her down near Ike's. Okay, four pokeballs left. I concentrated solely on Konstantin and wished I could find his pokeball as easily as I found the other two. My hand brushed against one that might've been warmer than the others—was that Des'? I pushed it over to the side as well, hoping it was. Just increased my changes of getting Konstantin if it was.

Eventually, though, it came down to the fact that I had three pokeballs that I could not tell apart by touch alone. I screwed my eyes shut, hoped for good luck for once, and pulled out the top one. I took a deep breath and released the Pokemon down beside me.

Zarek stared back up at me, batting his eyes with what I imagined was a smug expression.

I hung my head in defeat. Nope. Even praying for Konstantin hadn't done it; the universe (and my karma) wouldn't let me have a lucky break.

"Okay, as a recap. No head shots. No hitting civilians, though they shouldn't be here anyway. Take out your target, and only your target. Stay on the floor unless you die. Lights go out in about a half hour; you're allowed out after that. Got that, soldiers?"

"Yeah."

"I said _got that_ soldiers?!"

"Yes sir!" Vaikuntha and I saluted again as the military man marched out.

Crasher Wake stayed behind and dug out a pair of ID cards. "Ha, good luck you two! You both have a couple of fans among the Gym leaders, so don't disappoint, okay!" My roommate and I glanced at each other in surprise. That was cool. It was always nice to be a favorite. We took our targets and Wake left us.

I looked down at my target. I had never met him before, which was a relief and worrying at the same time. It meant I didn't have to track down the few people I had tentatively labeled friends—or enemies—in the Gym race, but it also meant that I just had this little picture to go by. His name was evidently Donovan Bennett, he was nineteen, and he had dark brown hair. Past that, I was shooting in the dark. Literally.

"Who did you get, Vai?" I asked, turning to him.

He gave me a sheepish smile and held up his card. "Sorry, brother…" I recognized the picture at once. Alicia. "We can temporarily forfeit our alliance, if that makes you more comfortable—"

"Uh, no. It's fine, Vai." I wasn't about to give up my only teammate past a physically abusive baby Krabby, even if he was going to go after Alicia. Plus, this was just a game. She had two beads, like me, so she'd be safe even if she didn't get any this one… But what if she didn't get any in the next competition? That meant that she'd be out of the Gym race.

I supposed we'd just have to cross that bridge when we got to it. On one hand, I definitely didn't want Vaikuntha to lose on purpose or get killed early on, since he was my friend. On the other, could I help him find his target and disqualify my crush (I had long since realized, with some horror, that it _was_ a crush). I pushed both thoughts out of my mind and instead concentrated on the Zarek problem.

"I'm going to have to carry you," I told him, kneeling down in front of him. "But if you pinch me, I will drop you. Zarek, we have to win this. We're a _team_, okay? You don't pinch teammates."

He reached out to me but I drew my hand back.

"No! Didn't I just say that? I know you can understand me. If you don't behave I'll… um. I won't let you see Alice anymore!" It was a lie, but thankfully, he didn't catch on. His eyes grew wide and he dropped both pincers down onto the carpet, bubbling a little. "That's right. So you better behave, mister." I felt pleased that he was listening, though.

"Bii," he murmured, nudging my knee with the outside of his claw. I took it as a sign of his agreement, so I picked him up. He shifted in my arms, but otherwise didn't move. Win for me.

Half an hour later, long after we had explained to our Pokemon what was going on and why their teammates weren't helping, our light went out in our room. It was a little surprising, since we went from sitting on the bottom bunk in pleasant light to pitch black in no time flat.

"Well. Guess it's about that time, then." I felt my way along the bunk bed to prevent myself from falling or hitting anything. Thankfully, we made it to the door without incident. Out in the hallway, it was a _little_ lighter—but only a little. We could make out the carpet and the walls and the doors, but that was about it. Subrata scooted past my legs out into the hallway, nose to the floor.

Vaikuntha set his hands on my shoulder and gently steered me forward, whispering, "Follow Subrata. He can see well in the dark and can smell things we cannot."

"Sounds like a plan—" I was cut off by a scream. Vai and I glued ourselves to the nearest wall and hesitantly peeked around the corner. Lola was standing over another one of the trainers, literally standing _over_ him. She had him pinned down on the ground with her boot resting lightly on his chest, gun dripping onto his soaked shirt.

She turned and gave us a cool glare. She held up an ID card. "Relax. I'm not after you two yet. My next target is, interestingly enough, Sela." She stepped off of the trainer and hooked her water gun on her belt, gesturing after her. Only afterward did I see the Raichu that had pinned the unfortunate trainer's Togekiss; it got off of it, waved its tail at us, and then scurried off after its trainer.

I was thankful she hadn't chosen the Electabuzz, at least.

Okay, so Lola would go off after Sela, which would keep her away from us. Vai was very unfortunately going after Alicia (I still wasn't sure how well that showdown would go). I was going after a stranger. And then there were the strangers who would be tailing us, waiting in the shadows to take us out. Simply thinking about that added a degree of paranoia I hadn't anticipated; I nervously glanced over my shoulder. This was going to be an… interesting competition.


	99. How To Be An Assassin Part II

"One, two—augh!" I was shoved forcefully into the dark doorway, landing on my face (of course). "Vai—!" I choked out before he more or less landed on me, successfully knocking the wind out of me. I wiggled vainly under him.

"Shh!" he whispered, rolling off of me and kicking the door shut. I felt more than saw him stand up. I sat up, struggling to breathe properly again. "I think I may have found who has you as a target, brother. There has been this trainer following us for the past fifteen minutes."

Zarek bubbled unhelpfully. I only knew this because the bubbles were popping on my fingertips. I had no idea his opinion on the subject—or, really, if he was even old enough to _have_ an opinion on the subject.

The game had been going on for well over an hour now, and many trainers had already been shot and sent down to the lobby. Neither of us, however, had found our targets. The game was progressing surprisingly slowly, partly due to the caution of the trainers, and partly because this was a big hotel and thus a big floor. Most of the rooms were open, too, so it was turning into a game of hide and seek with the remaining players.

Well, except for Sela and Lola.

The two had had several showdowns already, standing at opposite ends of the hallway. Sela and her Lopunny would normally run like heck from Lola, who would fire indiscriminately in their direction while her Raichu started Thunder Waving anyone in the area. Vaikuntha and I had already been the victims once of the crossfire. My toes were still a little tingly. Most of the other trainers stayed out of their way at this point in the game. I sort of felt sorry for whoever had Lola—or who Sela was supposed to be hunting, because eventually, Lola would get her and then they would become Lola's next target. The fact that she wore all black and had black hair worked in her favor, too, since it was camouflage in the darkness.

It was a little frustrating. We hadn't found our targets, we were fed up with having to run like heck every time we saw either Sela or Lola, and we didn't even get the adrenaline rush of running from _our_ assassins.

Well, at least until Vaikuntha had shoved me into the nearest room, a room we had been planning to jump into guns blazing (too many people hid in them in ambush). That definitely threw off my groove. Of course, if it meant we were suddenly turned into the prey instead of the predators, it meant that the game was irreversibly changed. No longer would we have the luxury of merely searching. We would have to hide now as well. Hide, run, and dodge.

Vaikuntha and I faced the shut door, backs to the darkness. At least we were alone in there. Subrata growled softly. Zarek merely bubbled some more. I was just starting to wonder if that was _all_ he was going to do for this contest when the door banged open.

Not unlike a surprised feline, I jumped up and landed on the bed in a crouch, Zarek momentarily too shocked by the movement to bubble anymore. Vaikuntha's Houndoom barked, jaws snapping audibly shut, surprising the intruder just long enough for Vaikuntha and I to train our water guns on the silhouette.

It was our turn to be surprised when the previously unseen silhouette beside the human let out a howl and flashed, lighting up our room and blinding us. I did see something, however, that caught my attention. Hoping against hope I was right for once, I raised my gun again (we had both dropped our stances by raising our arms to shield our eyes) and pointed it at the figure. I pulled the trigger without a single thought as to the fact that if I were wrong, I would be out of the game.

By the time our night vision returned, the figure had already sighed and said, "Any chance I'm lucky enough that you hadn't meant to do that?"

I blinked at him, grinning in immense relief when I recognized him. Actually, I had never seen the guy before in my life—except on the little plastic card in my pocket. Donovan Bennett, my target. With his Pokemon's flash (it turned out to be a Manectric) of electricity, I had gotten just enough of a glimpse to start a knee-jerk recognition and reaction.

I was lucky.

I also wasn't stupid enough to depend on that again. My quota was obviously used up for the next _decade_ with that luck. I sighed in relief, absently patting Zarek's claw. I had been one soaked shirt away from disqualification, and I was sure that would lead to no beads. Instead, I had managed to take out my target. Finally, karma was giving me some good luck.

"Donovan Bennett?" I asked, though I was already sure of it. I had stared at that ID for who knew how long at the beginning of the game. I pulled it out of my pocket and held it out to him, proof that he was my target.

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, shoot. Guess luck's not on my side this time, huh?" Nope, it was on _mine_. I couldn't get over that fact, either. "Well, I had a good run, I guess. I got one out before, anyway, so maybe I earned myself a bead or two." He laughed good-naturedly, messing with a locket around his neck.

"It is true. We have all been in the game for quite some time, so perhaps that will earn us some beads," Vaikuntha replied with an equally cheery smile.

"Here's to hoping. Jeez, you're a lucky son of a gun." He fished around in his cargo pants for his target ID. I was too busy messing with Zarek and popping his bubbles to notice, still high off of my unexpected luck. I had been unlucky with choosing him, but lucky in this; I considered this not only an equal tradeoff, but actually preferable. If I had been lucky and gotten Konstantin or Carlita, I probably would've been unlucky enough to have gotten out in the first five minutes. This way, I now had a new target, and had gotten one out. That had to be worth at least a bead, right? And who knew, maybe this next target would get out too, and then I would be even luckier and even more likely to get two or even _three_ beads. I was set. For once in my life, I was feeling pretty dang lucky.

Until I saw the ID card that Donovan was holding out to me.

"Seriously, I wasn't expecting this. Now you're gonna get two targets out in what, a couple minutes? I mean, you can't really defend yourself in this game. Hiding is the only way, and since you're both here together, then it's sorta hard, right?" Donovan said blithely, completely unaware of the sudden cold creeping up my spine.

Vaikuntha's smiling picture was staring out at me from the plastic.

Vaikuntha was my next target.

Vaikuntha was currently sitting not two feet from me, looking at the copy of his ID with a hooded expression.

I numbly took the card and didn't hear Donovan leave. _That_ explained why he had been tailing us; he was going after my roommate, not me. And now that I had gotten him out, I had to go after Vaikuntha. And even if I somehow managed to get through that without making him mad at me, I had to go after _Alicia_ next. It was like I was running the gauntlet. I would've preferred Sela or Lola at this point. Anyone but those two.

"…Brother, you can—"

"Zarek, snip this." I held it down to my Krabby, who looked positively delighted and set about to shredding the plastic with his claws. I turned to Vaikuntha solemnly. He and Subrata were wearing matching expressions of incredulity as they watched Zarek destroy the ID. "Vai, I know this is just a game, but not only is it _completely unfair_ of me to even think of getting you when we're like this, I'm just not going to do it. There's no rule saying I _have_ to get my target. And think of it this way—you have immortality, since I'm not going to get you."

"Are you sure?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Of course. You're my roommate—er, brother—uh, comrade—um, friend. You have a shot at getting just as many beads as anyone else, and frankly, I think it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to betray a friend." Because I already had, with Nick. I didn't care if this was small scale, silly, just a game, what have you. It wasn't as if they could _make_ me shoot him. Vaikuntha had been so nice to me, it was time I repaid the favor. Even if it cost me potential beads, they were just beads. I was fairly comfortable thinking I would get at least one, and since Vaikuntha hadn't gotten anyone out yet, he wouldn't probably get any.

Instead of directly answering me first, Vaikuntha just latched onto my shoulders in a fierce hug. Zarek squirmed at getting squished, but I figured he could suffer through this. Plus, I couldn't move him anyway, since my arms were currently pinned to my sides.

"That is too kind of you, brother! Too kind, too kind! I do not deserve a friend like you!"

"Uh, Vai—"

"So now I shall repay your kindness with my own!" He held me out at arm's length, smiling deviously at me. The way the faint light from the open door reflected in his eyes, he almost looked like some sort of devil. It was the closest he had ever come (at least to my knowledge) to looking evil. "Brother, I have a plan."

-.-.-

His plan probably didn't include this, but a half hour later, we found ourselves running down the hall, screaming bloody murder.

Just because I wasn't going after Vaikuntha didn't mean anyone wasn't coming after _me_.

"_Ahh_—where do I shoot?" This assassin (who unfortunately was unknown to me at this point) had a Gastly, a Gastly who was having a heyday with the fact that we couldn't shoot heads. And, what do you know, Gastly _were_ heads. Nothing but them. As if it wasn't bad enough they were ghosts, but they had to be floating heads. I held my gun shakily out, pointed at the Gastly that I couldn't shoot. It cackled and floated closer, forcing me another step back. My shoe hit the wall. So it was trying to corner me.

I threw myself to the side just as a jet of water came from the opposite end of the hall. The Gastly's owner, a female trainer, swore at the miss and aimed again. I ducked and rolled, dodging again. Barely.

Zarek, who had been riding on my shoulder, fell off in the maneuver and sat in the middle of the hallway. He looked perfectly astonished at this fact.

He then, however, did something I had to remember to thank him for later.

The female trainer raised her water gun again, and just as she fired—and just as I rapidly ran out of dodging room as I literally ran into the other wall of the hallway—he shot the water. He shot the stream of water with his own Water Gun, successfully throwing it off and keeping me dry. She stared down at him in surprise, and then tried again. He shot the water away from me again just as easily. This repeated a couple times, with each time her becoming more frustrated and him becoming more smug, until my cavalry arrived in the form of Vaikuntha tackling her from behind. He pinned her to the ground and her water gun flew out of her hands, skidding to a stop several feet away from her outstretched arms.

Her Gastly swooped down to retrieve it, but Subrata appeared with a Faint Attack and stood protectively between it and the ghost.

"Brother, run!"

"How are we going to meet up again?" I asked in a panic. Safety was in numbers, as evidenced by the fact that my roommate was sitting on the person hunting me.

"Subrata and I will find you, trust me! Now go! You must lose your assassin!"

"But you—"

"I am safe, remember?"

"Get _off_ of me!" she snarled, face red. Vaikuntha nodded to me. I replied in kind and scooped up Zarek, kicked her gun farther away from her for good measure, and then ran off down the hall. I had no idea where I was going, where I would hide, or whether or not I would see Vaikuntha again before the now-angry girl found me again, but hey, at least this wasn't so boring anymore.


	100. How Not To Be An Assassin Part III

I would swear up and down that whoever that girl was, she was either a ghost along with her Gastly or some sort of ninja. I wasn't quite sure which. If Zarek hadn't gone sniper on her water gun squirts, I would've been out a couple dozen times by the time I ran into a friendly.

Literally, too.

I skidded around a corner and collided bodily with someone else. Apparently I had more force behind my charge, because we went tumbling into the carpet with me landing on top. Embarrassingly enough, I found out that whoever I was suddenly laying on was female.

Even more embarrassing—it was Alicia.

"H-Hey, get off of me!" she squealed, but stopped pushing me away once she blinked those big brown eyes up at me a couple times and recognized me. "Oh, wow, you're still in the game, too? Awesome! We're running out of players really fast now and I haven't found my new target _or_ who's chasing me and who are you after? Lola finally got Sela out, so now she's after someone else but no one can figure out who yet and I ran into a couple other people but they got out so now I think there's only, like, twenty or so of us left and can you get off of me now?"

It took me a couple moments to realize she had asked me a question. I leapt off of her and scooped up Zarek. He had fallen off of my shoulder (again; at least I knew he had a tough shell) and decided to wait and let me pick him back up instead of coming back over to his trainer himself. He poked my hand with the tip of his claw and gave me a rather dangerous look. I blinked back at him; I had no idea how to interpret _that_. I pushed that to the back of my mind and instead looked back at Alicia. "Who is your target?"

"It was Benjamin, but I got the little brat out a couple of minutes ago." She paused to snicker rather evilly, even going so far as to clasp her hands together. "And he was going after some guy. I don't know who it is, but I haven't seen him yet."

"Does this guy have a name…?"

"That's the thing. He sorta doesn't. At least, his ID card doesn't have one." She rummaged through her pocket and withdrew the plastic card. I looked at it curiously. The trainer pictured was older than us, probably early twenties or something, and had messy brown hair. I couldn't tell his eye color in the darkness, but he seemed to be wearing—at least in the picture—a dark shirt. I could only hope that he wasn't like Lola and made a habit out of doing so. I couldn't help but notice that most of the trainers still in the game had darker clothes on…

Down in the corner where the name _would_ go, it only said "Challenger".

"That's weird… Maybe it's a typo or something. Or they forgot to put his name into the computer," I suggested airily. I looked back up at her, tilting my head when I noticed that she was alone. "Alicia, where's your Pokemon?"

"He's coming," she replied with a shrug. She got to her feet and dusted off her skirt, then looked down at Zarek with a smile.

"Huh?"

"Finally got your Krabby to not make you bleed every five seconds?"

"Uh, yeah. What did you mean when you said—"

"I meant that he hadn't been able to keep up when this girl tailed us. I'm pretty sure she was after me, so he told me to go and held her off."

I frowned. That wasn't right. Vaikuntha was the one who had her as a target, and he was currently trying to find me again. That reminded me of the plan, though. I eagerly leaned forward with a bright grin and exclaimed, "Hey—Vai and I have a plan and you're part of it!"

"Excuse me—?"

"I mean—not like that—he's the one who has you as a target." She stared at me as if I had grown another head, clearly asking me why I was telling her this. "And I had him as a target."

"Had?"

"No, or, I mean, I still do. But I'm not going to get him out. There's no rule saying we have to, right?" I ignored my embarrassment at talking to her and instead plowed right on ahead, excited about the plan. Vaikuntha had explained it so easily, and now I couldn't seem to do it as well. Not that I wasn't trying. "Okay, I have Vai, and Vai has you. I'm not getting Vai, so he's safe until someone gets me, so he's protecting me from the someone who's tracking me because they can't get _him_ out and—"

"Whoa, slow down there." She placed a hand on either shoulder and sighed dramatically. "People tell me I talk a lot, but shoot, _breathe_, man! You said Vai is supposed to assassinate me?"

"Yes—No—That's just it! He has a plan. This isn't against the rules or anything, so we can team up! I have him but I won't get him, so he's safe. He has you but he won't get you, so _you're_ safe! And he's guarding me, since I'm _not_ safe, and this way he's like an immortal bodyguard! He _can't_ get out unless I get out first! So you can't get out unless _I_ get out _and_ he gets out! See?"

"Wait… So you're saying I have free reign?" Alicia asked slowly, realization glinting in her eyes. She smiled widely. "A team, you say? Which would entail us two playing bodyguard for you while tracking down my target…"

"Yeah, pretty much." I thought it was a great plan, anyway. It would mean that my assassin would have to be very lucky or very skilled, in order to get past Vaikuntha and now Alicia as well. (And that wasn't taking into account Zarek's sniping skills.) Then we could more or less traverse the floor unharmed and unequaled while looking for Alicia's target. It would be slow going, one at a time, but it would be a more or less surefire way to go through the ranks safely.

"I have to say, I like the way you boys think."

-.-.-

Alicia's Pokemon, an Armaldo named Saron, caught up with us a couple minutes later. I felt a little safer with him there as well. Especially since he had been carrying Alicia's water gun with him (for reasons unknown). With an armed bodyguard, we deemed it safe enough to move from our room and actively look for either Vaikuntha or Alicia's unknown target.

Ten minutes later, we passed the girl who had been tracking me. The shoulder of her shirt was visibly wet and she only huffed as she and her Gastly passed us. I gulped. Someone new and unknown was now tracking me… Though at least she and that head-that-I-could-not-shoot were gone.

And not five minutes after that, Vaikuntha bounded up to us. Our team was complete. And now I had two human bodyguards, one fossil Pokemon bodyguard, one little sniper in my arms, and a canine who could sniff out the remaining players. It would just be a matter of going from human to human until we found her target. I was feeling rather proud of myself, though it was technically my roommate's plan. At least I had started it with my decision not to get him out.

As the time wore on, it became more and more apparent that there were less trainers on the floor. We passed two more on their way out, and only ran into two who we weren't allowed to shoot.

Eventually, however, Subrata sniffed out the trainer who was Alicia's target. It turned into a bit of a shootout, though—not at all cut and dried as we had initially thought. The main problem was that the guy had a Kingler. Zarek was going crazy in excitement at his genetic relative, frothing at the mouth and waving his claws at it. Houndoom and Armaldo were both very unfortunately weak to water attacks, too, so he kept us pretty effectively pinned around one corner with an onslaught of mild water attacks to keep Subrata and Saron away.

"Bii, bii!" Zarek burbled, wiggling in my arms.

"Stop it, Zarek. Behave! Stop it, young man—uh, Krabby. You can play with the Kingler later," I lied. It stopped him from wiggling so much, though he was still reaching out in the Kingler's direction very enthusiastically. I made a mental note to try to let him play with the Kingler later—though I doubted its trainer would be too keen on the idea since we were _hunting_ him.

"Oh, heifer. These boots were new, too," Alicia sighed, kicking at the ankle-deep water that was beginning to accumulate on the carpet. "The hotel is going to be mad at us… I bet those Gym leaders are paying them a bucket load to allow us to do this. I wonder if we'll get moved to another floor if we cause enough damage to this one—"

"Sister, please, shh! You are the only one who can shoot him, so you have to be the one who will go out there!"

"And get soaked? It's bad enough we're all soggy from the knees down, but I'd rather not get a bath," Alicia pointed out.

"He's not even using his gun. He knows he's safe if we don't want to go out…" I muttered darkly, peeking around the corner. Much to my surprise, he wasn't standing behind his Kingler, giving orders. Instead, he was halfway down the hall, his Kingler shuffling after him with a very smug expression. "Hey! Get back here!" I tightened my hold on Zarek and darted around the corner. After a moment's confusion, I heard Vaikuntha and Alicia follow.

The chase lasted for what felt like forever. We were all more or less soaked—even the target, courtesy of a slip and Zarek—much to our collective annoyance. It was hard enough running without wet clothes dripping and sticking to you and your socks squishing in your shoes, thank you. But then, the chase very, _very_ abruptly ended when Challenger had the supreme bad luck to run into Lola and her Raichu.

Long story short, we were all very nearly electrocuted, thanks to the water on all of us.

"Oh… Um, that was not my intention. That wasn't my fault." I stared dully up at her, limbs tingly and not at all wanting to move. Her Raichu made a sound that could've been a stifled laugh. "None of you are my target… yet… But at least I know how to stop you when the time comes." I heard more than saw her leave us.

"Heifer…" I was half-draped across the Armaldo, but I heard his owner off to my right somewhere. I managed to raise my head enough to see her lazily flop her arm towards her target, pulling the trigger.

"…Drat," he deadpanned, lying spread-eagled on the floor next to his very dazed Kingler.

It took awhile, but eventually we were all able to gingerly stand up. Zarek was unconscious, Subrata was very visibly paralyzed and had to be carried by Vaikuntha, but Alicia could stand well enough to receive her next ID card. Challenger—when asked, he replied that it actually _was_ his name—stalked off after that.

Soon after that, I paid for my previous good luck in the form of some very bad luck. _Very_ bad luck. We decided to camp out in a hallway to keep an eye on things (there were enough trainers out of the game to allow this to be a relatively safe idea) and let feeling restore itself. Just when I could easily flex my fingers again, I very possibly had a heart attack as a dragon streaked down the hallway and landed heavily in front of us.

I very possibly had a second heart attack when I saw that it was a Garchomp.

While my mind was shrieking _Nick!_ at me at the top of its lungs, the Garchomp's trainer slid down from its neck and walked leisurely over. "Hey there, sunshine," Archie drawled. I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and judging by Alicia's expression, so could she. Archie beamed at us and placed one hand on his hip, twirling his water gun with his other.

"I-I didn't know you had a Garchomp," I said, my voice a little shakier than I would've liked in other, non-heart-attack-inducing circumstances.

"…Yeah." He looked back at the dragon, and a little late, I realized that that was probably a pretty insensitive thing of me to say. Before I could open my mouth to insert my foot, he turned back to us and smiled again, cocking his head to one side. "Her name's Charlotte. And what's this, some sort of team you guys made? Or what?"

"What do you want?" Alicia asked flatly, hand tightening on her water gun. I knew Archie wasn't her next target, so we really couldn't do much but chase him off for the time being.

"Sunshine's my target," he chirped, and squared his gun on me.

"…Crap."

Because our reflexes were shot, he got me out. And then once I explained I didn't have my target ID card and very reluctantly confessed my target was sitting next to me, Archie then got Vaikuntha out as well. And then Alicia. Our fairly short-lived team shuffled off rather stiffly towards the elevators after that, pretty much deathly depressed. It had been a very grand idea, but all it took was one chain of events to completely derail it and get all of us out in a matter of a minute and a half.


	101. Silence Is The Genius Of Fools

The Gym leaders were equal parts amused, impressed, and outright incredulous. Maylene thought we had gotten an awesome idea, Volkner was surprised we'd thought it'd _work_, Fantina was sympathetic to the fact that we had gotten out at all, Gardenia was amazed we'd come up with the idea of teaming up and almost worked it successfully, and Crasher Wake was too busy laughing to offer many words. Many of the foreign Gym leaders were likewise entertained by our antics.

So we were delighted by the attention and, later on, three beads each.

Hanna, when regaled with our epic tale, thought it was hilarious that we all went down at the same time, and also, of course, asked if I had made any sort of move on Alicia. (I irritably replied with a negative.) The third competition was one day after that, which meant that I had three beads in reserve—which was a blessing, because I completely bombed and didn't get any beads.

By the end of the third competition, many of the Gym race trainers (myself included) were noticing a pattern. There were a couple who were just _barely_ squeaking by. There were those who were more or less safe for the moment—like Alicia and I. And then there were three trainers who had gotten three beads in each of the three competitions thus far: Vaikuntha, Sela, and Lola. When the remaining trainers noticed this, those three were immediately decided to be the favorites and more or less were referred to as the next Gym leaders. The rest of us were competing for the last spot.

The first three contests had successfully halved our initial number. There were now about thirty-five or forty left, and we moved to the fourth floor of the hotel, since we pretty much wrecked the third. Hanna was delighted with this since, because she stubbornly refused to give up her room, meant we were now neighbors. Vaikuntha and I elected to be roommates again, though a lot of the others reshuffled their roommates. I caught Alicia in an argument with Lola and Benjamin got into a shouting match with Archie when one of the Gym leaders offhandedly suggested they be roommates.

Eventually, within another week's time, things were settled.

And once those things were settled, the Gym race was officially opened to the public. We had just become a spectator sport.

By the time the fourth competition rolled around—I was starting to sweat because I was down to my last bead—I was pretty sure Sunyshore's population had doubled. The streets were crowded no matter what time you went out (Vaikuntha, Hanna, and I were forced to go on cough medicine runs at odd hours as a result), our floor of the hotel had to be completely blocked to public access because of the crowds, and the reporters were now en masse and tracking down trainers like starved Sharpedo. The fact that the fourth one would be the first one officially covered by the mass media made it all that much worse.

On the upside, the trainers who had survived this far were now sleeping again, most of them thanks to the cough syrup trick. It seemed to catch on, once we explained to Alicia how it worked. Her talkative nature spread it from there.

There was no repeat of the nightmare attack, either, thankfully. Whoever had done it was either gone from our ranks or decided that discretion would be a better strategy in the long run.

They kept us in the dark about the fourth challenge, though a couple of us overheard Fantina and Morty refer to the next challenges as the second half of the Gym race. That was good—it had us proud to have made it that far. The fact that friendships were also returning among the trainers helped. I learned a valuable life lesson because of this: all you needed was sleep and a couple of friends to function properly.

Of course, when the Gym leaders purposefully started going after the latter in the second half of the Gym race, that made life difficult again.

"With the second half beginning, we have a couple of changes to announce. For starters, this is the battling portion of the Gym race." There were a couple murmurs among the crowd. It was true that so far, these challenges hadn't been very… battle-y. "They will all be spaced two days apart each, so your Pokemon should be able to recuperate from most injuries sustained in that time. This is also the first portion of this race we're allowing spectators to watch." We already knew that part, though.

Gardenia took over, raising her hand for silence at the chatter that had broken out again. "Though we are now all battling, it does not mean that these will be conventional battles. I think you'll find this to be especially true tomorrow." Why did she look so evil right then? I unconsciously shuddered. "Please keep in mind that we are still looking for certain things in you trainers, so try to impress us even further with these battles. And just because we're battling now doesn't mean we don't frown upon random battles in the street or hotel, though! I'm looking at you, Sela."

"Yeah, yeah," the woman grumbled in response, hunching over at the unexpected attention.

"With all of the spectators in town, please be on your best behavior. We recommend you do not talk to any of the reporters at this time, as official interviews will be scheduled later, but we cannot stop you if you'd like to. Please be aware that these men and women are looking for scandals and excitement, so this will not get you the attention you're looking for."

"Speaking of scandals, what of the nightmares? Have you caught the culprit yet?" Lola asked, voice loud but polite. Gardenia and Volkner shared a strained look. "As I thought—"

"_Ma cher_, please do not rush to these conclusions," Fantina broke in, voice rather icy. "We are working very hard to catch this person and will have him or her in our custody by the end of this."

"But you still haven't caught them," Benjamin muttered mutinously, voice uncomfortably loud enough to be heard by most.

"If anyone's willing to confess, then we could move along our investigation," Volkner suggested. He gave our group a rather dispassionate glare, arms crossed. "Or we could decide to interrogate each and every one of you, and whoever has the weakest alibi—their nightmare—will be assumed to be the culprit. But of course you trainers don't approve of that idea, do you?"

"Don't blame this on _us_. If we don't want to share trauma with strangers, that should be our own problem," Sela barked, even going so far as to shake her fist at him. I couldn't help but notice a couple of the foreign Gym leaders exchange looks. I also couldn't help but wonder how much _they_ knew.

"Then how do you propose we continue with this investigation? Pick out each of you with ghosts or psychics?"

"Brother, do they not know that some dark Pokemon are also capable of such a task?" Vaikuntha whispered, a little too loudly.

Gardenia pressed her palm against her face and groaned, "Vaikuntha, we _know_. But we already checked. Going through, as specifically as possible, the list of Pokemon capable of doing that, and crossing off those who don't have a Pokemon like that… Well, crosses off virtually _no one_. And there's no feasible way, at this time, to narrow it down any further."

"How reassuring," Lola drawled flatly.

-.-.-

The next morning, Vaikuntha and I were woken up by a very hyper, blonde, French girl who Hanna had the courtesy to let into our room. "C-Cossette?" I bleated, only managing to spot a head of yellow hair before she latched onto my shoulders.

"_Ouais!_ Yes! I am here to, how you say, cheerlead!"

"What is going on?" Vaikuntha asked sleepily, poking his head down to investigate. Cossette turned to him with big eyes, apparently surprised by his presence.

Hanna, in the doorway, put a hand over her mouth to cover her smile. "Yeah, you have cheerleaders now."

"Why was that plural."

"I bought outfits and everything," she chirped, not completely explaining, but explaining enough. Cossette was not alone. Jude, who was still watching over her and Véronique, had come along too. And, after a phone call, I discovered my parents were on the way. I had a support system for the second half. Well, I had always had one in my team, but having human cheerleaders (some of them literally) would be nice, too.

When I asked Vaikuntha if his family would be coming, too, he simply got an odd little look on his face and explained that his parents would not, since they were evidently in another country.

"Hey, don't worry, Vai! We'll cheerlead for you, too," Hanna said with a bright smile. Vaikuntha blushed and thanked her profusely, but she just waved him off.

"She didn't do it for you. She just wants to show off that new outfit of hers, I bet," I remarked dryly. Hanna glared at me for it (but didn't contradict me).

Our self-proclaimed cheerleaders got us ready, took us out to lunch, and then very eagerly went off to change while us trainers were herded to the Sunyshore Stadium for our fourth challenge. A couple battles would be going on a the same time, to save time and so they could keep the crowd more under control and dispersed. I saw television cameras and microphones every which way, which only worsened once we got into the stadium itself. The repeated flashes from the photographers was also starting to get to me.

The little knot of us trainers managed to get through the human mass and were rounded up inside by a couple of the Gym leaders. They started counting us off by fours, which unfortunately meant Vaikuntha and I got separated. I was shanghaied by a group of twos and the female Gym leader I dimly remembered as Winona, along with a guy who I assumed was one of her aides or assistants or something. They led us into one of the waiting rooms for one of the arenas, and asked us to form a single-file line. I found myself near the front.

I could _taste_ the confusion in the air once Winona asked, "Eyes, ears, or mouth?"

I craned my head to see the person in front, a brunette girl with a ponytail that seemed very taken aback by the question. "Excuse me?" she asked with a fidget.

"I'm afraid I can't elaborate until you have all chosen. Pick one," Winona said sympathetically, brow furrowing.

"Um, eyes?"

The question was repeated to the second person, and then the third. Then it was _me_. I glanced nervously around, as if that would help me with this decision. "Uh… Ears?" I was the first to pick that choice, and the girl in front was the only one to pick eyes. The other two had chosen mouth. That seemed to be the popular choice all down the line, much to the eyes and ears people's chagrin. Had we picked wrong?

"Okay, it's decided. Thomas, you take the eyes, I'll take the mouths. You three who have picked ears, please stay here for a moment," Winona said kindly, herding the rest of the trainers out the door. I stared after her, stunned. They were dividing us _again_? Was this some sort of confusion tactic?

A couple minutes later, Winona's aide came back in. He smiled brightly at us, and with a slight sigh, explained, "Okay, as you probably figured out, you just picked what battling style you'll be, well, battling in. My name is Thomas, and I'll be your opponent. I can't explain all of the rules to you right now, but the basics are the same. It'll be a three-on-three battle, substitutions are _not_ allowed, and you _are_ allowed to pick which Pokemon you'll be battling with. Any volunteers for who goes first? My Pokemon will be healed between battles, so don't think going last will give you any sort of advantage. …No? Why am I not surprised—okay, you. Short kid in the middle."

Of _course_ he meant me.

"If you two will kindly wait in here, I will come back at the end of the battle. You are free to talk with one another or your Pokemon, but no one else. It shouldn't take too long." As he was saying this, he grabbed my shoulders and started steering me towards the door to the arena. A battle. I could handle a battle. Three-on-three? I could handle that, too. It was the ears bit that was making me nervous.

Well, that and this was a Gym challenge. There was no way it was as easy as a simple battle…

"…And here we have our first battle in the 'ears' category!" the speaker overhead boomed. This was met with deafening cheering. I hadn't ever battled in front of such a large crowd—as if I needed more pressure. I spotted Hanna, Cossette and Jude in the front row, however, screaming and waving. True to her word, Hanna and Cossette were in skirts and tank tops, waving blue pompoms in the air. I fought back a grin and instead waved back at them. Cossette shouted something, but I couldn't hear her over the roar. Maybe the ears part meant I couldn't hear myself think with the crowd so loud?

I decided to play the defensive for the first part of the battle, see what this Thomas guy did. He had been with Winona, so did that mean he was a flying-type trainer? I decided Ike was a good bet, since he had an advantage, and was a pretty good battler anyway. I also picked Des, because he was probably the strongest of my team. Plus, barring the dreaded water Pokemon (so sue me if I was still a little paranoid about them), he could handle most things thrown his way. For my third, I chose Konstantin after a moment of thought. He could fly, sort of, and was also a pretty good battler. His Shadow Sneak and Future Sight attacks were handy, anyway.

Okay. I had my team figured out. I just had to win a simple battle. That wasn't that hard. So what if substitutions weren't allowed? So long as he didn't have a water Pokemon when Des came out… The call was made, and we both sent out our first. "Go, Ike!" I figured he would be a strong starter and a way to gauge the competition. Plus we would be playing defensive; he was quick and could take a hit. I got this. I could handle this.

Thomas silently called out a Pidgeot. I grinned broadly, and Ike let out a pleased growl. Thomas didn't seem to worried, however, and only whistled. His Pidgeot dove down at Ike. My Luxray, bewildered by this, didn't have time to react and the bird scored a direct hit, scratching his shoulder pretty badly with its claws.

"H-Hey!" I squawked, looking at my challenger in shock.

He didn't respond and whistled again, this time in two low bursts. His Pidgeot wheeled around in the air and streaked towards Ike again. Ike scrambled out of the way, fur bristling with protective electricity.

I suddenly had a feeling what the ears bit was about.


	102. And One Of The Virtues Of The Wise

With no way to tell what the opponent would do until the Pidgeot was already on the attack, the battle wasn't going as smoothly as planned. The best I could do was have Ike spam his electric attacks and dodge. It made for a lot of stress and shouting. "No—to the right, the _right_, Ike! Duck! Now try to—or you could Bite it, I guess—Thunderbolt!"

Ike was in worse shape than I would've otherwise liked by the time the Pidgeot fainted, but at least we won the first round.

"_This is… admittedly difficult. Why has he trained his Pokemon like this?_" Ike asked with a growl, turning towards me while the referee announced the Pidgeot as unable to battle. I could only shrug in bewilderment. It seemed like a pretty effective way of confusing your foe, but past that, there wasn't a real need to do that, right? Ike snorted and turned back to the battlefield with something that sounded suspiciously like "_useless_".

Thomas next called out a Venomoth. It squeaked shrilly and flitted back and forth. The jerky, erratic movements made it even harder to read than the Pidgeot had been. What made it worse was that it picked Ike up with a Psychic, threw him against the far wall, and that was the end of it.

I huffed angrily. Des was a Camerupt, which was a fire type, which was good against bugs. It was his own fault for knocking Ike out. "Okay Des, long story short, roast the bug. It'll be hard to read it and know what's coming, but I think it's safe to say it won't get you wet."

"_Sounds like a plan,_" he deadpanned. I couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or not. Thomas whistled two high notes, and the Venomoth's eyes glowed—another Psychic was coming. Des, even as his feet were being lifted off the ground, bathed that general direction with flames. He was abruptly dropped. The Venomoth whined and flitted to the other end of the arena in a panic, Des following its movement with a Flamethrower.

With a series of musical notes, Thomas had his Venomoth use a Toxic on Des, unfortunately poisoning him. It didn't take much longer for him to knock it out, but I could see the poison was taking its toll on him. I flagged the referee over and beckoned Des over as well. "Can I return my Camerupt?" I asked. He was limping and seemed a little slower than usual. I felt worried.

"_I can still battle_," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"I just don't want you hurt. Can I return him, though he's not fainted yet? I won't let him out to battle again."

"As long as you don't send it out again, then you may. The trainer has chosen to withdraw his Camerupt! Both are down to their last Pokemon!" the referee announced. As if I needed reminding.

I let Konstantin out last. It was just me and him. I didn't care if Des was still conscious; I didn't want him battling with that bad of a poison in his system. Besides, Konstantin could handle a single Pokemon. I kept him near me before the third round officially began, and explained in a low tone, "Kostya, he's not going to shout out attack names like normal trainers. So neither are we, okay? Let's play these mind games with him."

"_I do not understand, comrade_," he replied with a paw to his teeth. He glanced over at our opponent, who now had a Jolteon out beside him. This caused me pause. I had been expecting another bird or flying Pokemon. Still, it meant that Konstantin could float around freely in the air while the Jolteon was grounded. This would work in our favor.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do. Just stick to the shadows and try to be sneaky and evil, okay? Use a Future Sight or two to further confuse them as to what the heck you're up to. You know… be a ghost. Scare them a bit."

The way his eye glinted reminded me of when we'd first met. He giggled darkly and turned fully to face the Jolteon. "_Understood_."

The second the referee started the last round, the Jolteon sparked and charged at Konstantin, whereas he sunk into his shadow with an outright _demonic_ cackle. The Jolteon skidded to a stop with a growl, looking around it. Thomas whistled something and it nodded, then started digging furiously into the ground with its front paws. In a matter of seconds, it had succeeded in Digging its way into the arena floor, hiding as well as Konstantin.

And for awhile, the arena was still.

Konstantin hesitantly peeked out of a shadow near the referee, red eye searching for his opponent. After not seeing it, he floated fully out into full view. The Jolteon came up directly below him, fangs bared—but Konstantin easily swung out of the way. The electric Pokemon missed by a mile. I smirked and crossed my arms triumphantly. Thomas spared me a glare and whistled once, his Jolteon bristling and shooting spikes of its fur at Konstantin. He balked and the attack hit him, sending him flying across the arena. Instead of landing, however, he sunk into another shadow with a terse peal of laughter. Not a moment later, the Jolteon yelped as it was picked up and thrown into the ground again. Taking advantage of the situation and not allowing it to recover properly, Konstantin flew out of the shadow underneath it and hit it square in the stomach, sending it flying once more.

As it landed with a thud, he sunk into the nearest shadow again with another laugh. I was impressed with his strategy. The Jolteon was clearly at a loss for what to do, even with the whistled commands, and Thomas was starting to get frustrated as well. Finally, he whistled one long, winding note and closed his eyes.

This confused me until his Jolteon lit up the entire arena with a very bright Flash.

While I was blinking rapidly, trying to clear my vision, Konstantin had been spotted. With no shadows in the area, no matter how temporarily, he had become visible and the Jolteon latched onto him with a Thunder Fang. He fled into the nearest shadow—unfortunately, with the Jolteon still attached.

And again, the arena was still and conspicuously missing its battlers.

When my vision was finally back to normal, the two battlers reappeared rather explosively. With a clap of thunder and too much stray electricity for me to feel entirely comfortable, Konstantin and the Jolteon were thrown cleanly out of the shadow created by the Dig hole. The Jolteon hit the ground and didn't get up again, looking too dazed to really continue. My Duskull, on the other hand, caught himself in midair with a somersault and rubbed his mask, looking equally dazed but at least still upright.

"Jolteon is unable to battle! The challenger wins!" the referee called. He barely got the words out before the crowd erupted into raucous applause. I reluctantly broke out into a smile as Konstantin floated over, still holding his head.

Thomas jogged over, having returned his Jolteon, and offered me a smile. "Hey, good battle. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to use my own trick against me—well, sort of. It would've been funnier if you tried the whistle trick as well." He rubbed the back of his head with a laugh. "Good job. You get two beads and the satisfaction of beating me."

"I think I like the beads better." I held out my hand for them and worked on untying my bracelet to add them. Konstantin giggled and decided to sit on my head, wrapping his paws around my forehead. "…What did the trainers who picked eyes and mouth go through?"

"Similar battles. Eyes trainers lost their sight, so they were blindfolded, and those who picked the mouth option weren't allowed to order their Pokemon around. We're anticipating some… entertaining battles with that last one," he replied pleasantly, walking with me back towards the room. "And since you went first, you can go rest or watch other battles. You're not allowed to speak with any trainers who haven't battled yet, however, because we want to keep this a surprise for everyone."

"Okay." I wasn't planning on sharing, anyway; I rather shallowly wished everyone to go through the same sort of panic I did. Thomas returned to the waiting room, while I pried Konstantin off my head and went to find a healer. The good thing about the Gym race was that there were always Chansey or Nurse Joys or healing machines set up in handy locations.

Before I got that far, however, I had two cheerleaders tackle me from behind, sending me skidding face-first. I got a bloody nose for it, though I couldn't help but smile at the actual outfits, up close, that Hanna had picked out. Apparently my team color was blue, because they had royal blue, pleated skirts and matching pompoms, along with a white tank top emblazoned with 'TEAM AWESOME'. "What's that?"

"Your team name. You have an awesome complex, right?" Hanna asked, gesturing to my nose. I waved her off, entirely too used to bleeding to worry much.

"You are very awesome! Your team was awesome! _Chouette_!" Cossette said excitedly, literally jumping up and down beside me.

"So Team Awesome it is," Hanna added triumphantly.

"That and it abbreviates to TA—" Jude started, but she hit him with a pompom, cutting off his snicker. I felt my face heat up and decided to find a healing machine before anything else caught up with me. I'd feel better once Des wasn't poisoned, too. "So, how's our mighty trainer?" Jude sidled up to me, walking in step as we looked for a machine.

"Fine. I survived this far, at least."

"And with no new visible scars for your effort! I'm proud of you."

"Thanks."

"How has Alice been doing? And your egg hatched, right?"

Oh yeah. That. "Jude." He didn't catch onto the deadly note in my voice and instead continued walking beside me, blissfully unaware of what was coming next. "You gave me a _water Pokemon_. Remember what I promised you would happen if you gave me a _water Pokemon_?"

"Oh, bloody—" He ducked as I released Zarek and I chucked the Krabby at him. I had, after all, promised to throw him (though then an egg) at his face if he had committed such a traitorous act. Zarek latched onto his hair and stuck there, nestled in very tightly. I cackled in delight and ordered him to start cutting Jude's hair, to which the breeder shouted and ran around trying to get him off. It wasn't as if I didn't _like_ Zarek (especially after that assassins challenge and his help in securing me three beads), but it was the principle of the matter.

Plus it made for hilarity.

"You two," Hanna snorted. As Jude ran by, she easily plucked Zarek from his head, throwing one of her pompoms at my face with her other hand. She then dropped Zarek back into my arms. "Come on, you're only making Cossette more hyper. She's already a handful as it is. Can we go watch other battles or something?"

"Hold on, I wanna heal my team."

"Awesome team!" Cossette chimed in merrily.

"Yeah, my awesome team." I beamed at them. I had cheerleaders, friends. I had more beads. I could do this. I was guaranteed a spot in the next two challenges even if I didn't earn any more beads in the next one, so I wasn't too worried. Plus, my team could handle all this crazy stuff thrown their way. They _were_ awesome like that.

-.-.-

Ending Note: This is the official chapter 100 (since there was the chapter from the pokemon's point of view as well as the april fool's chapter (as if you guys could forget that one :D)), so in honor of that, the Pedestal-TeamAwesome group on deviantArt is holding a contest for the ending of Pedestal! Basically, it'll be a writing and comic-ing contest about how you, the readers, think Pedestal should or will end. ;D Head on over (link in my profile, just look for the deviantArt link! then once you're at the profile, up towards the top is a little link to the group.) and check it out for full details!


	103. But Never Hit Softly

My parents arrived later that evening and apologized for missing my battle. Hanna and Cossette eagerly gave them a play-by-play (which was a little dramatized). I tried my best to stay off to the side and sulk. The last time I had seen them… Well, things hadn't gone over so well, had they? I distinctly remembered shouting and storming out.

When my mother finally caught onto my antisocial attitude, I finally snapped. I dug around in my pocket and pulled out my team in ball form, holding them out, three in each hand.

"Des, Carlita, Ike, Kostya, Alice, Zarek. Camerupt, Breloom, Luxray, Duskull, Altaria, Krabby. I have a bird. I have a full team. I haven't had any time alone since we last saw each other. Happy now?"

My parents looked taken aback—Cossette, Hanna, and Jude even more so. My mother reached out to me again, but I flinched away and shoved my hands back into my pockets. "Sweetie, it's not that. We were just worried about you last time, but now you have a full team, so—"

"Volkner, when he called to invite me to this, didn't know that. Zarek was still an egg and he hadn't even known about Alice then. I could've gotten into this Gym race with only four Pokemon," I continued. I didn't know why I was feeling so angry, but I was. My father had argued with me over a full team, but it wasn't like this full team had won me anything. Sure, I loved Alice and Zarek and they were kind of awesome, but my team had been just as great before their arrival.

"We were only worried about you!"

I hardly noticed when Hanna started shooing Jude and Cossette out of the room. I still felt angry, betrayed. "Why? I told you that I could handle myself. And I can," I muttered mutinously, looking down at my feet. I was fine with my team now, I had been fine with my team before. I had no idea why I was lashing out at my parents, but the unknown factor only made me more irritated.

My father cleared his throat and began, "You said you wanted to take down Sayre—"

"I still do!"

"—and while we _do not_ approve of that _at all_, we wanted to make sure you had a fighting chance!"

"I—…I do…" I never had a fighting chance against Nick. I never did. He outclassed me effortlessly. "You didn't have to pressure me into getting more Pokemon. You could have—You could've _believed_ in me as I was. Put a bit of faith in your kid."

And with that, I realized why I felt so betrayed by them.

They had wanted me to get a bird, get a full team, because they hadn't thought I could do it. They didn't think I had a fighting chance against Nick, with or without six Pokemon. Never mind the fact that I had eight badges and had survived half of the race for the next Gym leaders. I realized that I could _become_ a Gym leader and they would still worry about me. I would never be enough to make them stop.

I felt so incredibly _sad_ at this insight, too.

I bit my lip and blinked back the stinging in my eyes, walked forward, and put my arms around my mother. "I'm sorry." _I'm sorry I'll never be good enough to stop your worrying. I'm sorry I'll be the one to stop Nick. I'm sorry you don't believe in me._

I felt a hand on top of my hair and peeked out of my mother's shoulder at my dad. "…We never meant to make you angry. We are only worried about you. We _want_ you to succeed."

"Sweetie, we're glad you have a full team. We were just as glad that you won your badges. We're glad that you got into this competition. We're so proud of you. We only worry because we care."

-.-.-

Most of my free time was getting dragged around by Hanna, since, with Jude there with her, her interest in shopping had been renewed. I managed to give my parents a halfhearted tour of Sunyshore while on this shopping excursion, but eventually managed to sneak off on my own on the second free day.

And by 'on my own' I meant that Cossette had followed me when I wasn't looking.

"Cossette… Can't you go back and go clothes shopping with Hanna and Jude?"

"_Mais non_! I want to spend time with you," she said happily, wrapping her arms around one of mine. I sighed and decided it was better having one tagalong than five, so I took her to the beach with me. I had wanted to get some training in before tomorrow's battle, especially Zarek. His shell was completely hard and I assumed he was as big as he'd ever get as a Krabby, but he was still a baby. If only I hadn't given all of those Rare Candies to the rest of the team… Wait a second.

"Hey, Cossette." I felt like a horrible person for asking her this, but it wasn't like I wanted to _lose_ tomorrow. Especially in front of everyone. "Do you have any more of those candies you gave me? Which, by the way, were awesome and thank you so much for!"

"Wait, so _that's_ where all my Rare Candies went?" My head snapped up in surprise to find Jude and Hanna, the former's arms crossed. "I had told little miss Cossette here that she could have _a couple_ for her Numel, and she completely wiped out my stash. Those are expensive, you know!"

"_Mais_… I wanted to give a present to him," she whimpered, hiding behind me. Jude's expression immediately softened. Even now, she had way too much power.

"I'll just send the bill to your father or something…" he sighed, running a hand through his ponytail. "So, why'd you sneak off like that?"

"Training. It's what trainers do," I deadpanned. I didn't look at him and instead concentrated on detaching Cossette from my waist. "Why are you two here—did you just ditch my parents in downtown Sunyshore?"

"No, we followed them. It was easy enough to follow them through the crowd." Again, I jumped in surprise and saw my parents saunter casually over from the edge of the beach.

"Did I get away from _anyone_?"

"I must say, a ninja you are not." I jumped yet _again_ when a new voice decided to join the conversation. We were in one of the rockier parts of the beach, and apparently it made for a good hiding spot. Either that, or I was too busy being surprised by everyone _else_ to notice a complete stranger. The dark-haired trainer was perched, cross-legged, on one of the larger rocks, chin in hand, peering down at us. He raised a hand in greeting. "You're a Gym race trainer." It was not a question.

"I'm guessing you are, too?" (Mine was.)

"Keith Baxter, and yes, I've survived this long. I also couldn't help overhearing that you plan to get some last-minute battling in before tomorrow. I propose we help each other out," he said with a sharp smile.

"Sparring or an actual battle?" I asked tentatively. I didn't want to get into a full battle, just in case one of my Pokemon sustained an injury that wouldn't heal by tomorrow.

It seemed that he was thinking along the same lines, because he hopped down from the rock with an offhand, "Sparring, of course."

"Fine then." It looked like Zarek wouldn't be getting much training today, since I wasn't about to send him out against fully grown and trained Pokemon. He could watch on the sidelines, though. Maybe.

We tried to make an organized thing of it, we really did, but our Pokemon had other wishes. We, naturally, wanted to play against the other's weaknesses and use our own strengths; they, just as naturally, only wanted to play with who they chose. Carlita, as much as I pleaded, would _not_ go keep Keith's Tentacruel away from Des—though thankfully, as much as Keith pleaded, the Tentacruel was more intent on sunning itself in the shallow water. Carlita instead started chatting up his Venasaur, until she mentioned something about the rather small Nidoking, who happened to hear her. _Then_ they set about to brawling, though Carlita soon picked up on the height complex and used her taller height to further taunt the Nidoking.

Des sat lazily by the sidelines, a Scyther sitting beside him; apparently they were making small talk while watching the others. Ike had already stalked off, though I noticed that he was being antisocial with Keith's Toxicroak. At least, they were in the general vicinity of each other. Alice stole Zarek from me and took to the skies with him and a green Beedrill, idly circling around each other.

Aside from Carlita taunting the poor Nidoking and the scuffle they got into, our group couldn't help but notice there was a distinct _lack_ of sparring.

"Sparring. Fighting. You know, practice? Guys, we need this for tomorrow!" I begged, hanging off of one of Des' back volcanoes.

"_You worry too much, Trainer. Why not relax on our day off?_"

"Because we should train. I'm still worried about Alice, and Zarek is still a baby! Actually, I'm worried about all of you—"

"_Why? Don't you think we can take care of ourselves?_" Des asked, turning back to me with a frown. I sighed as I realized I had just been doing what I was so angry at my parents for doing. I slid off of his back into the sand beside him.

"Can't you at least pretend to be worried? We've made it this far… We could actually stand a chance of becoming a _Gym leader_."

"_I thought you wanted to be a Champion, not a Gym leader. Or did your plans change?_" Alice sang, swooping down to alight on the volcano I just vacated. Zarek burbled something from her back.

"Think of it as a stepping stone. Alice, why not battle the Beedrill? Show Zarek how mommy can fight."

"_Your tone is not appreciated. And no, I won't. The Beedrill doesn't want to._" She craned her neck away from me and took off again with a swoop of her cloudy wings.

"You guys are so mean to me," I groaned, lightly kicking Des' side. "Couldn't you humor me? Put in a little effort? You could at least burn the Scyther."

"Scy!" it growled, wings buzzing in warning.

"Ignore him, Checkers. I think it's safe to assume they're not a threat," Keith said flatly, disappointment audible in his voice.

"This isn't my fault," I declared, pointing in his general direction, though he was on the other side of my Camerupt. "Your Pokemon are just as uncooperative as mine."

"Jackson's battling. The rest of mine just… don't see the need, yeah. They don't perceive a threat, so of course they don't want to battle!"

"Uh-huh."

The casual air mostly disappeared when Carlita decided she was bored of the Nidoking's presence. She thought the dispute was over; he very obviously did not. She turned her back to prance back over to the Venasaur, and he took it as an opportunity to charge. She shrieked as he slammed into her back; they went skidding into the sand from the force of the attack. Before anyone else could intervene, with an angry snarl, she turned and slapped him across the face with an Iron Tail. The Nidoking growled and returned it with his own Iron Tail, but she managed to block at the last second with hers and a clang.

Konstantin intervened and pulled Carlita away, just as Keith's Scyther buzzed over and hovered worriedly. It said something in a low voice to the Nidoking.

I hastily jumped in between them and helped Konstantin get her away. I also couldn't help but notice a pretty bad scrape on her back, just between her shoulder blades, from the Nidoking's horn. I really hoped she wasn't poisoned to boot. "C'mon, Carlita, this way—ow, come _on_!"

"_He attacked me! From behind! Cheater, cheater! Short cheater!_"

The Nidoking snarled and tried to get past the Scyther, but thankfully Keith dragged him back as well. "Calm down, Jackson! No, stop it!"

"Control your Nidoking!" I called, grunting when Carlita elbowed me in the stomach. I tightened my grip on her and wrapped my arms around her stomach, lifting her off the ground. She squealed and kicked the air, though whether she was surprised or angry at this point I couldn't tell.

"How about _you_ control _your_ Breloom!" Keith called back. I wasn't facing him, but if I had been, I probably would've glared at him.

"Carlita was just attacked from behind by that Nidoking of yours!"

"Because she was taunting him! You can't just expect any Pokemon to take that sort of thing lying down!"

"Boys, boys, calm down!" Hanna literally got in between us, pushing Carlita, Konstantin and I (a little roughly) back towards the street. "This was no one's fault; you both have Pokemon who won't listen to you. Happy now? Now let's not get into anything too nasty and save the battling for tomorrow."

"And who are you?" Keith asked dubiously.

"A cheerleader. Is this a problem?" He didn't respond, and Hanna started moving me towards the street again. "I thought not. Come on, return Carlita already. We can get her checked out at the Center. Did you learn your lesson?"

"No more last-minute practice?"

"I meant don't let your Pokemon out in public, but I suppose that would be a good start."

"You're a horrible cheerleader."

"No one's perfect." Truer words had never been spoken, I guessed, and let myself be dragged away.


	104. Double Battles Mean Double Trouble Part1

Carlita had been poisoned, but it had been a mild case, so she was better by the competition. The scrape on her back was a little harder to fix, so she still had bandages around her midsection. It didn't hamper her movement and she insisted she was completely fine, though I wasn't so sure about letting her battle.

"_If that Nidoking is in the ring, I have to battle him. I have to, Trainer! Have to!_" she cried, seizing me by the shoulders. I blinked in bewilderment at her. "_Promise me you'll let me battle the Nidoking! I must have my revenge!_"

I promised, but only because it was the only way she would consent to going back into her pokeball quietly. The odds were that I wouldn't battle Keith Baxter, but I suppose eventually I would. I didn't know how tournament-y the Gym race would become, especially with The Tournament having happened once upon a time. Maybe I wouldn't ever battle him. I wasn't sure I wanted Carlita facing that Nidoking, though.

We were gathered in the Sunyshore Stadium again. I supposed most of the Gym race would happen here from now on, if we were getting into the battles. I noticed, however, that there was about the same amount of people here as last time.

"Today's challenge will be a little different. First off, however, we would like everyone to know that from now on, if you lose or tie a battle, you get no beads. In the last challenge, only two people were eliminated. If we were to continue at that pace, it would take forever to get through all of you." Gardenia sounded a little disappointed. It was to be expected, but it still sort of hurt. "Last time we awarded some beads to ties or close losses… But no longer!"

Volkner set a hand on his hip and continued, "The only way to win beads is to win battles. Of course, if you have a buffer, then all the more power to you. But that shouldn't encourage you to get too comfortable. Two days apart is longer than what you're used to, and it will eat up beads fast, believe me."

After glaring the remaining Gym race trainers down a little longer, Gardenia broke out into a cheery smile. "Okay then! Good! Now that we understand each other, we'll let you know that the next couple of challenges will be tag team events! Inspired by some… recent occurrences, we decided to see how well you all fare in dealing with other people, primarily in a battle setting. So everyone, pick a partner! If you cannot find one, we will assign you one!"

There was some surprised murmuring amongst the trainers, but for the most part, people started latching onto their friends and roommates. I practically threw myself at Vaikuntha, attaching myself firmly to his arm. Only as an afterthought did I realize I could've instead went for Alicia.

Still, Vaikuntha was a good choice. He still had his three-bead streak intact, and he was a solid battler. Plus I already had some knowledge of his team. We'd work. He grinned at me as if in agreement to that sentiment.

"Now form a line, and we'll assign you a number! _Do not_ forget your number!" Maylene called, hands cupped around her mouth to be heard over the chatter. "Once everyone has a number, we'll pair you against another number."

As her words sunk in, trainers started exchanging very nervous looks. "You mean—we'll be battling against other Gym race trainers?" someone shouted in the back.

"Yes, yes you will." The fact that losing teams would get no beads whatsoever was painfully obvious in our collective mind. Which meant half of the trainers would not be receiving beads today. They definitely wanted to make up for the last challenge in thinning out the ranks…

"Come, brother, we will win! We are both strong trainers and we have already battled with each other, so we may use this knowledge to our advantage!" Vaikuntha said briskly.

"Uh, right." It didn't assuage my fears, however. I had enough beads to last to the next competition even if we did lose, but only just.

We were lucky number thirteen. That didn't help my confidence, either. I crossed my fingers and hoped against hope we wouldn't get paired against Alicia or Keith (because I still didn't want to humor Carlita's quest for revenge). Or Lola. I couldn't handle facing down my Electabuzz again—which I was fairly sure would happen. She would definitely press her advantage.

Thirteen was chosen to go against four (wasn't that supposed to be unlucky, too?). I didn't see who that was before we were herded out to one of the arenas. The place was already packed, and reporters were hanging over the edge to get better pictures. I shielded my eyes and looked for my cheerleaders, but I couldn't spot them as easily this time. I couldn't find my parents in the crowd, either.

"Looking for someone?" Vaikuntha asked curiously.

"Yeah, my parents… And Hanna and Jude and Cossette. They're here somewhere…"

"Even if you cannot see them, I am sure they are cheering with all their might for you, brother."

"You mean for us. We're a team now. Even more now, I mean."

"Ah… Yes, that is right! I have people cheering for me, too." He smiled happily to himself, pleased with this. I frowned thoughtfully at him. I knew his parents weren't here, and he hadn't introduced me to any other visitors (I had introduced him to Jude and Cossette), so maybe he didn't have anyone here for him…

I set my mouth in a firm line and said, "Yeah, Vai. You have people cheering for you, too. You're now an honorary part of Team Awesome, yeah?"

"If team thirteen is done chatting, we can lead you to your assigned arena," the referee drawled. We both flushed and bowed our heads in embarrassment, allowing ourselves to be led like Mareep from that point on. I continually snuck peeks at the pair walking beside them; they would have to be our challengers, right? It was a boy and a girl—or actually, a man and a woman would probably be a more accurate description. They were both older than us, probably in the early twenties if I had to put a number on it. They both had dark hair and carried themselves with no small amount of pride.

Either they didn't recognize Vaikuntha as one of the trainers on a three-bead streak, or they were both confident enough to not worry about that. I really hoped it was the former.

"Brother, I am going to use Koel first. Would you please use Alice first so that we are both in the air? It would be an easier defensive strategy to utilize until we know what they are going to do," Vaikuntha whispered to me as we took our spot on one side of the arena. This was a smaller one than the one from the first battle challenge, I couldn't help but notice. Less space on the ground to dodge. Which only left the air. I nodded to Vaikuntha in agreement. Alice would be a good start.

Our opponents conversed for a couple moments while the referee (rather impatiently) waited. I wasn't sure if they knew each other or had been appointed. That didn't last long, however, before he called out, "First round, begin!"

There was that ever-awkward pause when no one wanted to release their Pokemon first. Vaikuntha was the one to break it with a soft, "Koel, come out!"

"Alice!"

"Krevin!"

"Storm!"

And then there was the ever-awkward pause when the Pokemon sized each other up. Alice tweeted at Koel in greeting, floating lightly on her cloudy wings, craning her neck to see the other two Pokemon. What caught my attention first was the Beedrill—so Koel and Alice wouldn't be alone in the skies. Still, it was a bug, so any flying moves would take care of it easily. Judging by the woman's expression, she realized that, too.

I didn't have time to take in anything other than the fact that the other Pokemon wasn't flying before my eyes abruptly watered up. I sniffed greatly and wiped my sleeve across my eyes. What the heck? My nose suddenly tickled very badly and I barely had time to get my wrist away from my face before I sneezed.

Oh no.

"Are you okay?" Vaikuntha asked in alarm as I sneezed again, more violently this time. I attempted to wave him off, but the attempt failed miserably when I lapsed into a coughing fit and had to cover my mouth. Vaikuntha shouted something to the referee, and next thing I knew, I was being led out by a concerned roommate and confused ref.

It took a couple minutes and some cold water to rinse out my itchy eyes, but eventually, I explained to them that I was pretty allergic to Electabuzz. Only afterward did I realize what sort of position that put the referee in.

He left us to go talk to our opponents. I sighed heavily and rubbed at my eyes again. They had stopped watering, but still felt a little irritated. It was annoying. I caught Vaikuntha staring at me like a kicked Growlithe in the mirror, so I turned to him and told him, "Vai, I'm fine. It's just allergies."

"You could have gone into anaphylactic shock," he said in a quiet voice.

I rolled my eyes. "That only happens with Beedrill stings, doesn't it?"

"No—"

"I'm fine!" I insisted stubbornly. "Don't you have any allergies?"

He cocked his head to one side. "Well, yes, but not to any Pokemon. None that I am aware of, at least. None to any opponents I may battle."

"Point taken. Still. It's not like I'm going to die or anything."

"What if the Electabuzz had gotten closer? What if it bit you?" Now his voice had dropped into an unintentionally dramatic whisper. I got ready to roll my eyes again, but belatedly, I thought about just such an event. Knowing my luck, it would happen some day. What _would_ happen if I got bit by a Pokemon I was allergic to?

"Well, if it bit me, I could sue them for a whole ton of money and get rich like Hanna."

Eventually, once everyone (mostly Vaikuntha) was sure I was done sneezing for awhile, they gave me a face mask like doctors wore. The referee delicately explained that it wouldn't be fair to _not_ use the Electabuzz in a battle, since they couldn't account for everyone's allergies, and that this should fix it. As a very worried Alice and I faced the Electabuzz (and Beedrill) again, I found that it helped. My nose tickled a little, but I wasn't sneezing or coughing. Unfortunately, the mask didn't help my eyes, so they began to water again almost immediately.

I'd take what I could get. Plus it got me back into the battle, and Vaikuntha to stop worrying.

"Okay, Alice. Just be careful of that Electabuzz and don't get poisoned by the Beedrill and this'll be an easy battle." At least, the first round would be. I had no idea what the pair opposite us would pull out in the second round.

"Brother, if Alice could take care of the Electabuzz—she does not have a direct weakness to it—we would keep the Beedrill away."

"Deal."

The whistle was blown, and with a clap of thunder, the Electabuzz filled much of the arena with electricity. When the light faded, Alice was still airborne, though she was looking a little frazzled. Without waiting for a command, she flew forward and opened her beak, releasing a jet of blue fire. The Dragonbreath caused the Electabuzz and Beedrill to flee to opposite sides of the arena; if they had meant to make some sort of joint attack, that'd be nearly impossible now.

"Air Slash!" Koel dropped to the ground, ducking under another stray Thunderbolt the Electabuzz had aimed his way, and ran towards the Beedrill with his sharp wings held out at his sides. At the last moment, he jumped into the air and sliced the air between them, causing it to hit the Beedrill. It buzzed angrily and took damage, but wasn't out just yet.

"Light Screen!" Alice and Koel both squawked and rapidly backed up from the transparent, bluish shield that cut across the arena, popping up in front of both the Electabuzz and Beedrill.

"Hyper Beam!" Alice shrieked and just _barely_ dodged the Beedrill's attack. She backed up until she was hovering beside me, shaking from the near miss. With their defense up and the bug we had pegged as an easy out suddenly knowing a very powerful attack, this battle wouldn't be as easy as we'd thought.


	105. Double Battles Mean Double Trouble Part2

The battle was progressing more slowly than I had originally hoped. The Light Screen eventually faded, Alice got hit with a Hyper Beam (but was still conscious, thankfully), Koel was starting to slow down from the repeated electric attacks, the Electabuzz was limping badly and paralyzed by the continued Dragonbreath assault, and the Beedrill had taken to sitting on rocks rather than buzzing around, due to a broken wing.

Vaikuntha and I had decided to take a different strategy, a defensive one as opposed to our first attempt at an offensive. Alice was now trying to get the right pitch for a Sing to send the opponents—and Koel, unfortunately—to sleep, but she still hadn't managed it. Koel was keeping the Electabuzz away with repeated Mud Slaps, which was also serving to weaken its electricity, since it was practically coated in mud by that point.

"This fight is starting to drag on…" It was more tortuous since my nose had started running again.

Alice floated lightly over, craning her neck around to look at me. "_I can end it._"

"Then why don't you?"

"_Fine then. But don't say I didn't warn you!_" she tweeted, soaring back out into the middle of the arena.

"Wait—you _didn't_ warn me…" I called feebly after her.

She arched her neck back, closed her eyes, and started singing. My brow furrowed when I realized I didn't recognize the song. This wasn't Sing, or any of the tunes Jude had taught her. It sounded… sad, desolate. Like she had given up hope.

I could only stare at her once she finished, her head hung low. What had _that_ been? "A-Alice—?" I bleated pathetically, but was cut off by a curse from the other end of the arena.

Much to my surprise, the man returned his Electabuzz. Not a moment later, the woman returned her Beedrill. I turned for an answer to Vaikuntha—only to see him return Koel as well with a disbelieving smile and a shake of his head. "A risk, brother, but one we can hopefully twist to our advantage nonetheless."

I was completely lost. _What_ had just happened? Alice flapped over and landed on a rock in front of me. "_Return me now. It's a moot point if I stay out here and no one else goes down with me,_" she said irritably.

"What was—"

"_Return me!_"

"Okay, okay…" I fished her great ball out of my pocket and returned her. The referee stepped up to the side of the arena, flag raised.

"All battlers have returned their first Pokemon! All battlers only have one Pokemon left each!" he declared.

"Vai, what just happened?" I stage whispered, using the precious few moments while the crowd screamed at us before we had to start the second round.

"Alice used Perish Song and forced the round to end. She forced them to return their Pokemon! It was genius!" he gushed, oblivious to the ticking clock. "Now you do not have to wear that mask anymore as well! It means we have the rest of the match riding on the second round, yes, but think of it as a—what is the word—reboot! We can start fresh in the battle once more—"

"Vai, _what just happened_," I repeated, pulling the face mask off to hang around my neck. My nose gave a mutinous little tingle, but past that, the lack of Electabuzz in the ring meant I was home free for my allergies.

"Perish Song. It makes all Pokemon who listen to it faint after a set amount of time. So either all four of our Pokemon would have fainted, or we return them. We cannot use them again in this battle, so it creates the same results. And—"

"Will all challengers please release their second round Pokemon?" the referee cut in loudly. I turned to him in dismay; Vaikuntha and I hadn't figured out what our Pokemon would be.

Miraculously, it was our challengers who started stalling for time. They were naturally far enough away that we hadn't heard any of their discussion up until that point, but with an audibly disgusted sound and a light smack, she shouted, "Stop flirting and get back to the battle! Be serious!"

The two continued to bicker, much to the collective surprise of the audience—and us. Still, I was immensely relieved by it. They were stalling, though admittedly unwittingly, and I leaned over and stage-whispered to Vaikuntha, "What Pokemon should we use?"

"I believe I will use Oviya." Oviya, Oviya—that was his Flygon, right? Dragons were weak to ice, so did that mean I should send out Des? But two things with double weaknesses—heaven forbid we go up against a water and ice type—made me too nervous. Des was out, Alice had already been used, and I would not use Zarek under any circumstances. Carlita was still hurt, too. That left either Ike or Konstantin. Ike packed more of a punch, but Konstantin had better defensive capabilities. And judging on the last round, offense probably wasn't the best bet. (Plus, let's face it. Konstantin played better with others.)

"I'll use Kostya—"

"Will the challengers _please_ release their second round Pokemon?" The referee broke up the argument and physically separated the two—as it had come to blows unnervingly quickly—and made sure we were moving along once more. Vaikuntha grinned sheepishly and let out his Flygon without being told twice. I hesitantly pulled out Konstantin's pokeball as well, very aware of the fact that our opponents had not let out their Pokemon yet. They could make last-second changes if they so wanted.

If they did or didn't, however, I never would've found out, I supposed. A Togetic and a Fearow came out—and, of course, I was immediately annoyed I hadn't picked Ike after all. An electrical feline would've settled this very quickly and very easily. Still, at least Konstantin could float and fly around, so he wouldn't be a massive sitting target like Des would have been. Oviya could fly too, I realized; this would be another aerial battle.

"Begin!" the referee called, and the four Pokemon were off like a shot. The Fearow slithered through the air, sharp beak aimed at Oviya. She batted the bird away with her tail. My attention snapped over to Konstantin as he dove into the nearest shadow as the Togetic aimed some sort of dark purple ball at him. It looked as if they were playing for keeps this time. They weren't going to allow another Perish Song. Then again, that would only end in a tie and that would mean no beads for _any_ of us; I don't see why they thought we'd do that. Lose or tie, no one would get beads. We weren't that spiteful.

Plus, Konstantin had rocked that last battle, and Vaikuntha was still on a three-bead streak. I thought our chances of winning were pretty good—provided they didn't knock us out quick like they were obviously trying.

"Kostya, use Future Sight! And keep in the shadows away from them!" I rather liked using him for guerilla warfare; he was too good at it and seemed to enjoy it, anyway.

"Oviya, Dragonbreath!" It had been mostly effective in the last round, at least. The Flygon sucked in a breath and released it in a jet of blue fire, forcing the Fearow to back away for the time being. She pressed her advantage and chased the bird across the arena. That was until it used a Mirror Move and shot blue flames back. By then, even Konstantin and the Togetic were having to dodge the Dragonbreath that was slowly covering the arena. The light from the flames was decimating the available shadows, too, so he was floating in one of the corners guardedly, red eye firmly on the Togetic.

"Egz, use Flash!" Uh-oh. Just to make sure there were no more useable shadows, at least for a time, the Togetic raised its paws and lit the arena with a bright light (that I thankfully avoided this time with my closed eyes). As the Flash faded and the other two Pokemon blinked in annoyance, I—no, all of us—were shocked to find a missing Duskull. The Togetic looked around in bewilderment, eyes wide as it sunk down a little lower to the ground defensively.

It seemed that that had been what Konstantin had been waiting for. When the Togetic had used Flash, it had created a bright flash of light—directly above it. That had left only one shadow in the arena, directly below the Togetic. Apparently Konstantin had managed to duck into it for his Shadow Sneak, and came up now with what could only be described as an uppercut, straight into the bottom of the Togetic's jaw. He sent it flying, though when it got righted itself again in midair, it looked more angry than hurt. Still, it proved that Flash wouldn't work anymore. I grinned. "Good job, Kostya."

"_I do what I can, comrade_," he replied with a salute.

"Jack, Pursuit!" Konstantin jumped and tried to get out of the way of the oncoming Fearow, but unfortunately, the move _was_ called Pursuit. It slammed into him and sent him skidding into the ground. Instead of flying back up into the air, however, he slipped into the nearest shadow again.

On the other side of the arena, Oviya was having a more obvious and a hotter battle. The Togetic had decided to go after her instead apparently. It waved its paws in the air just as its trainer shouted, "Metronome!" Lightning forked down from the ceiling and hit the Flygon—only to have her shake it off as if it were nothing.

"Stupid dragon," the female trainer spat, loud enough for us to hear. I frowned and Oviya snorted at her.

"Please do not pay heed to her words, Oviya," Vaikuntha called. His Flygon craned her neck around to look at him, eyes narrowed behind their scarlet shields. "Use a Stone Edge to take care of them!"

Both flying-type Pokemon immediately shied away from the dragon, knowing their weakness and trying to avoid it, even as Oviya lifted several pointed rocks into the air. She hurled them at the birds, narrowly missing the Togetic as it danced out of the way. She managed to nail the Fearow, however, and it went down with a squawk. The bird did get back up however; this battle was not going to be won quite so easily.

The Togetic waved its stubby little paws in another Metronome, and this time, it started Hailing. It sort of backfired, since both of the flying-type Pokemon that were our foes were weak to ice (but then again, so was Oviya), and doubly so since it rained down chunks of ice on _our_ heads as well. I raised my arms to shield myself, gritting my teeth in annoyance. Konstantin watched in amusement as the birds and dragon winced in irritation with each Hailstone that landed on them.

"This is dragging on," I groaned, flinching as another Hail hit me.

"It is," Vaikuntha agreed, somewhat wonderingly. He set his mouth in a firm line. "Oviya, it is time to end this battle. Use your second ending combination!"

The other three of us only stared in mute confusion. It was not rare for trainers to give code names to attack combinations to throw off opponents, but somehow, I had never pegged Vaikuntha as one to do so. Evidently, neither had the other two. Oviya nodded and braced herself against the ground—and promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke, only leaving a little doll in her wake. A Substitute?

"Whatever he's planning, it must require charging. Attack it!" the male trainer bit out, his Togetic scrambling towards the doll.

The female trainer rolled her eyes. "I know that! Jack, Drill Peck!" Both Pokemon raced towards the doll and began assaulting it. This left Konstantin free, so he gleefully snuck up behind them, grabbed a fistful of Fearow feathers, and yanked them out. The Fearow shrieked in indignation and whirled around to attack him instead, but he just sunk into his shadow with a cackle.

That was apparently all of the time Oviya needed. She stepped out from behind a rock on the other side of the arena—it appeared that no one had noticed her with the Substitution there to distract them—and opened her mouth. She launched a Hyper Beam at the Togetic, which it only had time to turn around and take in before it hit it. It did not get up again.

"One Pokemon has fainted and is out of the battle! Team four only has one Pokemon left!" the referee called, much to my joy.

I understood now what Vaikuntha had used. The Substitution was there to draw attention—which it certainly had. Then Oviya could get into a better position to use her powerful attack, and then, as evidenced, she simply scooped up the doll and held it up in front of her as a shield while she recharged her energy. She managed to fire off one last Hyper Beam before the doll dissolved into fluff, but that was all the Fearow needed before it fainted as well.

I could see how Vaikuntha had been on a three-bead streak. Konstantin meekly floated back over to me, clinging to my arm. "_She is truly a formidable opponent,_" he remarked, eye on Oviya.

"Yeah, she is." Vaikuntha was a formidable trainer, too. I was reminded, against my will, that this was a competition. I was competing with him as much as the two opposite us, no matter how we pretended otherwise. There were only four spots for Gym leaders, after all. I only hoped that I wouldn't have to go up against him in the future before those spots were decided. Not only did I not wish to go up against a friend, but I wasn't sure I could win.


	106. As Ill Luck Would Have It

Three beads. Vaikuntha naturally earned another three, and brought me along for the ride—again. It was announced that we would definitely keep the same teams for the next two challenges, too, so I secretly hoped that that would mean I would garner six more beads. It would certainly be nice, and it'd keep me above water. Too many trainers had to leave after the no beads for no wins rule was installed.

The second challenge of the three turned out to be… interesting.

It was another double battle, but this one would be one Pokemon per trainer. We were also up against—thank you, karma—Keith Baxter and his partner. I had wearily resigned myself to using Carlita when the referee announced, "Now, if the contestants would please switch Pokemon."

The twist for the second challenge would be that _I_ was using Koel, and Carlita went over to Vaikuntha.

The battle was mercifully quick. Frankly speaking, it was an embarrassment, anyway. Carlita and I were too busy for most of it shrieking at each other—I could not get past my instinct to order her around instead of the silvery bird in front of me, and she likewise had no idea what to actually do aside from beat on the Nidoking, which was having similar problems across the arena, so yeah—and it ended up that Koel took things into his own wings. While Vaikuntha and I were trying to reign in Carlita and get her to listen properly, the Skarmory stalked over and dispatched the other Pokemon, a Lickilicky, quietly.

No one noticed until he then regally walked over, pushed Carlita and the Nidoking away from each other with the air of separating naughty children, and then started scratching the Nidoking. Carlita took offense to someone else butting in on her battle, so naturally, she didn't like that (and neither did the Nidoking). By the time the fourth trainer, a brunette girl with her hair tied back with a red ribbon, noticed her Pokemon had fainted on the other side of the arena, everyone there was screaming. Koel had turned around and taken to attacking _Carlita_ for interrupting him, which Vaikuntha protested loudly. I was still shouting at my own Pokemon, both because she was up against a bird and because she was disobeying orders.

Eventually, Koel got so fed up that he knocked Carlita out with a Wing Attack, and took care of the Nidoking with a couple of well-executed Steel Wings.

We ended up winning. Or rather, Koel did.

After the battle, as I tearfully carted off Carlita for a healing, I caught Vaikuntha reprimanding his Skarmory. "Koel! You cannot be so mean to our friends, our brother, or your sister! They are our allies, and you are not allowed to attack allies under any circumstances!"

Koel had replied with something rather quietly, eyes averted.

"I do not care! You and I will apologize next time we see them." Vaikuntha's sternness abruptly vanished, and he leaned in to hug his Skarmory. "Thank you for the battle, though. I could not have done this without you."

I slunk away after that, feeling a little guilty. When was the last time—or have I _ever_ thanked my Pokemon for battling? True, Carlita and Ike seemed to enjoy it (and Konstantin, lately), but they were fighting tooth and nail on _my_ behalf. All I ever did was shout orders at them and occasionally try to cook for them. I didn't even sleep with them anymore…

I suddenly really, really hoped Vaikuntha won. He was a trainer who deserved his Pokemon, who deserved to become a Gym leader. He would be good for Sinnoh.

I felt infinitely worse when we got our beads for the second match. Just two. Carlita and I had successfully broken Vaikuntha's three-bead streak. He didn't seem at all perturbed and only apologized for his Skarmory's behavior—which, looking back on it, wasn't even all that out of line and was probably the thing that won the battle for us. I felt like a bad teammate and a bad trainer. True, _anyone_ would look bad in comparison to Vaikuntha, but still.

My mood was not bettered when the Gym leaders announced a break from the competition.

"Don't worry, you will not pay more beads for the extra days. We only want to give you all a chance to relax and have fun again. We understand that this is stressful for you all, and we want to try to alleviate some of that tension for you. We want you all to have fun while you still like each other."

Well, _that_ was reassuring.

Gardenia sighed and held up her hands for silence once more instead of trying to talk over the chatter that had broken out. "We have also whittled down the list of potential trainers enough now that we want to formally introduce you to the press. Don't worry, you won't be mobbed. This will be a _nice_ event, to foster friendship, let you all get to know one another more, and let you have a nice time in Sunyshore. Hopefully, it will also sate the media long enough to let you get through the next competition in one piece…"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Benjamin snapped, looking sour, as usual. I was a little amazed he was still in the race, but then again, he _had_ won a battle against Sela.

"It means those damned reporters have gotten nosy," Sela snorted in reply, crossing her arms.

"They're starting to figure things out. Things that are annoying and shouldn't be in any sort of column _ever_," Archie added. He put his hand on his hip and took a sip from a flask with the other. "It'll only get worse from here on out, too."

"We know, we know!" Gardenia called pitifully, trying and failing to get attention again. "We are doing the best we can to try to contain this, but—"

"But with the nightmares, everyone is on edge. Have you done anything more about that yet?" Lola called acidly.

"We are _trying_—"

"You can try and try and it doesn't get us anywhere!"

"Alright, everyone _shut up and listen_!" Volkner suddenly shouted, effectively hushing us. A couple of us, myself included, even physically balked from him. "We are still trying to figure that out. We are making progress, however, so do not be discouraged. But we're not discussing that right now—we're talking about the party. The ground rules are formal wear, polite speech to the public, and dates recommended. There will be a dance after the dinner—"

"Say _what_?"

"What did he just say?"

"A _dance_!"

"Oh my gosh, this will be awesome!"

"Are you kidding me? This sucks!"

I could hardly hear myself over the sudden roar. I clamped my hands over my ears and ducked down, trying to think. A dance. A formal dance. Plus the press. I would have to not only deal with formal clothes—where was I going to get _those_? Oh, wait, Hanna—but also the press—Sara Grace Kellner came to mind—and I'd have to get a _date_.

I peeked up nervously. I spotted Alicia in the crowd, arms crossed, cheeks red, talking to a girl next to her. A date. I could ask Alicia. I could ask Alicia to be my _date_. I could feel myself flush and I scooted back through the crowd towards Vaikuntha. That could wait while we sorted out details and I tried to track down some clothes. I couldn't do anything about the presence of the press, only deal with it as it came. Hopefully that part wouldn't go too badly.

It was set two days from now—which seemed like short notice, but then again, we had been learning about our challenges ten minutes before we were going out, so the planning time was a fortunate development. Hanna was _ecstatic_ when she learned that not only would I get to be her doll again, but that it would be formalwear. She was also keen on the idea of me asking Alicia as a date, too.

"This is _totally_ your chance! She has to know you're interested by now, and you've got a time limit. So you can't angst about this forever and not do it. Look, I'll help you. I'll tell you how to do it and everything! I wish I could track her down so I could see what color dress she'd be wearing—I could make you two match!" Eyes as large as dinner plates, I knew Hanna had just stumbled onto something big. I was not thrilled. "Okay, okay, that will be what we do. Come on."

"What?" I asked cluelessly.

"We're going to find her! You need to ask her now, and I'll be with you for moral support so don't you give me that look. Then I can ask her what color her dress will be!"

"Why does the color of her dress matter?" I cried desperately, trying not to get dragged along while I still had a chance.

Hanna, however, had already made up her mind. She seized my arm and _literally_ dragged me along. "She's down this way, right? Oh, look—! There she is! Hey, Alicia!" She eagerly waved her free arm, catching the attention of my crush. I wished I could dive for the nearest door and hide, but Hanna unfortunately still had my arm in an iron grip. "Over here, Alicia! We want to ask you something!"

"Is it okay for you to be here when I ask? I mean—won't that be bad?" I whimpered, seriously contemplating gnawing my own arm off to escape.

"Why? Girls ask guys out in packs. I'll make sure I'm not a threat—oh _hi_, Alicia," Hanna chirped with a million-watt beam. I started chewing. Hanna pushed me out in front of her—I hastily spat out my shirt—and kept me there with a hand on either shoulder. "He would like to ask you something."

Alicia blinked at me with her big, brown eyes. "Yes?" Was it just me, or was she blushing a little? This was too embarrassing; I wasn't thinking straight.

"U-Um…" My tongue seemed to be tied in knots.

I wasn't sure whether to be grateful or further mortified when Hanna's impatience took over and she exclaimed, "He wants to ask you to the dance-thing!"

There was a year-long moment of silence. I desperately wished for the ability to sink into my shadow, Hanna continued smiling so hard I could feel it from behind, and Alicia only stared at me like a Stantler caught in the headlights, cheeks painted pink.

Hanna, only making it worse for me, continued. "He's liked you for these past couple weeks, and personally, I think you two would make a cute couple. I promise he's the sweetest little thing you'll ever meet, and I'll make sure he cleans up well. What do you say? Is it a yes, or is it a yes?"

"I… Oh, wow. I actually wasn't expecting that one," Alicia muttered, finally dropping the shocked look. She looked down at her hands, fidgeting. "This is a bolt from the blue… I… Uh, wow. I didn't expect to be asked so soon—and by you! I mean—I—I'm not insulted, or-or I wasn't expecting this—I already said that, shoot—" She was babbling. I couldn't tell if that was a good or bad sign, but oddly enough, it made me feel a little better. At least I wasn't the only nervous one here.

"Um—" I started, but she didn't even notice.

Instead, Alicia looked up at me and said, "I'm sorry, but… I don't think that would be a very good idea."

Now it was my turn to play the Stantler in the headlights. I could hardly compute what she just said. Somehow, I hadn't expected an actual _no_—just a lot of embarrassment and awkwardness, but happily going to the dance together.

Hanna seemed to be in the same mental boat. "Wait… _No_? Why not? If it's—We're not together, if that's what you're thinking!" She suddenly was in a hurry to let go of my shoulders. "We're definitely not together. We're just really good friends, we've known each other for forever."

"Oh, well, that's a relief. But that's not what this is about. And I totally feel _terrible_ saying this, too, so please don't hate me. I still want to be friends, okay?" Why did this sound so much like a break-up all of a sudden? I was only getting more and more dejected and confused—now that the fact that I got _rejected_ was coming home. Alicia craned her head to try to catch my eye, brow furrowed underneath her pale bangs. "I'm sorry, I really am. I wish I could go with you. I mean—it's not like I have another date waiting or anything, or someone I want to ask… Actually, I _do_ have someone I want to ask—bah, that's not what I mean! I _do_ want to ask, but I'm not _going_ to, because that would complicate things and going with you would only complicate them _more_ so that's why I'm not! I'm really sorry!"

"It's, uh, okay—"

"No, wait," Hanna interrupted. I was shunted to the side, forgotten, as the girls started their talk. "Why is this a bad idea? You could go as _friends_, you know! It's not as if he's proposed or anything!"

Alicia was only getting more flustered and red-faced, however. She looked away, biting her bottom lip. "It's just—it's really, really complicated as it is, and I d-don't want to, because he's, um, well, he's a friend of who I want to ask. I-I don't want to give the wrong signal."

Hanna took a step back, looking shell-shocked. "…You want to ask Vai?" I felt equally surprised. Not to mention betrayed. Sure, Vaikuntha hadn't done anything intentionally, but still. He was my friend, and Alicia was the girl I liked. What about that _wasn't_ some sort of betrayal? I'd have to go and have a talk with him later—

"Oh! God, no!" Alicia exclaimed, shaking her head, hair flying.

"…" The confusion was palpable at this point. It was hard enough keeping up with the nervous jabber and girl speech, but at least I had caught that last part. But this, now I had no idea what was going on anymore. I didn't have any other friends, unless she thought Jude—oh jeez, that would be a can of Weedle I did _not_ want to think about right now—or a non-Gym race person with me was one of my friends.

Alicia sighed wearily. "It's not as if this is a secret or anything, but I didn't exactly want to proclaim it to the heavens, either. Actually, um… I can't go to the dance with you because I would feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry, but it's true, even if it was just friends. Knowing your feelings towards me would make it bad enough. It's not that I don't like you, it's just… I'm gay—I'm a lesbian."


	107. Every Dancer Hurts, You Know

Naturally, I ended up dateless after that incident. Alicia and I actively avoided each other out of embarrassment. Vaikuntha got a very short version of what had happened from Hanna and seemed sympathetic to my plight, but still. It sort of hurt. Thank you, karma—that was a new low, even for it.

Vaikuntha tried his best to help me. And him being Vaikuntha, he succeeded, though not on purpose. He offhandedly mentioned his own lack of a date and—I think he may have been joking—mentioned simply taking Oviya as one.

That was how we showed up in _style_, him with his Flygon and me with my Breloom. Because hey. She was female, we got along with each other, she didn't _reject_ me on account of a surprise sexuality, and she was a dancer to boot.

That's not to say I didn't get asked out—it's just that I didn't feel like humoring Archie or making things even more complicated than they strictly had to be. "Incompatible orientations suck. We're not all lucky enough to have dancing Breloom, either."

"I would say ask me again when I can't smell the alcohol on your breath from here, but the answer would still be a no. I'm fine with Carlita." I wasn't too stupid to not notice the fact that he was genuinely trying to cheer me up, however. And I was thankful for that—I just didn't want to get too friendly with him when he was this drunk.

"I'm going to have to ask you to a dance then, sunshine."

"I think that would be potentially more embarrassing."

"That went over your head, huh?"

"What?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously.

He sighed wearily and leaned rather heavily on my shoulder. "Look. We can dance as friends, and you're lucky I'm not about to cart you off to be my date anyway. And if you and me can dance as friends, who's to say you and Alicia can't dance as friends?"

"I could ditch you on the dance floor and go for her instead, you realize this, right?" I inquired politely as I removed him from my body.

Archie grinned lopsidedly. "My hopes aren't high, but let's just say I'm carefully optimistic at this point. Plus you haven't seen my tux yet. I'll rock it pretty hard."

"I don't think I'll ask her though. I… I'll just be fine with Carlita. I don't want to pressure her into anything, and it's pretty uncomfortable, anyway. I don't want to make it worse for her."

"You're fine in the friend zone?" he asked in surprise. I shrugged; it wasn't as if I had a choice. "Wow. You're a noble little kid, aren't you? I bet you even feel guilty about asking her."

"I—I do!" I replied heatedly.

"Even though you had no idea?"

"I didn't!"

"Then why feel guilty? If you had no inkling, and she wasn't actively broadcasting the fact, it wasn't as if you could have done anything but ask her," he summarized with a beam.

I looked grumpily away. "I feel guilty because I could have avoided it. I put her in a bad situation."

"A noble hero with a guilt complex to boot. What a catch." He shook his head in disbelief. Archie finally detached himself from me and took another swig of his flask. "I bet you'd feel guilty about the Champion's tragedy if given the chance."

I died a little more inside and decided to shut myself in my room for the rest of the night.

-.-.-

The day of the dance, surprisingly, wasn't so bad. Hanna took Vaikuntha, myself, and our dates out for some clothes shopping—and staunchly refused to mention Alicia or the awkwardness what came from all that space—and dolled us up as easily as only she could. Carlita absolutely relished it, though it wasn't as if she got a dress or anything. Just a crimson ribbon that matched her claws (and that little thing on her hat thing) that covered her translator on her neck, but still, she loved it. Oviya handled the dressing up a little more grumpily, but more or less behaved.

If I was being honest with myself, I was equal parts uncomfortable and feeling rather dashing. A tuxedo was a difficult thing to wear without practice (or maybe I was just bad at it), but then again, I did look pretty cool in it. It wasn't as if I got to dress up all that much on my journey, so it was a pleasant change of pace.

Plus, somehow, I felt lighter. Without Alicia to impress, I could just go to the dance, smile at the press and remaining trainers, watch Carlita steal the limelight with her dance moves, and then go to bed. I wouldn't have to worry about an actual date to impress or dance with or flirt with. This could be easy.

"I feel pretty," Vaikuntha remarked, adjusting his cuffs. I snorted into my hand.

"Pretty is usually used to describe girls, Vai," Hanna said with a sigh. He shrugged in embarrassment but otherwise kept his pleased smile.

Hanna gave us our blessing once she was sure we were up to par, and then all at once, I was being ushered into the hotel's ballroom by Fantina with Carlita on my arm. Vaikuntha and I weren't the only ones with Pokemon dates, I noticed immediately—either there was too much animosity between the remaining Gym race trainers, or there simply wasn't enough interest. I had almost forgotten about the dinner beforehand, but fortunately, aside from reminding Carlita to use the silverware, we got through it unscathed.

The Gym leaders then formally introduced us each in turn to the members of the press there—there weren't _that_ many, but I did recognize Sara Grace Kellner among the lot—and I realized halfway through that there weren't that many of us anymore. I couldn't get an exact number by counting, due to the fact that everyone was moving at that point, but we had to be in the teens. The low teens. When had _that_ happened? …How had I lasted this long?

We were herded towards the dance floor, though I also noticed that several of us were picked off by reporters before we could make it. I hastily ducked my head and allowed Carlita to drag me out into the middle. "_Trainer, take my claws. We are going to swing_," she told me primly, extending her paw towards me. I cluelessly took it; what was swing? It was a style of dance, right? I couldn't place which one.

I soon found out, however. I couldn't help but laugh as she set a lively pace for us and we became the immediate center of attention. After awhile, other pairs began to mimic us (with varying degrees of success) and the band switched to a song that was more suitable for us. Carlita was having a blast, and I was a little surprised to find out that I was having just as much fun. It was a workout too, though, so while she pranced off to dance on her own, I made my way over to the punch bowl and tried to catch my breath.

"Having fun?" I looked up and found Maylene smiling brightly at me. She looked as feminine as I'd ever seen her in a baby blue dress. I couldn't help but stare, which she caught. "Oh, I know. Gardenia and Fantina _made_ me wear a dress to this thing."

"It looks nice. I mean—you look nice."

"Thanks, _that_ was heartfelt."

"Do you want me to make a big deal about it?" I asked sullenly.

She blushed and pouted. "Well, no, but still. Your date is the Breloom, right?"

"Yeah. Her name is Carlita."

"She's quite the dancer."

"To say the least," I agreed with a smile. "She's always been one, even before she evolved."

"Did you have her when you challenged me? I know you only used your Duskull, but still… A fighting battle would've been fun," Maylene said wistfully. "I don't get nearly enough of those. Instead, I just get a lot of birds and psychics my way."

"That must be rough. …Almost no one left is a specialized trainer like you guys. Just Archie and Lola, I think. What are you going to do about that?" It was a question I had been meaning to ask for quite awhile now, but had never gotten the chance. This seemed like as good a time as any.

"We're revamping the Gym system, actually. We'll officially let you guys in on this when we get down to magic number ten, but it's not like it's a secret, so here you get to be ahead of the curve. It's too easy to fight against a Gym leader when you know their type ahead of time and can easily beat it with one or two types. So we're bringing in you guys—who are actual _trainers_, and have balanced teams and whatnot. You're a lot closer to the real world of Sinnoh and what they're likely to battle along the way. I think there'll be a rule about knowing half of your team or something so it's not completely a shot in the dark, but still." She tilted her head back and thought about it, even going so far as to wrinkle her nose.

"What about you guys then?"

"We're sticking around for awhile longer. You can't get rid of us that easily," she replied with a smirk.

"You know what I mean."

"After we retire, we'll just pick a suitable candidate with a balanced team. We'll still be around to phase out the old system, but we'll be the last specialized Gym leaders in Sinnoh after this."

"What about the Elite Four, then?"

Maylene put her hands up and shook her head. "Hey, I'm just a lowly Gym leader. Don't be asking me about the higher-ups. You can try and get some answers out of Volkner if you want to bark up that tree, but otherwise, I think I've already said too much."

"Too much? That was hardly anything. Half of it could be guessed," I scoffed.

"Then why didn't you guess it?" she challenged.

"…Because."

"Excuse me." We both looked up to find a certain honey-haired reporter smiling down at us. Sara Grace Kellner. "I was wondering if I may borrow him for a dance."

"Knock yourself out." Maylene made a shooing motion, but just as I unwillingly passed her, she hissed, "Be careful."

I turned and stared at her, bewildered, as I was dragged away. I soon found out what she meant when the reporter pulled me into a slow dance and immediately announced, "So, tournament hero, a little Pidgey told me a couple interesting facts about you."

"…O-Oh really."

"A couple of interesting facts about this Gym race, too," she continued with a soft smile that wasn't fooling anyone. I looked around desperately for Carlita—or anyone, at that point—to excuse myself and dance with. "You're the second youngest competitor still in this. Does that make you nervous?"

"Not really." Okay, maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all. I had to remind myself that the press knew nothing about the nightmares, nothing about me. She could only dig so far.

"Who do you think will win this?"

"Vai, Sela, and Lola have practically already won," I said with a roll of my eyes. "I can't say who the fourth one would be. I don't know how everyone's standing on beads."

"Do you think you stand a chance?" Sara Grace asked with a sharp smile. I looked away again, once more scanning the crowd for a viable getaway.

"I… guess. As much as anyone else, anyway." I wasn't sure why that felt like such a loaded question. I chalked it up to the fact that she was staring at me with those mismatched eyes of hers. What was that called? He-something, probably—but anyway, it was actually pretty _creepy_. It didn't help things that one of them was hazel, just a few shades darker than Nick's.

"What do you think of the state Sinnoh is in now? Do you believe you could handle the responsibility of becoming a Gym leader? What do you plan on doing about the issue of Nick Sayre?"

I flinched at the last question and drew away from her. She stared down at me in confusion, though there was a glint in her eyes that I didn't like. "Ma'am, with all due respect, you only asked me to _dance_, not play twenty questions with you. And now if you'll excuse me, I see a friend of mine who is in more need of a dance than you are right now."

And I darted off before my courage failed me and I ended up apologizing and sticking around. I had to get out of the dangerous waters before I drowned. I zigzagged through the crowd until I came upon the first familiar face, and immediately attached myself to her—though Lola really didn't seem impressed with my sudden appearance in her arms.

"Excuse me?" she deadpanned.

"Cover me in the name of trainer camaraderie?" I asked with a nervous smile. It had been instinct to dance with her, but now I was having second thoughts as my rational mind caught up with my body. I doubted I could have picked a worse target—okay, maybe Sela would've taken that award. But still. There was nothing between Lola and I beside vague and distant familiarity, a Gym race, and an Electabuzz.

Lola looked over my head at Sara Grace, then back down at me. "Only because I dislike that woman more than I dislike the prospect of dancing with a little boy."

"I take offense to that."

"Are you in any position to do so? I could throw you back out to the Sharpedo if you like," she replied dryly.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine, nevermind. So, uh… You look nice. You're not in complete black." I looked down at her for the first time, noting that while she _was_ in a black dress, it had a red sash around the waist.

"Your tact is utterly awe-inspiring, truly."

"Sorry."

"Are the reporters really so bad you came running to me?" she asked. For the first time, something like concern slipped into her voice. I frowned, aware of the fact that Lola herself was aware of how she came off to others.

"They're just… getting nosy," I mumbled.

"At least they haven't figured out the nightmares yet."

"Don't say that, you'll jinx us all."

"True. You do seem to have bad enough luck for all of us."

I grinned unhappily. "Yeah, and our close proximity might mean it rubs off on you enough to screw us all over."

She smiled thinly. "I have something I have been meaning to ask you for quite some time now."

"Oh?" I blinked up at her, surprised by the sudden change of topic.

Lola tilted her head to one side, her black hair falling over her shoulder as she did so. "You were friends with Nick Sayre, weren't you?"


	108. I Want To Believe

I must've frozen in shock, because Lola laugh humorlessly and said, "Don't worry, it's not as if I'm going to tell everyone. The Gym leaders know about it, right?"

"How—How did you—" I spluttered helplessly, mind recovering and going a mile a minute. Lola knew, Lola _knew_, _Lola_ knew—this could only end badly. How had she figured that out? Had someone told her? What if someone else found out? What if the media found out?

"We met in Snowpoint, remember? You may hardly remember it, but I distinctly remember the two little kids carted in with injuries from that Abomasnow. You certainly changed my visit. I also remember you enthusiastically commandeering the television every time Sayre battled on it. You and that girl friend of yours talked about him fairly often."

"…Yeah. We were friends," I said softly, challengingly. If she was going to make an issue about this, I was going to fight her. I would fight her for Nick.

Lola closed her eyes and hummed absently to herself. "I thought as much."

Was that it? "Are… Aren't you mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"He's kind of the biggest criminal in Sinnoh right now."

"Did you help him with that little fact?"

"Well, no—" though I had happened to break him out of jail the one time he got captured.

"Then why does it matter? It's in the past. You can't change your past, only deal with its consequences in the future." That statement probably shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. Still, I was incredibly grateful to Lola right then. She knew about Nick and I (to some degree), and it sounded like she was going to keep it a secret. She wouldn't benefit from keeping it to herself, at least not that I knew of, so she was actually doing this out of the kindness in her heart.

"…Thanks, Lola," I said and meant it.

"Don't thank me," she mumbled with a sigh. "We're enemies in this race, after all. I could turn around and blackmail you with this information later on if I think it could help me win."

"You're already a shoo-in. You've gotten three beads out of every challenge so far," I accused, eyes narrowed.

"That's true. But in all seriousness, I probably won't tell anyone. I'm not going to be stupid enough to make any promises on your behalf, but during the course of life in general, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, again." She only smiled grimly and shook her head. We finished the dance, Carlita came over and demanded to know why I was dancing with another female, and I managed to dodge an array of bullets for the evening.

I never did dance with Alicia that night, but oddly enough, that was okay with me. I didn't want to pressure her into anything that would only make her uncomfortable. Realistically, the best I could hope for at this stage in the game was just to stay friends. Carlita had the time of her life, however, and several times got applause for her dancing skills. Gardenia in particular seemed awed with the idea of a dancing Breloom. I also managed not to dance with Archie, though that was more on accident than in any sort of grand plan.

Vaikuntha and I returned to our room at about the same time. He said he had a great night as well and learned many of Sinnoh's dance techniques (I had no idea what that meant), and we both tiredly collapsed in our bunks for the night. Carlita and Oviya retired to their pokeballs gladly; dancing really _was_ a workout. The night was thankfully dreamless (and we didn't even need the cough medicine).

The next morning, we woke up to hell.

I bolted upright to someone pounding on the door. Vaikuntha rolled off of the top bunk—nearly landing on me—and we sleepily dragged ourselves to the door to answer it. Hanna, looking harried, glared up at us. "Do you want the bad news or the worse news first?" she panted.

"Did you sprint here from your room?"

"_Yes_." Without waiting for an answer to her question, she held up the newspaper. Across the top of it in blocky, black letters, read "_THE REALITY OF THE NIGHTMARISH GYM RACE_". I swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. There was really only one thing _that_ article could be about. Hanna lowered the paper and glared over it, and said, "Someone last night must have spilled. I haven't read all of it, but it looks like they don't have details about specific ones."

"Well, _good_! How could they, anyway? No one's told anyone else about their nightmares! No one _would_!" I exclaimed in panic, taking the newspaper from her and scanning over the article.

"But now they know of them," Vaikuntha pointed out worriedly. "That means they will know what to look for, what they want to know."

"Exactly," Hanna agreed darkly. "But now there's an uproar about the immorality of it all, and how they want to get the police involved to try to catch the culprit."

"What can the police do that we haven't tried? This isn't a standard crime. _Is_ it technically a crime?"

"It's inhumane and was a blatant violation of personal privacy and respect."

"It will probably not be a good thing if the police are involved. We are nearing the end of the race, and it has not happened again. We can only assume and hope that the Gym leaders will pick out the culprit in their own time."

I handed Hanna the paper again with a heavy sigh. This would be hard to dodge around. The media would be _all_ over this, and probably aggressively, too. "So what's the bad news?"

"This was the bad news." Vaikuntha and I could only stare at her. "The worse news happened earlier this morning, so it didn't have time to make the morning papers like this."

"_What_ is it…?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer I would receive.

Hanna looked down at her slippers. "…Two trainers and their teams were found dead just north of Sunyshore. They think it was Nick."

-.-.-

The media was frothing at its collective mouth trying to get to us, both for our opinions on the potential that Nick Sayre was so close to Sunyshore, and for the nightmares. We actually had to be _escorted_ to the stadium for our final partner competition by armed guards. It wasn't just the press; it was all of Sunyshore. People were demanding to know what the Gym leaders were doing about this—about all of it. They were already turning to us for answers, too. As if we had any.

For my part, I was mostly lost in a daze. I followed Vaikuntha numbly towards the stadium. Nick had said he wouldn't kill anymore. Sure, that admitted he had killed before—but I _wanted_ to believe him. I wanted to believe him so badly. He had stayed quiet this past month, so why start up again now? The fact that it was so close to the city was equally frightening. He was _close_. He was close to Gym leaders and the trainers who would become Gym leaders. I didn't want to think about what he could do with that opportunity. Because he _wouldn't_ use it, right? He couldn't have done this.

"This is poorly timed, but something we had planned since the beginning, so it's unavoidable and unfortunate," Gardenia announced solemnly, hands clasped in front of her. "We will handle the press as best we can, and can only advise you all _strongly_ not to speak to any reporters until this dies down. And… we're sorry. We're so, so sorry."

Her apology was met with stony silence.

Volkner stepped up to take over. "Get in your pairs for today's challenge. Same pairs. Today will mark the last of the traditional challenges, but we will explain that more in detail later. Today, it's more battling."

"Who are our opponents this time? Randomly assigned again?" Sela asked sarcastically, hands on her hips.

"Your opponents are your partners," Volkner said dispassionately. I stared up at him. The revelation was like a bucket of cold water when I'd already been doused with liquid nitrogen. "It will be a one-on-one battle, and you will use your starter, or equivalent. I could easily explain why we want to do it this way, but let's face it. No one's in any mood for more talking. It should be fairly obvious, but if not, use your imagination." He sounded so tired. But at the same time, I agreed with his statement that no one wanted any more talking. We were tired, too.

And, looking up at Vaikuntha, I could only surmise that things would get worse from here on out.

I didn't speak, and he didn't, either, as we were led to our arena. We didn't even look at each other. We did pass Lola—I didn't see who her partner was—and she said with a flat voice, "Turning friends into enemies. A test of strength, isn't it? Battling your friends… Psychological torture, isn't it?"

"Please be quiet," Vaikuntha whispered. Whether or not she heard him, I didn't know.

We took opposite sides of the arena. There would be no surprises in this battle. Des versus Koel. With the fire, I had the type advantage, but ground moves would be useless, and I had the feeling Koel was more experienced than Des. Probably, since Vaikuntha had been training for longer.

We released our Pokemon, who took in the situation mutely. Vaikuntha wasn't looking at me, instead looking down at his feet. Koel stalked back and forth in front of him, feathers grating, looking furiously defensive. Des shuffled backwards, blowing smoke while we waiting for the referee to start the match. The woman raised her hand, and both Pokemon tensed. She dropped it, and in the split second before either trainer could start giving orders, Des took a deep breath for a fire move, and Koel leapt forward, wings held out like swords.

"I forfeit."

Koel screeched to a halt, and turned around and stared at his trainer with wide eyes. Des tilted his head to one side, exhaling his breath and dripping flames rather anticlimactically. I likewise took a couple steps to the side in order to see around my Camerupt, staring in shock at the other side of the arena.

Vaikuntha raised his head and looked at the referee expectantly. "I said I forfeit. I would rather lose here by my own hand than expose my Pokemon to a long match in which he has the clear disadvantage. I am not sure we would lose the battle, but it would be too hard on both Pokemon to justify it."

"Wait, Vai—"

He turned to me with a patient smile. "Brother, I have made up my mind already. As much as I would like to say it is, I cannot say this is for you."

"Are you sure?" the referee asked in confusion, looking a little lost. He nodded emphatically. "…Side A forfeits. Side B wins by default."

I returned an equally confused Des and jogged over to my roommate as he returned his Skarmory. "Vai, why did you do that?"

"I have enough beads to cover for this. I am not out of the Gym race just yet, brother," he replied cheerily.

"I know, but—still, you just _lost_! I'm pretty sure Koel could have taken Des, he's faster and better at close-range combat—"

"I would not expose either of our Pokemon to that long or hard of a battle."

Frowning, I ducked my head, but I would not let the matter drop. He had just _forfeited_! "I… I can understand that, Vai, but it's not like it would have been a fight to the death or anything…" Bad choice of words.

"I would rather lose on my own terms than have to win on any others. I made a promise to Koel." And with that, he would not speak any more about it.

The referee led me away and explained the situation to Crasher Wake who, with a grimace, only gave me one bead. I wasn't about to argue the point, and felt bad enough for that one bead. First, I cost Vaikuntha his three-bead streak. And just now, I cost him his winning streak. Sure, he had enough beads to cover for this, as he said, but it was the fact of the matter.

We sat around and waited for the other battles to finish up, since no one else forfeited (of course). We didn't talk. I felt guilty, and I had no idea what he was feeling, though he was smiling and kicking his feet idly. The second battle finished a couple minutes after that, and I was unsurprised to see Lola march out and receive three beads from Fantina.

I was surprised, however, when I saw who she had just beat—Alicia.

Dragging her feet, she passed us with a great sniffle. The bracelet on her wrist didn't have any beads on it. Alicia had been partners with Lola? But not just that—she had just lost and didn't have any more beads. She was out of the competition. Without thinking any more about it, I jumped up out of my seat, snagged Fantina along the way, and ran over to Alicia. "Alicia! Wait—!"

She turned around and something in her expression changed when she saw it was me. I couldn't tell what it was, however, and it stung—but it wasn't going to deter me. "…Yes?" she asked guardedly.

"Fantina, all bead-giving has to be sanctioned by a Gym leader, right?"

"Ah, _oui_," she replied. Alicia immediately saw where I was going with this and shook her head, but I held out my own bracelet to her regardless.

"I have four beads left. I'll give you two, so we can both make it to the next round. I'm not doing this because—because of anything. I'm just doing it because I want to, and because I'm sorry."

"You don't have to—"

"I don't have to do a lot of things," I replied with a smile I didn't feel. I untied the knot and slipped two of them off, then with a nod from Fantina, held them out to her. Alicia frowned, but held out her hand to take them. "Look, I just want us to have an equal shot at this next one. Let me do this. Please?"

"…Alright," she replied softly.

The rest of the trainers trickled out, some losers, some obviously winners. It seemed as if Alicia wasn't the only one who ran out with this competition, however. Those of us still with beads were herded away from the others—and it was about then that I realized there was _not_ many of us left. Just as I was doing a headcount, Volkner strode into the room and announced, "Congratulations. You are the final ten. From here on out, things will be different."

Alicia. Myself. Vaikuntha (naturally). Lola and Sela (just as naturally). Benjamin. Archie. Keith Baxter (thank you once again, karma). That guy with only 'Challenger' as a name, and a girl I only recognized as the girl with the Lickilicky from the last double battle match, Kaili Schoff. We were the final ten.


	109. May Live To Fight Another Day

"From here on out, the challenges will be secret, except for the very last one." And, of course, they didn't tell us what the last one would be. "They will remain spaced two days apart, but also from here on out, the beads won't be worth a thing. You will be given a pass or fail grade based upon your performance at the end of each challenge. Fail once and you're out. These challenges will be tougher, so consider yourselves warned."

The next two days, predictably, passed by in a _flash_, due to the apprehension and the fact that we basically couldn't leave the hotel without getting swamped. My parents told me how proud they were of me, Hanna did all of the shopping we needed (correction: _she_ needed), and we were moved to the top floor in the hotel. Which meant we had _suites_. It was awesome, sure, but it didn't change the fact that we still couldn't leave and return unscathed. We each had our own room, too, so no more sharing, no more roommate, no more Vaikuntha sleeping over me. I was sad to see him go.

On the upside, however, with the lack of a roommate and added space, I slept with my team out.

"Whoa… Hey, guys, do you know this is the first time we've _all_ slept together?" I asked incredulously, rolling over onto my stomach. "Zarek didn't hatch until we got here, so this is the first time he gets to do this with us."

"_Oh joy_," Ike muttered with an obvious roll of his eyes.

"_Meanie_," Carlita replied. I laughed helplessly at their argument.

"Bii?" Zarek bubbled, shuffling over towards me. Alice raised her head and watched the movement carefully, but for once, didn't decide to pursue him.

"Yes, you. I guess you're officially part of the team now." He had pretty much stopped growing, his shell was hard, and his personality had calmed down. He didn't pinch me at every opportunity, at least. "We should see if we can get you a translator sometime soon, too. And at some point, you need some serious training. Alice and Kostya caught up, so now you have to."

"_If you actually used him in the battles, he would become stronger,_" Des advised with a lazy flick of his ear.

"He's a baby. I'm not sending him out against the fully-grown and trained Pokemon here."

"_Send him out in a double battle some time. With Alice_."

"_Yeah!_" Carlita agreed at once. "_She would chase away any opponents and beat them into the ground!_"

"_What are you insinuating?_" Alice hissed, fluffing up.

"_Merely that your mothering skills are second to none,_" Konstantin soothed. She glared at him, but at least there wasn't any more arguing about it.

"I forgot how entertaining you guys are," I chuckled and rolled back over onto my back. Carlita, laying beside me, immediately snuggled up against my side with a contented sigh. "…Hey, guys. We can't leave to go train down at the beach anymore, but we're on the top floor, right? That's right under the roof."

Yes, the two days passed by quickly. Apprehension, a lock-in, and the clandestine training of a baby Krabby on the hotel roof filled it.

We were once again escorted to the Sunyshore Stadium and, unnervingly, split into two groups of five and then told to form a line. We would be going in individually for this challenge, performing in front of a panel of Gym leaders. I was second in line, which I wasn't sure I was happy about, and Vaikuntha, Lola, Keith, and Archie made up the rest of my line. Did that mean we wouldn't be battling each other? Would we be battling the _Gym leaders_? I wasn't sure I liked that prospect, even if I had technically beaten all of the Sinnoh ones once before.

Archie went first, and about ten minutes later, I was called in. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and stepped up onto the platform. Volkner, Fantina, and three of the foreign Gym leaders—Morty, Sabrina, and Winona, it looked like—were seated behind a table. Archie was sitting cross-legged against one wall, and only offered me a thumbs-up when I gave him a quizzical look.

Maylene was standing on the platform, too. She grinned at me, and said, "I thought you'd be placed in my group."

"Uh."

"This is more of a preliminary exam than an actual challenge, but something we feel should be included nonetheless," Volkner said calmly, gesturing to the platform. "The rules are simple. Fight her. Get knocked off the platform, and you fail. Knock her off, and you win. Fight cleanly and fairly."

"Wait, _what_," I said, squinting at him. "Are you… Are you telling me, without Pokemon, to fight a little girl? Myself?"

I probably should have known that was a bad idea, calling Maylene a little girl. Next thing I knew, I was on my back, wind knocked out of me, and she was standing over me with her arms crossed over her chest. "A little girl with a black belt!" she snorted with a scowl.

"Duly… noted…" I wheezed. She helped me back up into a sitting position as I struggled to catch my breath again.

"Due to the fact that two Gym leaders have been killed, we want to make sure you can hold your own in a fight."

"That's crazy—"

"We would rather err on the side of caution for this one, _merci_," Fantina stated curtly. "We want to be cautious in this sort of political climate. It's bad enough we are bringing in newbies, but we do not want any of you dying the first week."

"We don't plan on anyone failing this portion, but if someone cannot handle physically defending themselves, then it's something we need to know," Volkner drawled.

"So… I just have to throw her out of the ring?"

"At face value, yes."

"…Okay then." I got to my feet, dusted off my pants, and faced Maylene. She beamed at me and sunk into a fighting stance. I tried to copy her, but it felt too weird, so I instead skittered a little closer to her. She didn't move, so I took another couple of steps, until I could practically reach out and touch her.

She lashed out at me, and then the weirdest thing happened. Maybe it was so many years of dodging attacks and Pokemon and random bad luck, but—no, I didn't dodge her hit. I took it. But in fact, I took it without flinching, without stepping back, without failing.

It was a quick insight that followed. I could take hits. I was so used to years of abuse and pain that it hardly fazed me.

Maylene stared at me with wide eyes, apparently surprised that she didn't knock me on my butt again. I blinked once, then relaxed back into a better defensive stance. I smiled.

"Oho, so little boy thinks he can take me on, huh?" she snapped, reverting back to her spicy, fighting self. I realized I had caught her off guard. I could use that to my advantage. "Just because you don't fall doesn't mean it doesn't hurt you. All I have to do is wear you out."

I was thinking the same thing. Although in an admittedly different way. Maylene struck out at me again, this time with a kick to the side. It _did_ hurt, but it only scooted me over a bit. I snorted, pleased, because now I knew (roughly) her kicking speed.

She spun around and this time caught me higher with a roundhouse kick, but just in time—though I earned myself a pretty bad bruise for it—I reached up and grabbed her ankle. She stared at me for a brief moment, surprised again, and I tried my best to take advantage of that. My original plan had been to pull her off balance enough to throw her over the edge, but now that I actually had hold of her leg, I knew that would be impossible. She was small, yes, but she was solid. I wouldn't be able to lift her that easily.

So instead, I shifted her foot in my grasp, took a quick step back to brace myself, and pushed as hard as I could. Because she was already balancing on one foot, and because I managed to push a higher point than her center of gravity (or something like that), she fell backwards. Of course, it was rather anticlimactic when she only fell on the mat behind her and not off, but still.

Before she could jump back to her feet, I dove at her and managed to push her another couple inches towards the edge. Maylene turned and glared at me, probably having figured out my strategy by then, but I continued trying to push her towards the edge before she could right herself. Unfortunately, she was just as strong as I was, and smart enough to know to push back. She managed to nail me in the stomach with her elbow and I bent over with another wheeze. By the time I recovered, she was back on her feet, and apparently civil enough to let me get back up as well, although I was still holding my stomach gingerly.

So much for that strategy. I knew it wouldn't work again. So now all I had going for me was the fact that I was heavier than what she could pick up—I hoped—and I could take her kicks and punches fairly easily. For the moment, anyway. As she said, she would eventually manage to wear me out.

It was then that I had another idea. (Today must have been a good day for me.)

It was a gambit, though. I had no clue whether or not it would lead to my winning, but it was worth a shot. I couldn't defeat the fighting Gym leader easily or in any of the usual ways. Maylene charged at me again, this time going for the face. On instinct—because _really_, who wants to get _punched_ in the face?—I ducked, but she just brought her knee up and knocked the wind out of my chest once again. I glanced back and saw that I was mere inches from the edge of the arena.

Maylene saw that too, and with a triumphant smirk, kicked me back off of the edge.

Boy, she was sure surprised when I grabbed her foot again and took her along with me.

I hit the concrete floor _hard_ and the back of my head really didn't appreciate that. Before the pain could even set in, however, Maylene landed on top of me, yet _again_ pushing all of the air in my lungs out. She was immediately off of me, kneeling beside me and leaning over into my (kind of blurry) vision. "Are you alright?"

"Does this mean it was a tie?" I asked thickly, which had been my aim all along. I couldn't win against her, so I had to settle for a tie. Hopefully it wouldn't get me kicked out.

Maylene looked up, still worried, and next thing I knew, Volkner and Winona were both there, gently trying to get me to sit up. I immediately had a headache from the movement. I guess I either looked pathetic enough to warrant a tie, or they honestly had no idea someone would be so stupid as to do _that_ in a fistfight, but I ended up with a tie and an icepack to the head. I was led over to the wall and sat down by Archie. He immediately looped an arm around my shoulders and placed his lips against my hair. A little late, I shuddered away from him, but he simply pulled away again with a smirk. "Just making sure you heal up all right, sunshine."

"You're terrible, taking advantage of me in my weakened state," I muttered darkly.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet—"

"You two quiet. You're not allowed to speak during the challenges, especially to give anything away," Volkner said in a very businesslike tone. So much for sympathy. "Bring in the next trainer."

Keith turned out to be a ninja in the fact that Maylene couldn't lay a hand on him. He eventually won by a combination of tiring her out and knocking her feet out from under her. Lola had strength on her and basically shoved her out of the ring. Vaikuntha, being Vaikuntha, said that he would not fight a little girl, especially a tired little girl (why didn't _he_ get hit for calling her that?) and instead they brought in Crasher Wake from the other group. I started worrying seriously for his safety—and sanity—until he managed to beat the man in _three moves_. I had guessed he was some sort of martial artist, but still. Crasher Wake was a good half a foot taller and probably a lot heavier.

Vaikuntha smiled blandly at the shock of the judges, probably unaware of what he just did. So his team was strong and trained on all sorts of attacks and commands. And he himself was as noble as a knight in shining armor with the honor of a samurai. I had no idea what he even _was_ anymore, except some sort of saint and awesome trainer.

And the next day, the media tore him apart.


	110. Riots In Our Midst

Hanna showed up, gasping for air, once again holding a newspaper. She did the next day, too. I was learning to hate her visits, no matter how horrible that made me. The first day, Vaikuntha and Keith dominated. The second free day, it was dedicated to Archie and Alicia. The media tore them to _shreds_.

Vaikuntha's heritage was apparently thrown into the mix, which I thought was a rather low blow. He was a Sinnoh trainer—who cared where he was born? He'd be a better Gym leader than anyone else here. Words like 'alien', 'illegal immigrant', and even things like 'mutt' were tossed about. It made me sick. Hanna and I tried to go cheer him up, but he wouldn't even open his door.

Keith's was on a similar note—apparently, he spent his childhood and most of his life before Sinnoh training in Kanto, under one of their past Gym leaders. Somehow, there was more sarcasm of the cruelest sort invested into his article. Being trained as a ninja and a poison-user (I hadn't known he specialized, but then again, I was usually distracted by restraining Carlita from his Nidoking) were apparently bad things, according to the press. Even if some of the shots bordered on ridiculous, it didn't change the scathing tone of it.

Archie and Alicia's were somewhat predictable. I have no idea how _they_ found out about Alicia's sexuality when I didn't even know a week ago, but naturally, conservative east Sinnoh took it from there. I literally ripped that day's newspaper to bits and pieces. If we had been in Jubilife, that sort of crap never would've been tolerated.

The Gym leaders were outraged at the obvious attack on the trainers. They were even more outraged when we decided to retaliate. A very long and messy story short, Sara Grace Kellner ended up half a mile out in the ocean, two reporters ended up with broken cameras and in the psych ward, and an entire news crew was still missing.

"I cannot _believe_ you were all so _stupid_ and _vengeful_ as to do something like this!" Gardenia all but shrieked at us.

"They started it!" Archie snarled in response. He was, for once, sober. Scarily so. "I didn't see any of _you_ defending us!"

"We are trying to stay civil! I swear—we should cancel this entire affair! _None_ of you are innocent in this!" I looked away. It wasn't as if _I_ knew where Konstantin had sent the news crew.

The next day, it got worse. The media decided to turn it up to eleven on their onslaught, and this time, Sela and Lola were the targets. I didn't feel sorry for them—I felt sorry for the _press_, for the first time. Sela knocked a reporter out in one shot and broke his nose, and Lola's Raichu _accidentally_ blacked out the city when one of them tried to videotape her. Gardenia was ready to throttle us all, and instead ordered us to be escorted everywhere. There were two guards at the stairs and elevator on our floor, and if we were to leave the hotel, we had to have a guard with us at all times. The scary part was that it wasn't only because we were misbehaving so badly.

There were crowds. Which were bad enough, realistically speaking. But what was worse was that the people of Sunyshore decided they didn't like us nearly as much as before. From what I could tell, they weren't even that angry for our revenge. Maybe they even understood to some degree. But no, they were angrier at the fact that if we had the energy to do that, we should do something about Nick. Since another trainer, this time _in_ the city limits, had turned up dead.

"We're not even Gym leaders yet! We're just kids!" I shouted, having made the mistake of venturing out into the world to try to make it to the beach. I had wanted to see if Zarek could use water attacks yet. Bad move.

"You're supposed to be the elite!"

"If you can't do anything now, how are we supposed to trust you when you're a leader?"

"We're not miracle workers!" I yelled back. The guard escorting me grabbed my shoulders and steered me back towards the lobby. I continued shouting over my shoulder, mostly for the sake of arguing at that point. They expected us to do everything, when it was hard enough just being in this stupid race and being assaulted in writing by the press.

"Look, I know you're angry, but there's no need to fan the flames," my guard told me gruffly, exhaling loudly once we were semi-safe in the lobby.

"I don't care! I don't see them doing anything, either," I seethed. The man sighed and took off his helmet, shaking out his orange hair. I glared at him and his nonchalance. "I don't see _you_ in this situation!"

"I'm also not a high-class trainer like you. I just have an Arcanine and a pet Mareep." I rolled my eyes. What a tough guard they saddled me with. "You signed up for this when you agreed to do the race. I'm only here to protect you from mass stupidity. I can do that, but you have to try not to cause a scene everywhere you go."

"I didn't sign up for the anger of Sinnoh," I muttered, stomping up the stairs to the next floor. He sighed and followed me. I'd rather take the stairs all the way up to spite him and stomp off my anger.

That night, Volkner called a meeting. It was obvious what it'd be about. We all stuck to the edges of the room, looking everywhere but at the leaders, fidgeting guiltily. "I haven't decided whether or not the timing of this next challenge is perfect, but tomorrow, you will all learn to throw a fight." There were a couple of angry murmurs, but no one else dared to actually speak. Volkner sighed. "You are all going to go up against Sunyshore trainers, who are going to be weaker trainers than you. And you will have to lose. Losing is a key part of being a Gym leader, and sometimes, you have to learn how to throw a fight if they deserve a Gym badge. The key is to not let _them_ know. You'll be failed if your opponent discovers you lost on purpose."

"What if we win?" Benjamin grumbled unwillingly, shuffling closer towards the door.

"Then you also lose. You have to lose to win. You all passed the self-defense portion—"

"Which we didn't even _need_," Sela groused. "All you had to do was wait a day and let the media have us. Then you could find out whether or not we could defend ourselves."

"Which brings me to my next point," Volkner said venomously. "Your behavior."

Collectively, we winced. We knew this was coming.

"It's atrocious. We don't _care_ if they started it. They're probably going to continue it. What we need is for _you_ to keep your cool and _not_ attack any other members of the press. Ever again." He got up and paced in front of us, only adding to the tension of the room. I felt like we were about to get grounded by an angry parent—or worse. "You've only, very unfortunately, made them as angry as they made you. They also know that they can get a rise out of you now. They are going to dig deeper and go for the throat now. I… We are aware of some of your pasts. Whatever they can find out, we already know."

Why did he look at _me_ when he said that? I looked away, gritting my teeth.

Volkner continued pacing. "We chose to look past these things because we believe you are good people, good trainers, and will be good Gym leaders. Sadly, this entire Gym race seems bent on proving us wrong. We didn't care if you were alcoholics, had anger issues, lost people or Pokemon dear to you, or even were criminals in your own right. We looked _past_ that. But I don't think you all realize the fact that the media will _not_ look past it. And we're not going to be able to protect you forever."

"You haven't protected us _yet_," Benjamin said, his voice very soft. "Not from the nightmares, not from our past, not from the future. You aren't going to stop the media. And there's still four of us left to go."

I gulped. I was on that list. Myself, Benjamin, Kaili, and Challenger. They were right, too—we only succeeded in making them angry. Things would only get worse.

"We are trying our best. We are also trying to keep the peace for everyone, not just you, since that's our job."

"You haven't done anything yet! All you've done is throw challenges at us and reprimand us like parents!" Sela exclaimed, clenching her fists. A couple of us nodded in agreement. "Sayre is killing trainers _in the city_ and I haven't seen a single one of you try to do anything to stop that! People are five seconds from rioting in the streets, we're getting attacked from every angle, and you only want us to go out tomorrow and lose in front of everyone!"

"That's right," Gardenia said coldly, curtly.

"What sort of vote of confidence is _that_?" Lola asked caustically.

"This is all still a test. We've lost four Gym leaders in the past year and a half. We want to make sure the new ones have what it takes to survive as one of us. Because as you can see, we're not exactly popular ourselves right now."

We stayed rebelliously silent. The Gym leaders weren't helping us, they weren't helping anyone. They weren't doing anything they should be.

I never felt closer to Nick.

-.-.-

"What are we doing now? It's four in the morning," my guard complained, rubbing at his eyes sleepily.

"Shh. You said you wanted to make sure I was safe at all hours of the day, right—?"

"I did _not_ mean that _literally_," he growled. I knew that, but the last couple of days had put me in a foul mood, and I was not above taking that out on the one person whose job was to keep me alive and in one piece. Plus, a small part of me honestly enjoyed the spy routine. I pressed myself up against the nearest wall, peeked around the corner, and did everything I could to resist making a finger gun. "Oh, for—come here, you." I choked back a yelp as he picked me up and put me under his arm, carrying me effortlessly down the hall. "No one is going to be awake except insane little trainers like you."

"But still—We technically have a curfew! We shouldn't just parade our way out!" I hissed, torn between hanging limply in his grasp and flailing. It was a hard decision. Made sort of worse because as I was growing up and getting older, I wasn't so used to being carried anymore; aside from my Pokemon, the last person who had carried me had probably been Nick.

"_You're_ the one who wanted to go out, so we're going—oh, hello, sir." Our escape plans came to a screeching halt when we nearly walked into an opening door, and from that opening door came Crasher Wake.

He stared at us for a moment with big, surprised eyes. I shrank back against my guard's side, wishing I still had a hood to pull over my head. "Aha, and where are you two off to at this time? Out for a morning workout?" I distinctly remembered this happening before—and that time, I had had to face him only hours afterward in a very unpleasant state of mind. It wasn't as if I minded the man himself, no, probably not. Just too many bad memories and habits to completely break.

"Something like that. Yourself, sir?"

"Going down to the beach to let my Pokemon out! They're so used to going to the Great Marsh everyday, but of course, we haven't had that luxury in quite awhile, eh? Ahaha. Say, boy, _you_ have a water Pokemon now, don't you?" Crasher Wake leaned down with what I assume he meant as a bright, friendly smile, but what I took only as terrifying.

"Y-Yeah—"

"Excellent! Then both of you will only be so kind as to join me for this morning workout!" he exclaimed, leaning back and putting his fists on his wide waist. He laughed again and gestured for us to follow him. To my dismay, the guard carrying me did just that.

I squirmed in his grasp again, and hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Taking my superior's invitation. It wouldn't hurt you to socialize, either."

"But—"

"Oh, shush. The water won't hurt you," he drawled with a roll of his eyes. I frowned irritably and crossed my arms as best I could. I _knew_ that. But as I said, it was too hard to break the habit. …Even if this had pretty much been my entire plan all along. I just didn't want the water Gym leader to be an audience for how pathetically young and inexperienced my Krabby was. Not to mention the fact that I was still technically angry at him for not doing much to protect us, but at four in the morning, that took a backseat to the water issues.

-.-.-

Ending Note: omg you guys one thousand reviews i love you please have my babies :D

And here's a pimp out for the Ending Contest on deviantArt: it's getting epic! So far, we've had Hanna start a riot, uncover a nefarious plot, and get this ADORABLE purse that totally matches her skirt. Vai is a super spy, Kostya fell in love, NamNar has allergies, Jude is a Big Damn Hero on Giggle the Shiny Rapidash, and our favorite black-haired mercenary is back and up to his old tricks again. Oh, and did I mention Nick _still_ hasn't shown up in person, much to our collective amazement? Though since the Sayre Slayers are now after him, I can hardly blame him for staying the hell out of Dodge.


	111. The Chapter Of Surprises

My guard, much to my irritation, left me to Crasher Wake and only sat idly by, smoking a cigarette. Every time the Gym leader was distracted, I turned to him and made faces (not that he minded). How dare he leave me to emotionally die a little more inside.

On the upside, Zarek seemed to be enjoying the attention. He bubbled happily and hardly even tried to pinch anyone. Or maybe it was just the fact that Wake was a larger human than what he was used to interacting with. I wasn't sure, but I sort of hoped his milder attitude stuck.

"This isn't a very old Krabby. The shell's hard, though, so it's not a baby anymore, now is it?" Crasher Wake plus a very, very scary version of a baby voice made me die even more inside.

Zarek skittered over to where I was curled up in the sand, trying to convince myself I wasn't in the Twilight Zone, and blew a bubble into my ear. I sat bolt upright and rubbed at it, irked again. "Zarek—"

"It knows Bubble, but what else? Any egg moves? TMs yet? Are you raising it right?" The water-themed wrestler picked us both up, one in each hand, and looked between the two of us. Zarek only stared at him, while I cowered and tried not to whimper. Zarek, as much as I loved him, was a water Pokemon. I was doing the best I could with that. I didn't want to be scrutinized and graded by Sinnoh's water expert.

"H-Him. Zarek, actually, but he's a boy—"

"Let's see what moves he knows!" Crasher Wake took over with a guffaw, tossing Zarek into the shallow water. I tried to chase after him, worried because, you know, he _was_ the baby of the team—but my Krabby seemed perfectly fine. He scuttled around in the foam, frothing at the mouth in what I assumed was happiness. I hung limply from Crasher Wake's hand, watching this.

I hadn't had the chance to interact much with Zarek. He was still a bit of a mystery to me. I hadn't ever raised a baby, hadn't ever hatched an egg, hadn't ever raised a water Pokemon or a Krabby or anything like him before. Heck, I was still learning how to raise Des, and I had had him for several years already. Still, seeing him so happy and content in the surf made me a little happy, too. Even if I had no idea how to handle him, at least he could handle himself in the water.

That was, until a Wingull came over, picked him up, and carried him off.

Crasher Wake abruptly dropped me and called out his Floatzel, as I was already shrieking (in a voice higher than I liked) and patting down my pockets for Alice's great ball. Unfortunately, the commotion and the Wingull's screeching when the Floatzel started trying to shoot it down with a Water Gun attracted more. It was like a scene out of _The Birds_ or something. I fumbled the great ball and dropped it in favor of covering my head and face from the sudden invasion of wings and beaks and claws. Alice appeared in a flash of light and her sudden appearance, not to mention size and obvious power on the Wingull momentarily caused the flock to back off.

"_What is this supposed to—is that my baby?_" The translator around her neck crackled and tried to keep up with how high her voice went at the end of that. I was pretty sure my ears were bleeding. Without another word—at least not one the translator could decipher—she flapped into the air and made a Beedrill line for the Wingull with the Krabby in its talons.

In a stunning feat of aerial acrobatics, Alice overtook it, smacked it easily out of the air with one of her wings, and barrel-rolled underneath just in time to catch Zarek in her own claws. I watched in awe, forgetting about the battle for a moment, and felt an odd surge of pride. It wasn't as if I taught her that, but she was mine, right? I was allowed to feel proud once in awhile.

Alice rounded about in the predawn night, her cloudy wings catching the moonlight, and I couldn't help but think she looked beautiful. Of course, when I caught sight of the glare she was giving me, that thought went out the window and then some. Maybe it hadn't been the best of ideas to let her out only to show that her baby had been stolen right from under my nose.

"Watch out!" Crasher Wake barked, and suddenly I was forced to the ground by my guard. Spitting out a mouthful of sand, I looked up to see an Arcanine and Floatzel breathing fire and ice (respectively, of course) into the sky as a couple of Pelipper, who were evidently just as protective of their brood as Alice was of Zarek, swooped in and started raining razor-sharp feathers and equally dangerous water on us.

"Aw, hell, this is why I hate water Pokemon," my guard swore as his Arcanine yelped at the water attacks. I sighed all too knowingly. "You, stay down." He shoved my head back into the sand as he crept back up onto his feet. "Try not to get eaten or something." He swore again as his Arcanine fainted with one of the Pelipper's Surfs.

As I detached my face from the sand once more, Alice landed lightly beside me. To say her feathers were ruffled would be the understatement of the century at that point. "_Why in the name of the blue sky are so many birds angry at you right now? Why are they saying that they have to attack you?_" she snapped none too kindly. "_And what do you think you were doing, letting my baby out into this!_"

"This wasn't here when I let him out!" I got up onto my knees, spitting out more grittiness, and bared my teeth at the nearest Wingull. It wasn't as if this was particularly hard—there was a Gym leader and a Gym leader hopeful here, and that guard with an unconscious Arcanine and a pet Mareep (but I wasn't counting him, not really), and we could handle a bunch of wild Pokemon. It was the sheer number and the tenacity that was startling and troublesome. We attacked _one_ Wingull and suddenly we get mobbed? That was hardly fair! "Look, I didn't cause this—"

"_Unlikely._"

"…don't be mean," I said reproachfully, pouting at her. She rolled her eyes and arched her neck in that fashion that meant she probably wasn't going to listen to me. Even better. "Alice, look, could you please just attack?"

"_Of course I will! They are attacking us and I'm not going to sit idly by while either of my chicks are in danger!_" I could hardly comprehend her words before she dropped Zarek on my shoulder and nudged us both over into the surf. "_Go out that way and circle around. Go! And take the wet dog and the orange-haired one with you; they're both useless!_"

I sat in the shallow water, Zarek in my lap, and watched mutely as she entered into the fray again. Had she just called me her chick? Or had the translator been broken by her earlier shriek? She certainly didn't treat me the same way she treated Zarek.

I came back to reality when my sodden bodyguard sat down beside me with a splash. "…First the crowds, and now the birds. Is there anyone or anything you _don't_ incite a riot from?" he deadpanned, spitting out the remains of a wet cigarette.

"Welcome to my world," I replied sullenly.

"Nice place."

"It is. Very idyllic."

"Seems like it."

I almost got lost all over again in the memories of similar attacks. Almost being the key word, since a couple things happened just in time to prevent any such spacing out. The first was that the Pelipper tackled Alice out of the sky and sent her into the sand. While this did not knock her out (and in fact only made her angrier), apparently it was enough to alarm Zarek.

"Bii!" he cried, clicking his claws together in a grabby motion in her direction.

Then he dropped his pincers, sucked in a breath of air, and exhaled it in an Ice Beam that froze the Pelipper's left wing solid.

It dropped to the ground with a squawk and a thump. I figured my eyes were roughly the size of the moon from my shock at that as I stared down at the Krabby between my legs. He paid me no heed and scuttled out of the surf up towards Alice, making his little grabby motion again. At least, just for a moment, until a Wingull got a little too close. He jerked his claws towards it, and the ocean behind us rose up in an impressive Surf that took it out before it could get out of the way. It also managed to waterlog my guard and I quite nicely.

"Wh-What the heck? Zarek, you—"

"You didn't tell me the little Krabby had other moves to work with!" Crasher Wake boomed, suddenly hauling me up by my arm. I coughed a bit more water out of my lungs and stared up at him through wet bangs. "Floatzel, finish scaring the Wingull off! Let the Pelipper leave, let them all leave if they would do it easily!"

I jerked my arm out of Wake's grasp—must to his and my guard's amazement—and stalked over to where Alice was gleefully curled around Zarek. She looked up at me, beaming. "_Did you see what my baby could do? He's a genius! He's amazing! And he's still so young!_"

"Yeah, I noticed." And I would be having a _very_ serious discussion with Jude about that later. I squatted down beside them, tilting my head to the side. If Alice was happy again and concentrating on Zarek, I was probably forgiven. Or forgotten. Although I couldn't get her earlier words out of my head… "Are you two alright?"

"_Naturally._"

"Did you know he could do that?"

"_No. Wasn't it so amazing—?_"

"Yeah, yeah, it was. Spectacular. Zarek, are there any _other_ surprises you'd like to show me at this time?"

He surveyed me for a moment with a somewhat blank expression, and then shot a Water Gun in my face.

-.-.-

"Stupid birds, stupid water, stupid mob, stupid training, stupid Gym leaders, stupid world…"

"You're a ray of sunshine in the mornings."

"Can't you go guard something else for awhile?"

"Nope, I am assigned to you."

"I dislike this more and more."

"Who are you looking for, anyway?"

"Jude. The guy who hangs out with Hanna." Judging from his expression, my guard didn't recognize the name. Then again, ever since the media attack, I had been hanging out with her less and less. "Okay, fine. He's taller and older than me, about this tall." I held my hand over my head. "Brown hair, lighter than mine. Longer, held back in a ponytail. Greenish eyes, I think. Speaks with an accent? World famous Pokemon breeder?"

"Is he staying in this hotel?" he asked helpfully, though the question only made it harder for me.

"Well, no, but he's here often enough…" I sighed in defeat. "Nevermind. I'll catch up to him and throttle him later. What time is it?"

"A little after five. Just before sunrise."

"Wanna go out again before the crowds start? I want fast food something fierce," I said, though my appetite was the furthest thing in my mind right then. It was an excuse. I wanted to get away from the hotel (again) and stay away (again). The hotel was familiar territory. No, wait—that wasn't quite right. The hotel was familiarity that was unwelcome, that was hostile. Hanna showed up with bad news in the hotel. I was technically confined to it. Vaikuntha smiled less and less in it, Alicia wouldn't look at me in it, the Gym leaders were angry with us in it. Familiar was bad. I wanted to get away someplace different.

And, ironically enough, I found refuge and a great hiding spot in the last place where they would look for me: in the Pokemon Center. Which was, you know, really weird considering I was a trainer. But since they had set up a couple healing stations in the hotel for us, I hadn't visited it since the beginning of this infernal race. It was welcome to return to normal training places.

Nurse Joy happily served us both pancakes and I began to drown mine in syrup. It was something to do. Today another two trainers would be thrown to the Mightyena. Would it be me? The chances were fifty-fifty now. If it wasn't today, it'd be tomorrow. And today was also challenge day. I'd have to lose a battle very publicly, which I'm sure would only come back to bite me if I did get pushed back until tomorrow. Maybe if my article _was_ today, the blow to the self-esteem would be so bad that I wouldn't have to _try_ to lose.

Then again, my self-esteem was hardly the thing I was most worried about. It was really, honestly only a matter of time before my past(?) friendship with Nick came into the light. And then there would be chaos. More than there was now, at any rate. I could only imagine how much worse it would be after that. Maybe I should just savor the relative sanity I had now.

"Do you want a little pancake with your syrup?" My guard's voice broke me out of my spiraling thoughts. I shrugged halfheartedly and looked down at my plate, which was threatening to spill over. There went my appetite.

"…You're gonna hate me in two days, I can guarantee it," I told him with a wry grin.

"And why's that?" he asked, seeming none too interested.

"Because my best friend was Nick Sayre and Sunyshore isn't going to like that."

"They're going to like it even less when they add two and two," he replied around a mouthful of food. I glowered at him. I had been expecting to drop a bombshell and that was all I got? Maybe that was why I didn't tell the truth too often anymore.

"And why's that?" it was my turn to ask. I had no idea what he was even talking about. Maybe he had misheard me.

"Because he's in the city, and he's been killing trainers. He's coming to get _you_. And you can bet the farm on the fact that everyone is going to blame you for that."

I blinked at him. Well, that bombshell was certainly reversed. I mean, I had known the facts, and I had guessed it a couple times before, but I had never been told that these recent deaths were my fault so casually before.

"Blame him for what?" Both our heads snapped up at the sound of a new voice. A couple more trainers had joined us in the lobby for breakfast, but since it was still so early, not many appeared. And no one had bothered us yet. Except for the little girl now standing in front of me, hands clasped behind her back, smiling brightly down at the pair of us.

"Uh… For beating the crap out of whatever poor Sunyshore trainer he goes up against today?" And there's the faithful guard, guarding me. At least he was good at his job.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and continued smiling. "That's a good one."

Now I was just confused. Did she know us or something? I mean, I guess I was sort of famous at that point, but usually people didn't come up to me and talk so friendly-like. Usually it was just yelling. "What's a good one?"

"The fact that you think you'll win." She leaned down until she was a little closer to eye-level, still grinning. "My name is Sonya, and you get to battle me today, mister Gym leader to be. And I know for a fact that you _can't_ win against me."

I swallowed thickly and really, _really_ hoped this was the extent of surprises I would get today. I wasn't sure I could handle many more.


	112. If We Resort To Lawlessness

Trying to swallow past my suddenly dry mouth, I managed to croak, "S-So how do you know that?"

"Well, we had this big drawing yesterday about who would get to challenge you Gym trainers, right? And I got picked! And they assigned me to you! And I was going to go busting into your hotel today to introduce myself, but you beat me to it, didn't you!" Sonya chattered on, still grinning. It was starting to make me a little queasy. There went my shot at winning. Then again, if I got kicked out of the Gym race and left Sunyshore, wouldn't Nick conceivably follow me? And wouldn't I not have to deal with crazy crowds and curfews and angry Gym leaders? Maybe it'd be a _good_ idea…

"Why do you say he can't win?" my guard ask. I stiffened; of course he didn't know. He wasn't at the meeting with us. I sighed miserably and sunk low into my chair.

"Because I'm the best trainer in my class! I've seen most of his team, and I can counter it. This'll be a breeze."

…Had I just heard her right? I sat back up, staring at her. She said I couldn't win because she was a better trainer than I was? _Not_ because she knew I had to lose for the challenge? I clasped my hands together and said a silent prayer for whatever deity was suddenly interested in my welfare (though it was about time I got someone on my side).

"Right. Never mind the facts that you're a little girl and while he's not much better, he's been hand-picked by the Gym leaders to _become_ one?" my guard deadpanned.

"Who are you to question me?" she asked, clearly affronted.

He put his hands up defensively. "Merely a bodyguard, ma'am. And if you're challenging my ward, we'll be seeing more of each other before the day is done. The name is Nathan Loar."

I immediately felt bad that I hadn't ever taken the time to learn or remember his name. Then again, people usually had trouble remembering my name for whatever reason, so perhaps this was a little bit of justice in the world. Sonya put her hands on her hips and glared at him behind her glasses. "Well, mister Loar, no matter how handsome you are, you're not going to distract me in this battle. I'm going up against the scrawny one, and I'm only two badges behind him. Mostly because…" Her confidence visibly left her, and after a moment, I realized why. If she had six, that meant she was waiting on the seventh. Which we hadn't had in quite some time. She was waiting on us. "But!" she said, pep instantly back, "We've been training like crazy for months now! If Volkner wasn't so busy babysitting you, I would've battle him and would have seven, so there."

Babysitting was a pretty close term to what we had at this point. Nathan sitting beside me proved that. I glanced over at him—he was covering his face in his hands while Sonya batted her eyelashes at him—and resolved that since we'd more or less be stuck together for the rest of the Gym race, we might as well get used to each other. And that meant remembering his name, listening to his advice about the crowds, and not being so spiteful.

So the first thing I did was get all of the spite out of my system. "Well, Sonya, since you're convinced you'll win, why not make this interesting?" Okay, so honestly speaking, this wasn't merely spite. This was me trying to become more strategic, since because she didn't know about the losing rule, I could still salvage this. All I had to do was to make sure I lost to an overconfident six-maybe-seven-badge-owning hormonal girl.

"I'm listening," she said carefully, eyeing me again.

"If I win, you have to go out on a date—"

"With _you_?" she squawked. I scowled at her, trying not to feel too insulted. Not to mention that this was clearly unthinkable to her, and I wanted her to agree to this. I also didn't feel like being subjected to too much of this girl, especially alone.

"No," I snapped. Was it really that bad of an idea to go out with me once? That stung more than it should have. Probably. "With, uh, a friend of mine." That was a blatant lie. Oh well. I sort of had to run with it now.

"If not you, then why are these the terms for your winning?" Oh crap. This girl wasn't dumb.

"Uh…" On the other hand, it seemed as if I was. My plan had been to force her into an easy choice—lose, and go out with me, or win, and go out with Nathan, since she seemed pretty keen on my guard. I had also planned on the winning prospect to drown out the losing prospect, but how could I bring that up when she was asking so many questions about it? "Because. S-Since you think I'm such a bad choice, I'm trying to take it easy on a little girl and give you a little better time of it when you lose."

The look on her face was all I needed. I relaxed in my chair as she leaned down over me, lip curled in a snarl. "_Excuse_ me, but didn't I just say you're not going to win this? I don't need your sympathy or for you to pull any punches!"

I smiled blandly up at her, though her scary face was starting to make me sweat a bit. "Even so. I wouldn't want to have to force you into anything you don't want to do." Quick thinking, quick thinking. Who could I saddle her with as an alternate to me? Because if I just changed it back to me, she wouldn't be nearly as angry. I wanted her angry at me. I wanted her ready to beat me into the ground. Because I needed all the help I could get in losing. I couldn't put her with Jude, since Hanna would throw a fit. Nathan was the prize, so he was out. I didn't know Benjamin that well, although they were about the same age. "If—_when_—you lose, you have to go on a date with a friend of mine. Vai. He needs some cheering up." Vaikuntha was the only one I could think of who wouldn't get mad at me. Then again, since I planned on losing anyway, this shouldn't be a problem.

"Fine," she all but spat.

"And if you win," I continued as calmly as I could, "You get to go on a date with Nathan."

He choked on the bite of pancake he'd had the misfortune to try swallowing. This gave Sonya the chance to change from bristling to starry-eyed so fast I was sure I got emotional whiplash from it. "You have a deal!" she squealed before my unfortunate guard could completely recover and defend himself. I smirked, triumphant.

At least, until he regained the use of his mouth. "Are you _crazy_? I'm not taking a little girl on a date!"

"I'm not that little," Sonya deadpanned. "_And_ I'm a very accomplished trainer, so that adds to my maturity." Yeah, right.

"Humor me," I hissed at him, unable to explain the full situation until we were alone again. Still, that seemed to be all the incentive Sonya needed. She seemed bent on winning that battle by any means necessary. Now all I could do was hoped she had water, flying, and ice Pokemon and I'd be set.

When Sonya finally detached herself from what she was sure was her date-to-be, he escorted me back to the hotel. People were starting to wake up and go out and about, so the streets were a little more crowded. I earned quite a few nasty looks and Nathan glared down a few too many people than for me to be completely comfortable out there.

I felt guilty for sacrificing him to the whims of a teenage girl when he took off his jacket, wrapped it around me, and pulled the hood up over my head. The slight disguise worked, and hardly anyone looked twice at us from then on. "…Thanks," I muttered.

"I do hope you realize you're explaining yourself on why you baited her using _me_."

"She liked you."

"That much was obvious," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"You're the prize. I needed her to double her efforts to win."

"You like breaking little girls' pride?"

"No!" That was probably a little too forceful to pass off as natural. Still, I had come too close to that point too many times for it to be easy to discuss. "I have to lose."

"…What?" Nathan asked, looking the picture of clueless.

"The challenge today isn't to win this battle. We have to show we know how to throw a battle convincingly, since apparently Gym leaders do it fairly regularly." It sort of hurt, the implication that I may not have _won_ the battles with any of them.

The look of dawning realization on his face was worth any implications, however. He looked down, brow furrowed. "That makes the badges I have feel a lot cheaper…"

"I know, right."

We were almost back to the safe ignorance of the hotel when I caught sight of a newsstand. Oh yeah, the media wanted to kill us. I shuffled over to it, breath held, and couldn't decide when I was relieved or even more scared when Benjamin and Kaili's photos stared balefully up at me from the cover. That meant Challenger and I were left. We'd be tomorrow. After they had the fodder of us losing to use as well as whatever they could dig up.

I didn't want to read the articles. It felt like a bit of a betrayal, reading the enemy's propaganda. So I had completely planned on walking by and retreating to my room until my guard dragged me out for the challenge, that was, until I spotted a couple of words that made me stop in my tracks.

"_GALACTIC BLOOD RUNS IN THE FAMILY?_" was the caption under Benjamin's picture.

Gaze fixed on the newspapers, I slowly turned my body towards it and took a hesitant step forward, arms already reaching out to take it. Benjamin had Galactic ties? The Gym leaders—they _had_ to have known about this. How could they have let him in? How could a _kid_ have Galactic ties, anyway?

"Hey." Nathan literally pulled me back to reality by a sharp tug on the upper arm. "Weren't we headed back to the hotel?"

"But—"

"I don't care. You shouldn't, either. Would you want everyone to sit there and glare at the newspapers declaring your best friend to be Nick Sayre?" Immediately guilty, I allowed him to drag me away from the newsstand. He was right, of course. The media was finding our faults, things we had no control over, like being born in a different country, or sexual orientation, or having a family member in Team Galactic. Still, I couldn't help the fact that I probably wouldn't ever see Benjamin the same way again, not until I got a proper explanation. He was just a kid, the youngest Gym race trainer. He wouldn't have been old enough to be a trainer during Team Galactic's reign over Sinnoh. Heck, I wasn't even old enough at the time. But it didn't mean I didn't remember it. All of Sinnoh did.

And just as I was thinking that nothing could distract me from this until I got some answers, something distracted me.

A figure in a black hoodie hurried past me, hood pulled up. Blood dripped off of the fingers, barely visible below the cuffs. Nathan shouted after me as I tore away from him, after the figure. But no, it wasn't just a figure, he wasn't just a harmless stranger. Not with blood. Not with a black hoodie.

He must have known I was after him, because he broke into a run, pushing past the people populating the street. I grit my teeth and sprinted after him. He would not escape. People started noticing us, and more than one turned in horror at the trainers they undoubtedly recognized. A woman screamed. Nathan was still yelling and following me, but I could dart through a crowd easier than he could push through one. My target was pulling ahead of me, and I was tracking brief flashes of black through openings. Why were there so many people here? It was getting harder to get past them.

And why were they getting louder? Instead of screaming and shouting, they should be either getting out of the way or helping! The crowd was getting denser, and I had a sick feeling that I had lost his trail.

But there—just as I had given up hope, I broke through into a small clearing, and saw him turn a corner into an alleyway. I made it to that spot just in time to throw himself into the waiting wings of a Xatu and Teleport out of there. I stood there, one hand on the rough brick of the nearest building, chest heaving.

He had been so close. He had to have seen me. He _had_ to.

Next thing I knew, Nathan was on top of me, pulling my hood back over my head with a ferocity that ditching him couldn't have warranted. "Hey—!"

"Not a word," he growled, shoving my head down as low as my neck would allow. My breath caught when I saw him unholster the gun on his hip. I had always thought it was for show. It was then that I realized the shouting crowd hadn't stopped. "Stay silent, keep your head down. We're getting closer, and then your Duskull is going to have to Shadow Sneak us in."

"What's going on?" I asked shakily. This wasn't right. Nick's presence in Sunyshore would have caused this, yes. Especially if he was covered in blood, and I had a feeling there was a body somewhere, waiting to be discovered… But the people hadn't been paying attention to him. He was just another person pushing through the mass of bodies. They were fixated on something else.


	113. Only Thing We Can Hope For Is Civil War

Nathan kept me wrapped up in his jacket and had one arm around me at all times. The other was still on his gun. That made me nervous. _What_ was going on that he thought he needed it?

I peeked up out from under the hood and thought, rather naively, that I was safe because no one was looking in our direction. They were all looking at something else, away from us. That made me more confused. Nick Sayre had just been in the city, and its citizens were distracted by something else. What could do that?

I think I knew what it was, deep down. It was the moment I had been dreading since the media turned nasty, since the public turned away from us.

I heard a scream, high and long, that managed to rise up over the crowd. I knew immediately I could not ignore it. I didn't immediately recognize who it belonged to, but I recognized the note in it. It was terrified, desperate, a call for help.

I consciously realized what was going on when Alicia barreled through the crowd in front of me, snarling, "Move out of the way! _Move_ it, heifers! Kaili—hold on—Get out of the freaking way!"

It was the attack on the Gym trainers.

On us.

Nathan must have had psychic powers, because he was already leaping for me as I lunged after Alicia. He caught me around the waist rather awkwardly and we both went down, half-collapsing on another person. I kicked and fought as best as I could, but he had height and weight and training on me, not to mention my legs pinned. "Hold still, you little—! Don't make this worse than it already is!"

"They're—" They were what? I still had no idea what was happening, except for the fact that this was turning nasty in a way I couldn't begin to describe, even to myself. There was a primal sense of danger here. I knew something was wrong, someone was hurting, blood was being shed.

"You can't do anything!"

"Alicia went in there!" I cried, clawing at the pavement in a vain attempt to get out of his grasp.

Our shouting drew attention, naturally. Nathan swore violently as people noticed us—noticed _me_. I only caught on when someone's heel came down on my hand and I felt something crack. My guard jumped over me and kicked the person away from me, gun pointed outward. But he couldn't focus on a single person. They were backing off at the sight of the weapon, but never for long. I got onto my knees and cradled my hand. I had been injured enough to know broken bones when I saw them.

"Get _away_! The cops are on their way and you'll be arrested for assault!" Nathan threatened, baring his teeth. That, combined with the tone in his voice, reminded me strongly of Ike.

I knew it was next to suicidal at that point, but I took his back to me as an opening. With my good hand, I clumsily fished around in my pocket. Nathan shouted after me but I was already gone, trying to make my way through towards where Alicia had disappeared.

The noise of the crowd was starting to build the deeper into the mass I went. I had no idea what I'd find at the center. People were starting to recognize me on my way in, too, which made the going difficult. I didn't want to release a Pokemon just yet—Des would be too big, Carlita would freak out, Ike would be a _very bad_ idea right about now, Konstantin would also freak out, Alice would freak out, Zarek was still a baby—but I was more or less going to have to if I wanted to make it through. Especially when people started getting outwardly violent. I gave a startled yelp as the hood was yanked (along with no small amount of hair) off my head. I barely caught my balance, and next thing I knew, someone's fist made contact with my cheek.

I immediately tasted blood in my mouth. I was more shocked than anything, though it definitely hurt, too. "You little punk, what are _you_ hiding from us?" the man who punched me demanded.

"What are you talking about?" I growled, holding my cheek, definitely tasting blood now. I sloppily spit some out, but it mostly just dribbled down my chin. Great, now I looked worse than I was and that would add fuel to the fire.

It also, evidently, made them think I was physically weak. I ducked under another punch, having seen it coming this time, and resisted the urge to try attacking on my own. But no—I had to make it to the center. I had to make it to where Alicia went in after Kaili.

Suddenly, a Steelix blossomed over the crowd, and screaming redoubled. I took advantage of the shock and chaos and ran for it, recognizing Benjamin clinging to the metal snake. I got tripped on the way there, and I drew my hands in towards my body on reflex this time.

All this time, I could only think _oh god._ I know it wasn't the best summary of what was happening or the most useful thought process for the situation, but it was hard to think anything else. People were attacking us. But no—now that a Pokemon was thrown into it all, even if it was just an escape, it was considered fine. Pokemon flashed out of their pokeballs all around us, and the real fray began.

I scrambled to my feet and kept as small as possible. I barely managed that before I was shoved roughly to the side again. I found myself staring into the wide, blank eyes of a Medicham, and rational thought went out the window.

_Kamala._

It was years since I last saw her, I know. And I know she was dead. But as I said, it was irrational.

I probably would've been psychically mauled to death by it and the angry Sunyshore citizens had my savior not appeared at that point. With a screech of metal and with feathers turned into swords in his hands, Vaikuntha dropped down from Koel and landed lightly in front of me. He blocked the Medicham's first blow, took the second, and then shoved it away with the flat side of the blade. "Brother, we have to go!" he shouted.

I jerked up, dragging myself back into the rather dangerous present. "What—? Vai? Wait—where's Alicia?" I asked with more desperation than I'd intended.

"I have not seen her. She is here as well?" he asked in alarm, looking over his shoulder at me. I nodded, my throat catching at the worry in his eyes. This was bad. If Vaikuntha was worried, if he wasn't smiling, this was bad. He shoved both of the feathers into one hand and took my good one in his other, and started pulling me through the crowd. Koel landed ahead of us and kept the way clear for us, not nearly as afraid of lashing out as his trainer was.

"Vai, what's going on?" I burst out.

"Bad things."

"_Vai_, tell me!" I all but shrieked.

"Benjamin had parents who were part of Team Galactic and Kaili was a Pokemon thief and an illegal breeder! I—" He bit his lip and looked back towards Koel for a moment. "Or… that is what the news articles said. Then we were told to stay in our rooms by Fantina. Keith and I left anyway."

"This is the _media's_ fault?"

"…Yes," he responded after a beat.

A Gastrodon swept us off our feet with some sort of water attack from the side. Koel chased it off and Vaikuntha and I tried to stay on track. The second we were away from the water Pokemon, I released Des, size be screwed. He immediately cleared a space for us and I clambered up onto his back. "Des, no time for questions, but go that way! Towards the Steelix! Vai, come on!"

"No, brother, I will stay behind and keep them away!"

"_No_ Vai, I'm not leaving you behind! You'll be torn apart out here!" It was becoming more and more apparent that the center was our only chance for answers—for safety. Benjamin's Steelix was keeping the space clear just ahead of us, and from my position atop Des, I could see that Keith and Kaili were by him, their own Pokemon out as well.

"I am going to try to find the Gym leaders."

"That's no—"

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I flinched and Des sucked in a breath below me, preparing for fire. We all turned in relief to see Sela literally punch people out of her way, her Lopunny daintily skipping behind her. I was worried that that would turn bad, until it froze the Medicham from before solid with a short-range Ice Beam. "I thought we were having our last stand in the center all together!"

I had no idea whether or not she was trying to be funny. I hugged the volcano in front of me. "Sela, thank—"

"Get _moving_!" she barked at us, forcing Vaikuntha up onto my Camerupt behind me. Koel took to the sky above us, circling high to keep out of range of the mob below. Sela turned, red hair flying, and kicked a man who moved to pursue us between the legs. Vaikuntha and I couldn't help but wince. "You stay away from them!" she screamed. She could give Alice a run for her money.

"_Trainer, we have to get moving,_" Des said breathily, exhaling embers while he tried to keep the fire inside. "_Release Kostya._"

"What—?"

"_I do not want you out here without more backup!_" he demanded. As an afterthought, and on a much softer note, he added, "_Please._"

Konstantin came out, and I saw that Vaikuntha also released Ranga, his Lucario. This was getting terrible. We still hadn't made it to the center of this madhouse, and more people and Pokemon were appearing with every second.

I don't know how, but after winning a bellowing match with a Tauros and Ranga beat back a Gallade, we broke out into what could only be called a no-man's land. Benjamin, Keith, Kaili, Alicia, and Archie were all hunkered down with various Pokemon, several of them sporting obvious injuries. Des marched as quickly as he could over to them, but Vaikuntha and I were already sliding off of him and running to the last allies we had in this crazy town.

Without thinking, as Alicia got up, I threw myself at her in a tight hug. She was safe. She tensed at first, but only for the briefest of moments, and then wrapped her arms around me as well. I had forgot how nice hugs could be—even in the midst of this battlefield.

That was, until Archie pulled me off of her and nuzzled into my hair, crooning, "Oh, my hero and all that. About _time_ you got here."

"We are not the end of the, ah, cavalry is the term, yes?" Vaikuntha said, watching us with a curious expression.

"Huh?" Kaili stood up as well, a little wobbly on her feet. Alicia immediately was at her side, and I noticed that her leg was scraped pretty badly. Kaili was a Pokemon thief and Benjamin had Galactic connections. But right now, all I saw was a scared brunette who could barely stand on her own, and a trainer younger than myself gripping his Steelix so tightly he was shaking. Vaikuntha and Keith were immigrants, Alicia and Archie had problems, the least of which were their sexualities, Sela was a feminist and Lola was a goth, both of them temperamental. I was best friends with the worst serial killer in the history of Sinnoh.

The rest of our cavalry caught up with Sela broke through the edge of the crowd, hair a mess and missing a tooth. Her Lopunny leapt out after her, pirouetted in midair, and used an Ice Beam to make an ice shield that would buy us a little time on that front. The two jogged over to us, both chests heaving.

"Okay," she panted, putting her hands on her knees, "…Looks like we're missing two kids here."

"Lola and Challenger," Keith supplied. "C was back at the hotel when we were there. I'm not sure if he was headed this way or not. I don't know where Lola is."

"If she was in this mess, she would have made it to us already," Kaili pointed out, glancing over her shoulder rather nervously.

"What _is_ this mess?" Sela and I said in unison.

Benjamin slid down off of his Steelix, though didn't let it stray far from him. "It's not my fault. You can't blame me for this." He sounded so defensive, so desperate, I couldn't bring myself to reply. He glared angrily down at his shoes. "It wasn't as if I asked for this. My parents—they were both in Team Galactic, okay? But mom was executed and dad's still in jail, so it's not like they're still terrorizing these panicking idiots!"

"They're not panicking, they're mad," Sela growled, lip curling right over her missing tooth. "They're tired of waiting. They want Gym leaders to take care of problems, not cause them. They don't want alcoholics or criminals or us. They just want Nicholas Sayre to disappear, no more killings, and for life to resume as normal."

"That's never going to happen again," Keith snapped and crossed his arms. "Sayre changed training, whether we're ready to admit it or not. They don't trust us _because_ we're trainers, good ones. They don't want more of him."

I could understand that at face value, but this was totally different. "I was _punched_ in the face! How the heck do they justify that?" I exclaimed.

"And to think, they don't even know you yet," Archie chimed, terribly unhelpfully. I glared at him and stepped farther away. "What I'm wondering is where Lola and Challenger got off to, and perhaps even more pressingly, where the hell the _Gym leaders_ are."

"Or our guards," Kaili sighed. I winced guiltily. Still, what Nathan had said before came back to me. We were good trainers, good people, who happened to do bad things and have bad things happen. That was life. Vaikuntha was a saint and Benjamin couldn't help his parentage. I could have prevented Nick from falling and it would have been really nice right about now if people didn't think Kaili was a thief.

"I… I don't know if this can be salvaged anymore," I started unevenly. I felt their eyes on me, only adding to the pressure of the moment. To my left, the Ice Beam barrier was broken through, and Benjamin's Steelix was dealing with an Infernape on my right. "But we have to try. That's why we're here. We have to take charge, even if they hate us for it. We'll probably get kicked out of here soon, anyway. Might as well defend ourselves for real and stop worrying about stepping on people's toes."

"I knew I liked you," Sela said with a roguish grin. Alicia smiled—the smile itself was warm but her eyes were sad—at me and Vaikuntha glanced back out at the Pokemon trying to keep people away from their trainers.

"Let's not start just yet." Eight heads turned in surprise as Challenger very calmly strode towards us. Behind him, his Golem created a fissure in the ground that separated a great deal of angry mob from us, something I was grateful for. He gave us each a once-over—my bloody chin and broken hand, Kaili's hurt leg, Sela's missing tooth, Benjamin's bleeding nose and black eye and then returned his attention towards the crowd. "You couldn't start without me is what I was aiming for, but it seems as if I'm not the last one to arrive."

"You don't know where Lola is, either?" Alicia asked in surprise. He shrugged and shook his head. I could only hope the crowd hadn't gotten to her, but then again, I was sure we'd have seen more lightning in the sky if she had been in any sort of danger.

All thoughts of Lola went far, far out the window once the television took back over. There was an electronics store at the far end of the plaza where we were located, but worse than that was the large TV on one of the skyscrapers towering over us. Usually it was harmless advertisements or the news.

I almost preferred it when I saw two teenage girls take it over than what I was seeing now.

A solemn-looking man with graying hair was seated behind the desk, and the headline read "SUNYSHORE AT WAR?". (They caught on quick, apparently.) But what was far, far worse than that was the fact that the volume suddenly seemed much too loud. Someone had to have turned it up to gain the attention of the people here.

"And after the shock of hearing two of the so-called 'Gym race trainers' had somewhat darker pasts than what we were used to, SCB only discovered more danger. We have to wonder if _this_ is what the Gym leaders had planned. Hiring the son of infamous Galactics as our new leader? A Pokemon thief in our midst? An alcoholic as a role model for our children? But no, ladies and gentlemen of Sunyshore, what has been found out goes much deeper than that."

My throat went bone dry, but I couldn't swallow. The camera switched to an aerial view of us, huddled and terrified in the square, and zoomed in on me and Challenger. It was our turn now.

"The Gym leaders have evidently decided it would be alright if the known friend and ally of Nick Sayre not only escaped arrest and questioning, but is here among us. And as if that wasn't enough to contend with, and as if the _son_ of one of the evil Teams wasn't enough of a blow to the integrity of Sinnoh's trainers, we have a Rocket."

The blood drained very rapidly out of Challenger's face. I couldn't breathe. For a moment, the chaos around us was drowned out by thundering in my ears. That couldn't be my heartbeat, no, because I was sure it had just stopped.

Then the first gunshot was fired and reality caught back up with us.


	114. Let's Start A Riot

"You're a _Rocket_?" I screeched, hyperventilating at that point and unable to do anything else but concentrate on Challenger. He seemed like he was in a similar position and was backed up against his Golem, face stark white and looking ready to lash out at anyone.

"Ex! I quit years and years ago—What about _you_? Friend of Sayre? You've probably been helping him with those murders! Getting rid of the competition, huh?"

"I would never—!"

"I can't believe _both_ of you!" Sela burst out, and suddenly, everyone was taking sides. I was buried as deeply as possible into Des' fur, still trying to remember to breathe. Benjamin was back up on his Steelix, knuckles white around two more pokeballs. Koel was in front of Vaikuntha, who had his blades out again, though to his obvious distaste. "I've put up with a lot of crap for this job, and now to hear I was inches away from outright criminals the entire time—"

"You've done more than I have!" I yelped, desperate for a way out of this. "You punched out that reporter, you got them angry, you've been picking fights with everyone since day one!"

"At least I wasn't messing around with a mass-murdering—"

"Don't talk about him that way!" Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that. But emotions were running way too high for logic to be involved in anything at that point.

"I didn't do anything! My parents were the cause of all this, but you—! You all are crazy and psycho and evil!" Benjamin crowed, thinking himself safe atop his Steelix, until Archie's Empoleon knocked him cleanly off of it with a Surf.

"_You_ didn't do anything? _I_ didn't do anything except be a saintly little normal trainer until Nick showed up and murdered half of Cynthia's team in front of my eyes!"

"And now look at you! Drunk most the time, molesting kids, setting a great example for us other trainers!"

"At least I was born here, and not a sad excuse for a ninja!"

"Why you—!"

Another gunshot was heard over the cacophony. And then another. But still, the news droned on. "A riot, or perhaps widespread battle, is going on in the streets this very minute. The people will not tolerate their Gym leaders or Gym leader hopefuls to be so callous or immoral any longer. The public sentiment can only be wonder—are we right to trust the Gym leaders' judgment on something as important as this? Were they wrong? Or are trainers themselves so blinded by the need to battle, to train, to become better that they overlook things such as legality and morality?"

The media was behind all of this. The media _wanted_ this to happen. They wanted a riot—no, a rebellion. They didn't want the Gym leaders to be trusted, they didn't want us to be trusted, they didn't want trainers to be in charge anymore. No one could trust trainers after Nick. It just took this long for it to come home. Rather violently, too.

Up on the TV overhead, the screen cut over to Sara Grace Kellner, leaning languidly back in a plush chair, looking as pristine as ever. "Oh, yes… I knew all along that this would be a bad idea… Trainers are too rough, and it's just taken this long for the public to realize it. They are not fit to lead a progressively non-training population. Ever since the Champion's tragedy—" I couldn't hear anymore, since Koel and Challenger's Golem got into a very loud fight.

"Des, help!" I said at once. Vaikuntha was my friend. Right? He wasn't shouting like the rest of us. He was saner, he was the better one.

Des released a jet of fire, forcing Challenger and his Golem back. Koel shrieked and took to the skies. Vaikuntha turned to me—and there was terror in his eyes.

I had meant to help, but obviously, I had just made things worse. Just like Nick. I had meant to help him, I had meant to help Sinnoh. Instead I created all of this, directly or indirectly, I didn't care which. Konstantin flew protectively in between us and them. Us and them—that's what this was turning into. Only when each of us was an 'us' and all of Sunyshore was 'them', it couldn't end well.

"Isn't this what I said would happen? Apply some pressure, and the whole training world would crack. It all came about because of one half-sane elitist and ten well-intentioned elitists."

Lola very literally walked into the middle of our battlefield, completely unimpressed with the halted Pokemon and trainers. She was bleeding from one shoulder and her shirt was ripped, her black hair tousled, and she had the worst scowl I had ever seen on her face. She didn't have a Pokemon out, as far as I could tell. Defenseless and in the middle of a war.

"This is what they wanted. They wanted to turn us all on each other. And can't you see how _stupid_ that is right now? You're trainers. You should know, more than any of these idiots here, that training is about teamwork. How are we going to convince Sinnoh to ever trust trainers again if we fall apart now? We have to be the example. We have to put on a pretty face. We have to show them that we're not a bunch of savages with super powered animals waiting to snap at the drop of a hat."

Only Lola could pull this sort of thing off. Only she could remain so calm when accusations were being thrown, when attacks were every which way, when we were bleeding and broken and, as she said, ready to snap. It was probably because she was already so dark. She had _predicted_ twists like this, psychological warfare, had more or less admitted the nightmares were a smart idea. Only someone with such a cynical outlook could force us to look at the brighter side, see what we had to do in spite of the darkness.

Then again, it may have been overstating Lola's importance and impact. Or perhaps understating the other nine of us. Lola, while she talked sense, didn't have an immediate Pokemon out to stop us from doing anything stupider.

Like Des setting Sela's Lopunny's tail on fire as she got too close. Like Challenger's Golem throwing Benjamin's Steelix off balance (and knocking the young trainer off just as he had clambered back up) with an Earthquake. Like Archie's Empoleon trying to catch Des with a Surf, only to get Shadow Sneaked across the plaza by Konstantin and get attacked by the fringe of the mob, like Koel slashing at anyone who came close to Vaikuntha, like Alicia's Armaldo picking Kaili's Lickilicky and throwing it, like us screaming at each other all the while. Accusations. You were worse than I was. I was innocent. This wasn't my fault. You were actually a criminal. I didn't do this. I had done that instead. I couldn't help it. You didn't know what it was like. You're not me.

Vaikuntha had thrown himself at his Skarmory, shouting in some language I couldn't begin to identify, and was restraining him as best he could. This unfortunately only left his Lucario to beat back anyone who came close—and he did it with a calculated brutality. Benjamin was back up on his Steelix and released a Machamp and a Magmortar. Kaili had collapsed and her leg was bleeding even worse, and no one was going to get near her to help her.

Maybe I should have felt guilty, but I didn't. Archie had turned on me, armed with a team of water Pokemon and his Garchomp. The second he sent out the dragon, I wanted to cry. It was ridiculous how high emotions were running and how random Pokemon were reminding me of Nick, but it was the fact of the matter. I was not thinking very well and hysterically called out Alice and Ike. Yes—Ike. I was thinking he could protect me, because when he wanted to listen to me, he was the most vicious and best predator I had. That's how bad this was getting.

Lightning forked across the sky and Lola had out her Raichu and Electabuzz. Allergies were _not_ what I needed right then, but thankfully, she was far enough away that it didn't immediately assault me. I'm pretty sure I would have given up, curled into a corner, and sobbed myself to death if I had to deal with even teary-er eyes and a runny nose as well. The sky clouded over and I distinctly heard her cry, "Thunder!" Benjamin's Steelix took the hit, roared, and then swiped both of her Pokemon into the air with its tail.

Ike dove into the fray with gusto. He was ripping into Archie's Slowking before I could bother giving him an order. Thankfully, someone seemed to be thinking, because Konstantin pulled him away before it got too bloody.

I didn't even notice.

"_Trainer, what are you doing?_" Des exclaimed, trying to shuffle away from me. I was buried as deeply as humanly possible into his fur, clinging to it desperately. "_Trainer!_"

"Some best friend!" Archie snarled, safe with his Garchomp between us. It roared at us, and Des bellowed back, the volcanoes on his back rumbling angrily as well. "You were his friend! Why did you let him do that! Why did you let him attack Cynthia and ruin Sinnoh for trainers? Why did you let him become a criminal?"

"I—I—I didn't!" I squeaked back, voice too soft to be heard. I shook my head at him, good fingers still tangled in Des' fur. "I didn't do this! He wasn't my fault!" Overhead, lightning struck again, and this time, the television went black as well. It seemed as if the power went out, though it wasn't as if people were able to notice. I thought I heard more gunshots, too.

"Stop this fighting! We can—We can talk this out!" Vaikuntha shouted frantically, still trying to hold Koel back. His shirt was tattered and he was bleeding from the steel feathers, but he still hung on and still tried to call to us.

"A Rocket! And a Galactic! What the hell were the Gym leaders thinking, letting criminals in with us?"

"My _parents_ were, this isn't my fault! What about the thief? What about the criminal's accomplice? What about the _rest_ of you?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"This isn't my fault!"

"You could have done more!"

"You could have, too!"

"We do not have to fight!"

"Calm down, you idiots! We are going to lose the public's trust—we are going to ruin training forever if you don't!"

"Says you two! And what have _you_ done? Vai, you wield those swords pretty well for a pacifist! And Lola—you were probably _hoping_ this would happen!"

"You think I like this? I was trying to think rationally, but you all are going crazy, and I can't be blamed for your sheer _stupidity_!"

"You could have stopped Nick! Why didn't you?"

"This isn't my fault!" I screamed and clamped my hands over my ears, squeezing my eyes shut until the blackness overtook me. The shouting, the screeching, the insanity was muffled. For a moment, I could breathe.

Then Ike was thrown into me and Des and the wind was knocked out of me. Alice swooped down and set up a Dragonbreath barrier between us and the Garchomp, then circled back high into the air—only to get shot down by an Ice Beam from Sela's Lopunny. I shoved Ike away and dove to catch her, which probably wasn't the best of ideas considering my broken hand. She looked dazedly up at me, whistled a low note the translator didn't catch, and fainted in my arms.

I felt a blast of heat overhead, and found that Des was trying to take out Koel and the Garchomp with a Flamethrower. He had barely started, however, before both Vaikuntha's Flygon and Houndoom tackled him with a ferocity that their trainer was backing, with cries of, "Stop him! _Stop him_, do not let him—!"

Ike tackled the Houndoom away and they began fighting, biting, kicking, sparking, and breathing fire, yowling and howling and growling the entire time. Anything to hurt the other. Oviya had dug her claws into Des' shoulder and was trying to pull him to the ground, but he responded with a Lava Plume that, at her range, nearly knocked her out. The Flygon took to the skies and they traded long-range attacks. I returned Alice, only able to keep tabs on what was happening right in front of me at that point.

"Why didn't you stop Nick, stop this from happening?" Archie shouted, breaking through the Dragonbreath flames with a Surf that mercifully missed Des.

"Why didn't _you_?" Alicia screamed at him, jumping onto the scene with her Armaldo in tow. "You were there _with_ him in there, weren't you?"

"You weren't there! That—That was hard as hell and I couldn't have done anything more than what I did! He could have prevented it before—!"

"You don't know what he was like that night!" I bawled. Konstantin had to hold me back before I started fighting myself, too. "His brother was killed and I couldn't have stopped him! I _tried_, okay? It wasn't my fault!"

Suddenly, a Lucario jumped into the scene. This was nothing new—but the way it moved was. It purposefully ducked under Archie's Empoleon and delivered a karate chop to the trainer's neck that had him out cold. Alicia and I couldn't react as it dodged another stray attack and this time, kicked me in the gut. I went down with a wheeze, vision fading rapidly to black. I heard Konstantin's panicked "_Comrade!_" and felt his little paws on my face and hair, trying to pull me back up.

I don't know what else happened, but things got quieter. I didn't hear any more growls or howls or screams. I didn't hear any more gunshots. I finally gave in to the blackness right after a black boot stepped into my field of vision.

"You're right. This isn't your fault. It was mine," a woman said softly, above me. And then I was gone.


	115. And I Began The Process Of Winding Down

I woke up and wasn't even fully conscious before I was groping for my pokeballs. I nearly fell out of bed as I knocked two of them off of the table and they clattered noisily to the floor, releasing Zarek and Carlita. I stared down at my hand, the reason why I had just pushed them off. I had a mitten. It was made of bandages and I couldn't move my fingers inside it; belatedly, I realized that it was the hand with the broken fingers.

Someone cleared their throat at the end of my bed and I immediately had a great ball clutched awkwardly in my mitten, a miniaturized ultra ball and pokeball in the other.

"You can relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

She had gotten a haircut and had dark circles under her eyes, and I had never met her in person—but there wasn't a soul in Sinnoh who didn't know her. Cynthia stared at me with a hooded expression, lips pursed. I swallowed and tried to think of a reply, but she saved me the trouble.

"This is some mess."

"Yeah," I croaked, and embarrassedly returned Carlita and Zarek before their questioning stares became vocalized.

"Everyone is fine. No one died." The fact that she was telling me this was worrying. "I had to intervene and Teleport you all out of there. Most of you are in the hospital with various minor injuries, but don't be afraid—no one knows where you are but the Gym leaders and myself."

"What about my family? My friends?"

Cynthia crossed one leg over the other and tilted her head a bit. Her hair slid to cover half her face. "You could tell them if you'd like. It's only been a day." A day of panic, I'd bet. Hanna would have turned the town upside down trying to find me. And my parents… They had been worried sick about me when this was _tame_. "You're not allowed to see any of the other Gym race trainers, though."

"Why?" The second it left my mouth, I knew it was a stupid question. Because we had been ready to kill each other. Because we made things worse when it was our job to make things better. "That is… What's Sunyshore like?"

"It's terrible," Cynthia said tersely and turned to stare hard out the window. I bit my lip and looked down at the pile of pokeballs in my lap. "The ex-Rocket and the thief are going to be publicly forced to leave the Gym race. Because, even if we were willing to overlook past transgressions, the public is not. And facts are facts. They _did_ commit illegal acts."

"The rest of us?"

"A public apology. Each of you will have a press conference in which you answer any questions, apologize as much as humanly possible, and try to gain favor once more. At this point, the only thing you have going for you is the fact that you weren't with him."

I flinched and looked away. This had been the person that Nick took down, killed half her team. She looked so much older. She looked so sad. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. It really was mine." She turned back to me and offered me a smile that wasn't fooling either of us. Cynthia sensed this and looked away again. "He was right about everything he said. You trainers know it. It's the public that doesn't understand."

"That doesn't mean he was right in what he did."

"No." She was quiet again. It worried me. As I began to fidget, she eventually said, "Crasher Wake is in the hospital."

"What?" I stared at her, trying to process that simple little sentence. We had been wondering where the Gym leaders had been, but we hadn't seen them in the mob. It was one thing to make a riot over Gym leader wanna-bes, but quite another to actually attack a _real_ Gym leader.

"Your guard told us that you chased after a figure in a black sweatshirt right before you left him."

Oh yeah. "H-How is Nathan?"

She chuckled dryly. "He probably simultaneously saved your life and made it worse for everyone involved. He drew attention away from you by discharging his weapon into the air, but that made it worse for him and the police, who were on the outside. No one could easily reach the center where you were beating each other senseless."

Again, I felt grateful to him. He was doing his job, sure, but surely that had to be above and beyond the normal duty for a bodyguard. "Can I see him?"

"Later today, maybe." Cynthia stared at me with an inscrutable expression. Finally, she said, "A figure in a black sweatshirt. You don't have to be a genius to put two and two together."

"I think it was him." No use lying about it. Plus, as far as I could tell, she had been honest with me. I felt as if I should return the favor. Everyone already knew about my friendship with Nick. No use hiding it anymore—though if it came to light about me breaking him out of prison… Kaili and Challenger were out of the race because they were criminals. I would surely be added to that list—and put on trial. "There has been killings near Sunyshore, and everyone thinks it was him. I-I hadn't thought so until I saw him myself."

"And you felt the need to make sure?" she asked cynically. I nodded. "I suppose you would be the only one in Sinnoh who would want to ask him questions as opposed to merely attacking…"

"Please don't," I pleaded. I didn't want to have to be torn any longer. I didn't want to be forced to defend him. I was tired of it. She looked at me, startled, and then frowned down at her lap.

"I'm sorry. I'm just bitter. I'm bitter and frustrated and angry and guilty. It's why I had to give up the Championship." I opened my mouth to respond, but she continued too quickly. "Crasher Wake was attacked. You know who we believe it was. He's been unconscious since then, however, and while his life is not in danger anymore, we can't question him until he's awake again."

"Why are you telling me this?"

She tried to smile at me again, and failed again. "I was wondering whether or not you'd defend him."

-.-.-

When I was let out of the hospital and put back into my hotel room (with an _enforced_ curfew this time), I had a pleasant surprise waiting for me from Hanna. "That was completely uncalled for," she huffed, crossing her legs on my bed. She flopped back down on it and kicked at the ceiling. "I mean—were they _trying_ to incite a riot? It sure sounded that way."

"I think they were," I confessed.

"Doesn't surprise me. They should be thrown in jail. They're worse than you guys."

"They technically didn't do anything _illegal_, did they?" I hoped they had, actually; it would please me to see them in prison.

Hanna got a wicked little grin on their face. "No, but let's just say a couple of media outlets are missing some reporters." I blinked at her in shock. She leaned back up and beamed at me. "I had them fired. And no one's going to take them since whatever the heck their plan was backfired and you guys are still here. They're seen as bad guys."

"So are we," I mumbled, but she didn't hear me.

"No one's going to touch Sara Grace Kellner for decades now. I wish I could have seen her face when she got the news. I also started pressuring the companies to lay off of the Gym race, so you should get a fairly quiet ending to this catastrophe of yours."

That was certainly an apt word for it. I exhaled loudly and sunk low in the chair. "Thanks, Hanna." I knew she was searching for gratitude, and I _was_ grateful. But this was nothing more than revenge and pettiness. The damage was done. Kaili and Challenger were long since gone, and the Gym leaders were smoothing out those feathers. With Crasher Wake in the hospital, the media had something else to feast upon; the pair managed to get out of Sunyshore safely and disappeared back into the anonymity of training.

We were given our losing challenge before we were allowed to see each other once more. I figured the Gym leaders were hoping to trim our numbers down a bit more, but everyone passed. The little girl who trounced me with a Dewgong and Charizard combo gleefully got to go on her date with my guard.

Then, after that, we were put in a room without our Pokemon and told to hash it out amongst ourselves.

Which was unfair considering the first thing that happened was that Benjamin looked at me and spat, "_He's_ still here? Why wasn't he booted out with the other criminals?"

"I was friends with Nick _before_… all that happened. You know, when he was still the hero of Sinnoh," I replied irritably. But in all honesty, it felt good to say that. It felt good to admit to what was in the past, the perfectly harmless past. "Don't pretend you weren't hoping he'd become the next Champion."

"If he was even old enough to remember that," Sela muttered with a nod to Benjamin.

"Are we really going to sit here and bicker?" Alicia asked in exasperation. A couple of us looked away guiltily, clearly planning on just that. "We were friends… sort of… before this."

"Like how he and Nick Sayre were friends?" Keith asked innocently.

"Drop it, will you? Yeah, it was just like that!" I snarled at him, taking a step towards him too. A guard by the entrance started towards me, but I shied back against the wall. "We were good friends, getting along great, and then something bad happens and it all goes south. It happens."

"Are we going to let that stop us?" Lola asked, voice quiet.

"She's right. There are eight of us now. Half of us are going to become Gym leaders, though with all of this, I'm not sure I even want the job anymore." Sela chuckled dryly and crossed her arms over her chest. She glowered at the guards, and then halfheartedly added, "I'm so tired of it. This is taking forever and it's been hell."

There were murmurs of agreement from all of us. Lola pushed off of the wall and clasped her hands behind her back, all business. "Let's simply agree to not go at each other's throats anymore. What's in the past is in the past. We're good trainers now. The best."

"And what's even better is that the three mildest are the shoo-ins," Archie said with a sarcastic smile. Lola raised an eyebrow, so he elaborated, "You, the feminist, and the saint are the favorites, aren't you? And you like to pretend you're the voices of reason, you're the logical ones, you're the ones with the least problems against you."

Benjamin's lip curled, and Alicia looked down at her shoes. He was right, of course. Vaikuntha, Lola, and Sela were still the favorites. They were still the strongest out of us, and they were the tamest choices. It was obvious they'd become three of the four Gym leaders. They were safe choices to make. "So it's you three, and then one of us. And whoever they don't like they're just going to put up in Snowpoint."

"Hell no, I wanted Snowpoint," Sela said immediately. This surprised everyone. None of us had spoken about what we actually _wanted_ after becoming a Gym leader. "And I figured Vaikuntha would go to Oreburgh on principle—"

"Why is this?" he asked in confusion.

"You'd be the best for the newbies. Better than Sela or Lola scaring everyone off," Alicia explained, smiling for the first time. After that, our group relaxed. There were still jabs at each other, and Lola, Sela, and Vaikuntha were now referred to as the 'favorites' or by various titles we had come up with for them, but it was better now. Having all of the dirt dug up on us allowed us to act more like ourselves. We weren't keeping things hidden or restraining ourselves.

That's not to say it was perfect, of course. Archie was still angry with me. Benjamin and Sela _still_ didn't get along. Vaikuntha visibly was very unsure about being called a 'saint'.

But it was progress, I guess.

"So Sela wants Snowpoint. No one's arguing with her for that one," Keith summarized, and there were a couple nods of agreement. "Vai should go to Oreburgh. Archie wants Sunyshore, and Lola doesn't care."

"Why would I? They could assign us to cities and then ruin our plans, anyway," she drawled, folding her hands behind her head lazily.

"I want Canalave," Alicia spoke up. "I… I always liked Byron. He didn't think it was weird for a girl to start off with an Armaldo."

"And it's not! Female trainers can have any Pokemon they want, regardless of—" Sela started, but Lola calmly interrupted her with a, "Says the one who has a Lopunny as her go-to."

We then turned to talking about our Pokemon. It was the one thing we all had in common, after all. Vaikuntha explained his swords and how Koel learned to fight by copying him, Lola and I explained the Electabuzz we both owned, Archie embarrassedly admitted that Charlotte, his Garchomp, was named after Chase, Alicia pointed out that Armaldo were just as cute as any other Pokemon, and Keith retold how he managed to get the world's shortest Nidoking. Vaikuntha and Alicia burst out laughing when I tried to relate how bad my team's luck was, Keith told us stories about ninja training, Sela informed us of how training was 'back in the day', and Benjamin in turn told her what training post-Champion's Tragedy was like.

And then the Gym leaders came back in, told us how proud they were of us not wanting to kill each other anymore, and that the final challenge was to be held in a week. It was going to be broadcast live on television, to try to lighten the mood of the Gym race again. (We were, of course, to be on our best behavior.)

"What is it going to _be_, though?" Benjamin asked guardedly. Alicia and I shared a look. We were both thinking the same thing: a battle royale? I sure hoped not. Archie's team was scary enough without thinking about the rest of them.

"What else would the Gym race end with?" Cynthia asked, putting a hand on her hip. "A race."


	116. Preparing For The Last Race

"We already had a race," Alicia said in confusion. I nodded, remembering how that one had gone. It hadn't been perfectly pleasant.

"This one will be different. It'll still be more or less an obstacle course, and you will be competing against each other with your teams. But it will be longer, it will be in an unknown territory, and it will be more of a challenge than the first one you faced," Cynthia said simply. And that was that. No one could bring themselves to pester her for any more information. She was intimidating and withdrawn. She was apart from us.

No one had told us, but at some point, the foreign Gym leaders left. In return, once news of Cynthia's infamous return to the training world spread, we received the Elite Four. I was not alone in my skittishness around them; we were just getting used to seeing the Gym leaders on an everyday basis, and now the next step up? More than once, myself or one of the others would see Bertha or Lucian coming down the hallway and do an about face and head in the opposite direction. They were not scary, but their reputations were.

Two days had passed before I explained what was going on to my entourage. Or rather—my parents came first. "I don't know where we're going, but it's been hinted at that it won't be held in Sunyshore."

"After the way they've treated you? I should hope so!" my mother said stiffly, arms crossed. I sighed and nodded in agreement.

"It'll be on TV, though. So you guys should, um, watch…"

"Of course we will, sweetie." Next thing I knew, I was being squished by her arms around me. For all of our ups and downs over the past couple of months, it was still nice to be hugged by my mother. And I wasn't going to bother lying to myself or them. I wanted their support. I wanted them to cheer me on, even if they worried. I had survived the worst of it, and now it was all or nothing. If I won, I'd become a Gym leader, and all would (probably) be forgiven with time. If I lost, I could simply fade back into obscurity and do my best to deal with Nick on my own. But win or lose, I knew I could count on them. After all, they hadn't disowned me yet.

The day after, I tracked down Hanna and Jude. I had meant to find Cossette as well, but apparently, she was with her parents for the afternoon. I supposed it would be easier without the small girl there to make a scene.

"You should make sure the cameras get shots of your goodbye to her. It'll melt the public's icy heart and show you're not a bad guy," Hanna said airily, sipping her coffee.

"That kind of seems like using her."

"Not really. I mean—it will probably happen anyway, won't it?" Jude pointed out. "The media is going to be _all_ over you, since it will be the first time you venture out as a group since… Everyone is going to be filmed. Including you and little miss Cossette."

I didn't particularly like the notion of being in front of the cameras again, but if it was going to happen anyway, at least it'd be in my favor this time. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "Four days, and then the end begins. It's going to be another race, and we think it won't be in Sunyshore."

"At least the odds are yours, mate." Hanna and I looked at him, lost. Jude smiled wryly and gestured with a gloved hand. "No more press ready to rip out your throat, no more worrying about getting to the next challenge. Plus you'll be in new territory. Probably out in the wilderness somewhere—isn't that where you trainers thrive?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Use your bad luck against everyone else!" Hanna burst out suddenly. She leapt to her feet and slammed her manicured hands down on the table, bracelets jingling. "Cause avalanches! Burn forests! Destroy paths! Set Ike loose on the other contestants!"

Jude and I shared a nervous glance, simultaneously wondering what had gotten into her.

"Look, you have fought _way_ too hard for this position, and if they think you're not cut out to be a Gym leader at this point, then—then they're crazy! So you had _better_ win this, or else! You can bet a shiny legendary that the others are going to be fighting tooth and nail for those spots, so you had better fight right back! Don't let Alicia use you, don't let that Sela woman steamroll you, and _definitely_ don't let that snarky little Benjamin win! Or the alcoholic!"

Hanna's tirade was very mercifully cut off by the sound of Jude's phone ringing. He sunk low into his chair as he flipped it open. I scooted away from him—and the glare Hanna was giving him—and mulled over what she had said. It was true that I wanted this. Now that I had fought for it, I wanted it. Plus it would be way too evil of karma to deny me this after the past month. Although her fierce cheerleader routine was… worrying.

"No, no. I told you—no anonymous buyers anymore. I want a _name_—no!" Jude was hissing into his phone. "Calmly tell them that I'm not going to sell a bloody high-level _Tyranitar_ to just anyone who names a price!"

"A Tyranitar?" Hanna asked, all normalcy now. I continued to eye her warily. She could still change it back to a 'win-or-face-my-wrath' at the drop of a hat.

Jude covered the phone and replied, "Yes. Someone wants to buy a Tyranitar I've been training for _years_, and understandably, I don't want to hand over a Pokemon like that to anyone. Too many people of, ahem, _questionable_ motives these days."

She tilted her head to one side. "Daddy's the buyer. Why didn't he give his name?"

Jude visibly choked on his breath and nearly dropped the phone. He set it down on the table and squawked, "What?"

Hanna looked down. "He's investing in some high-security technology with the Poketch Company and wants some insurance for it. The Tyranitar's going to go to the head of security for the project. It's a very expensive deal and a lot of our rivals would want the tech…"

Jude nodded, face a mask, and picked the phone back up. He resumed his conversation—still wanting a name for the buyer but now not so angry about it—and Hanna idly stirred her drink. I was intensely aware that life went on, even while I was stuck in Gym race limbo. Jude was still a businessman and was still selling Pokemon, even while in Sunyshore. Hanna's dad was probably getting more millions for her to play with. Life went on.

And after this race, mine would, too. One way or another.

With a click, Jude hung up and turned coolly to Hanna. "Now, love, why the anonymity with the Tyranitar? It's a little disquieting."

"We don't want to advertise our security, do we?" she replied, just as coolly. "Although in my defense, I didn't know he was buying it secretly. The name they'll end up using will either be Mark's or Joseph's, and I'll put in a call to see why they were keeping it secret from you."

"Thank you. I suppose I'm just a little hurt that they wouldn't trust me. You and your family has done a lot of business with me, and I value that. I wouldn't go and shout secrets."

"Not that your high-end business deals aren't entertaining," I interrupted, even if I was a little amused by their seriousness, "Jude and I have a business deal to discuss, too."

"Hm?"

"You not only gave me a water Pokemon, but a water Pokemon who started using some _interesting_ moves the other day."

He grinned at getting caught, but hastily covered it with a strained cough and a shrug. "I haven't the faintest as to what you're referring to."

"Zarek used Ice Beam. And Surf! Is there anything _else_ he came with?" If I was being sent out into the wilderness, then I most certainly wanted to know what he was capable of. Plus there was the matter that Jude seemed to enjoy playing with me via my Krabby. I was tired of his surprises.

"Perhaps. You know, his father was the best Kingler I've raised in—"

"Jude, answer his question," Hanna cut in.

He sighed and sunk low into his seat. "Fine, fine. As far as I can tell, your little Krabby should be well off in the world. He _should_ know Ice Beam, Surf, Cut, Crabhammer, and Water Gun. Plus whatever moves he's learned from you already."

"Should know?" I echoed suspiciously. I had seen three of those in action. But not a hint of the other two. Unless his constant pinching was supposed to be some sort of practice Cut…

"Breeding is not a perfect system. Sometimes things pass on to the next generation, sometimes they don't. And then there are moves and traits that skip generations, or come from the mother instead, or other little surprises like that. It's why most parents don't give their children eggs anymore," Jude explained, regaining a bit of courage as he got going. "Of course, being one of the best breeders in the world helps—"

"Your ego is showing," Hanna said with a roll of her eyes. But we were both smiling. I was simply glad that he was being honest with me about Zarek. Even if he himself didn't know the exact truth. Ice Beam, Surf, Cut, Crabhammer, Water Gun. Three of those for sure, possibly the other two. Plus whatever moves he learned on his own—definitely Bubble. But I wasn't sure what else.

With my last three days, I buckled down with my last-minute training. Zarek was the focus, but that's not to say I didn't have the other five running laps, either. I had Des practicing with Fissure, which apparently was strong enough to take out any opponent in one move. That was good—but his aim was not. Carlita was perfectly content to practice her fighting (and again, try to teach me some moves), but I couldn't tell if she had any new moves to work with. Ike was working with what we eventually decided was Discharge, and in his claws was quite fearsome. Konstantin floated around doing ghost things I could hardly keep up with (nor really _want_ to, especially after he did something that made Zarek and Carlita cry). Alice, after chasing the Duskull away from her baby, worked on her dragon moves and some aerial acrobatics. And her singing, but since it was pretty, I didn't bother getting her to focus on anything else.

"Zarek, use Cut!"

He shuffled around and stared at me blankly. I could not figure out if this was because he was still unused to commands, or if he didn't know the move. He did use Bubble and Water Gun on command, but I couldn't get him to repeat anything else—even ViceGrip or Leer, which I knew for a fact he had learned with our training regimen. He used Harden whenever he wanted, too, which was mostly when he felt scared or defensive.

Zarek was also figuring out that using a Water Gun or Surf on Des got results. Usually irritation or a snorted Ember in his direction, but attention nonetheless. Very unfortunately, he tried this on the others, too. Carlita liked the impromptu bath and Konstantin didn't mind him, and Alice's love for him overrode her annoyance, but Ike wasn't as kind as they were. It didn't help that the smallest of electric attacks would knock Zarek out.

So we also worked on teamwork in that time.

We also started gathering hints from the Gym leaders. I had no idea whether or not they intended this, but nightly, we came together in one of our rooms and discussed what clues we had caught onto and grouped these together to get a better picture of what we'd be up against. We were positive it would not be held in Sunyshore or any of the routes adjacent. It would also be days long. Or at least two; Archie had been told to pack pajamas at one point, so it'd at least be overnight.

And as for the 'unknown territory' bit—that had us stumped. Between the eight of us, we had been to all corners of Sinnoh. Unless it was some sort of race through the Elite Four… Or unless they assumed it was someplace new, but one of us had been to it before. I secretly hoped that was the case, if only so I had a tiny, microscopic chance of knowing where I was supposed to be going.

In her first announcement to us, Cynthia had called it an obstacle course. But that was the last we heard of it. There had been _no_ hints whatsoever as to what sort of obstacles we could face. Which was weird, because wouldn't that be the easiest thing to hint at? That part had us even more confused—and worried.

The night before we were to depart for our last hurrah, I had a very strange dream.


	117. In Which He Dreams A Little Bigger

There was a parade going on. I was on the sidelines of a sunny little path going through sunny little woods, and watched as Benjamin went past, riding on his Steelix. Sela carried her Lopunny bridal style, and behind her marching came Vaikuntha carrying Koel with a bright smile on his face and bleeding hands from the steel feathers.

Celia and Carlita twirled past, laughing, and just as I started after them to demand why she had _my_ Breloom again, Chase swooped past me, Nick in his arms. I halted, arm still stretched out after Carlita, and watched as he grinned and waved cheerily to Celia. After a breathless moment, I recognized him as _before_. As my best friend. He was younger, he was happier, he had a brightness in his eyes that I hadn't realized was missing until then.

Des paraded past me. I did a double-take when I saw someone riding on him, between his volcanoes. Someone in a black hoodie, hood pulled low over his eyes. I looked back up the line, but Chase and Nick were gone and Celia hummed happily to herself as if he had never been there.

"H-Hey! Wait a minute!" I ran out after them. Immediately, the faceless crowd on the sides of the path hushed their mute cheering, glaring at me reproachfully. How dare I interrupt their entertainment, how dare I ask for their attention. I faltered mid-step, feeling a dangerous sense of déjà vu.

But then Des snorted and the figure in the black hoodie turned to me expectantly.

I stomped as forcefully as I could up to them. "Why are you on Des? He's mine!"

"No he's not. He's mine."

"What? Why?" I tried to climb up beside him, but he kicked me off easily. I recognized the voice as Nick's—as if there was ever any doubt—but I still couldn't see his face. "Give me back my Pokemon!"

"He's not yours anymore. You won't let go of me," Nick replied dispassionately, placing his foot on my head to prevent me from getting up there. "I have you. And since you won't let go, neither will I. How else am I supposed to keep hold of you?"

"That—That doesn't make sense!" I cried furiously, grabbing onto Des' shaggy fur and refusing to let go.

"I have you. And I won't let go. Since you won't."

"Why drag Des into it then?"

"I'm the better trainer. He was tired of you doing nothing. He wanted to do something, didn't he? He always has."

"Get off of him!" I savagely ripped his foot off of my head—not even Nick Sayre would keep me from my Pokemon—but just as I lunged for him, he and Des and the sunny little parade vanished.

Alicia was suddenly beside me, hair and eyes and teeth bright white in the semidarkness. Her eyes, normally dark brown, seemed terribly black, though. "Are you ready to become a Gym leader?" she asked with charm.

I shied away from her, smiling nervously. "U-Um—"

"If you become a Gym leader, what will that change?" she pressed, following me step for step.

"I don't—"

"I thought you wanted to become the _Champion_!" Alicia shrieked. On the last syllable, she burst into off-white feathers and as they floated to the ground, she was gone. Instead, there was a tiny egg in the nest left behind. I recognized it immediately as a smaller version of Zarek's. I picked it up very carefully.

It crumbled between my fingers, and for the most horrible moment of my life, I was convinced I had just killed him.

Then the world around me lightened into something white and fluffy, and the feeling vanished as quickly as it came. I looked around expectantly. No more Gym race trainers. Was I alone? I took a tentative step forward, sinking knee-deep into the cottony stuff. Was it supposed to be a cloud? Or the stuffing of a giant stuffed animal?

"_My child, come here._" It wasn't as if the voice came from any specific direction, instead coming from all around me. It wasn't an echo, it was just… everywhere.

"I don't know where you are," I replied simply, cautiously, looking about me once more. As an afterthought, I added, "I don't know who you are, either."

"_You do not remember me._" It was not a question. Something hazily appeared in the white beside me. It was blurry, and too slowly came into focus. At least, I hoped it was coming into focus. I was also reminded _very_ strongly of a certain white ghost who was fond of the same trick, but that couldn't be her. She was dead. She was gone.

As the white thing slowly became more clear, however, it was obviously _not_ the Froslass I had met so long ago. For starters, this was larger. Twice as tall as me, and it carried an oppressive, overbearing, impossibly strong presence as well. I took a step back in the fluff, but the intruder halted, and I had the feeling that its sudden movement was it cocking its head to one side.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"_I wish to speak to you, my child._"

"I'm not your child."

All at once, the creature was made perfectly visible to me. A tall monster—Pokemon?—with a long head, round, red eyes, and four legs on which it stepped lightly over to me. I stared at it, amazed by oddly not terrified, and it laid down in front of me, lowering its head until we were roughly eye-level. "_Sadly, no. If you were, I would not have allowed this to have gone this far._" It didn't move its mouth (if it even had one; I couldn't tell), but this wasn't the feeling I was accustomed to when dealing with psychics, either. I had a feeling the Pokemon was smiling, especially when it said, "_Yes, this is a dream._"

The white fluff fell away from my legs and we landed roughly on hard-packed dirt. Well, _I_ landed roughly, but the Pokemon in front of me didn't look disturbed in the least. I dusted off my pants and with a suddenly lucid mind, eyed it once more. It was no Pokemon I recognized, at least not outright. It was almost completely white or grey, although it did have weird gold circle-things on its back. It also had colored eyes, which were looking at me a little _too_ intently.

"You're not a ghost Pokemon, and you don't talk like a psychic."

"_I could become one, if you'd like._" It was then that I remembered Kamala's trick of turning human in my dreams. I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation; this Pokemon could very well be a Starly for all I knew.

"Dreams are stupid," I groused and sat down in front of the beast. I sighed, admittedly a little grumpily, and looked up at it. "So, why did you invade my mind? A warning of the future? I still have that last one memorized, don't worry, and a fat lot of good it did me—"

"_I thought the ghosts told you not to become bitter_," the Pokemon observed. It sounded amused. Definitely a ghost trait, I decided. "_But no, I am not here for anything as cryptic as that. I am merely here to…_" It paused, now sounding confused. I stared flatly up at it. It was in my dreams and didn't even know _why_? I wished there was a way to protect myself from such invasions.

Speaking of which— "Where's Kostya?" I asked, inadvertently out loud. Usually, right about now, he charged in and scared off any intruders.

"_What's a Kostya?_" the Pokemon asked, leaning in curiously. I scooted back.

"My Duskull. He usually haunts my dreams and doesn't like it when other Pokemon jump in." I watched the white Pokemon carefully for any sort of reaction, but none came. I sighed. "Nevermind. So, tell me, white thing. Have you decided why you're here yet?"

"_Oh, yes. I have. I am here to speak with you,_" it replied happily, closing its eyes. It was all too easy to picture it with a smile, even if I was still trying to pinpoint its mouth. Its tone and way of speaking also reminded me of Vaikuntha. I hoped that was a good thing. "_Concerning what the ghosts have done to you._"

"Done to me?" I asked suspiciously.

"_They should not have warned you about the future. It only served to fuel your paranoia and cause you to feel much guilt. I want to apologize for the situation you have been placed in, as well—this sort of humanistic problem should not be placed on any one's shoulders_—"

"Wait, what?" Needless to say, most of that had gone over my head. I understood the fact that the ghosts were at fault—hey, that was new—and that I shouldn't be here. "Are you talking about… Nick?"

"…_Yes_," the Pokemon replied, shortly.

"He was the ghosts' fault?"

"_No! He was—my child, you must understand that these things happen for a reason, even if it was not my intention for you to be the sole one involved on the other end._"

"I don't get what you're talking about, and I'm tired of this sort of thing! Now either speak _plainly_ or kindly leave so I can sleep in peace!" I exclaimed. I was personally hoping for the latter; from experience, I knew that ghosts and psychics were usually more trouble than they were worth (Konstantin aside), and whenever they thought they were doing a good deed by messing with the future, things had a tendency of getting worse instead.

The Pokemon bowed its head, almost apologetically. "_I am sorry, my child. That was not my intention._"

"Then what _was_ your intention?"

"_To ensure you do the right thing._"

"Then tell me—what's the right thing to do?"

"_Protect your Pokemon, preserve the sanctity of training, and make sure the world does not fall into chaos._"

"…Right. Nothing big, then," I said faintly. The white Pokemon smiled-but-not-really at me again. It leaned forward and placed where its mouth would have been against my forehead, and next thing I knew, I was staring up at Ike's very angry yellow and red eyes.

"_Get. It. Off._" I sat up and he moved, lifting his tail to reveal Zarek latched onto the yellow part on the end. The reason why he hadn't shocked him right off was soon obvious as well; Alice was directly behind them, neck bowed, wings held out from her sides, making a noise that could give most of Ike's growls a run for their money.

"Zarek, come here," I admonished, making a grab for him with my non-mitten hand. My Krabby blew bubbles at me and switched claws, managing to swing just out of my reach. Ike whined at the renewed pinch and shook his tail—only to have Alice snap her beak dangerously close to the tip of the star. It immediately halted its movement. "Zarek—Alice—Ike—! All of you, stop fussing!"

I managed to grab hold of Zarek on my second try, but detaching him was difficult. As it always was, but not having much friction with a glove of bandages didn't help. He considered this very amusing, though, and frothed happily, eyes closed in delight. "Bii! Kra-bii!"

Whatever he'd said made Ike's ears shoot straight up in shock, and Alice burst out into musical laughter.

"I… am so confused," I sighed, finally getting Zarek off by using my finger as bait. I then set to the process of getting him detached from _me_.

Konstantin floated through the floor beside me, paw stuck firmly to his skull in an effort to stop himself from giggling. "_Ah—he says that he is not—aha—he is not afraid of Ike!_"

"Zarek, he could eat you in one bite. Try to be a little more—_ow_!" He appeared to smirk at me and snipped a little more of my finger off. There was blood now, running down both my hand and his claw, and he seemed entirely too smug about this. "Zarek! Stop it! Bad, bad Krabby!"

"_Don't scold my baby! He doesn't know any better because someone doesn't train him!_" Alice snapped.

"What do you think I've been doing the past week?" I replied, a bit miffed at her behavior. I continued trying to pry Zarek off, especially since my finger was turning an interesting shade of purple. "Come on Zarek, let go!"

"_He's gotten spoiled. You're going to have to discipline him_," Des spoke up with a yawn, flicking both ears back. He raised his head, gave me a look, and then set them back down on his paws.

"_He's not spoiled!_" Alice said haughtily.

"_But he is,_" Konstantin responded, confused. He tilted in midair to the side to demonstrate this, eye shifting to the other socket.

I _finally_ managed to pry Zarek off, losing an alarming amount of skin in the process. I wrapped my finger in my mitten to soak up the blood after dropping him in my lap. He tried to skitter away, but I raised my knee and enclosed him in the blanket between my legs. He flailed, but apparently, he couldn't manage to cut his way out of it. Des grinned at me when I looked at him; some help he was. "_You reap what you sow, Trainer._"

"I discipline him," I replied, though it came out as a whine. My brow furrowed and I wrinkled my nose at the wiggling lump. "Zarek, stop moving and I'll let you out." I was very satisfied when he stopped. I carefully released him and he crawled away from me, but aside from a couple clicks from his pinchers, he didn't do anything else. I turned to my Camerupt with my own grin. "See? He just has his moments and a bit of a language barrier."

"_We're leaving today, Trainer. You don't have time to get him one of these collars,_" he reminded me unhelpfully.

"Yeah, I know, but…" I ran a hand through my hair—and then realized what Des had said. "Oh jeez, you're right. The race starts today." I flopped back onto my bed with a groan. Carlita leaned over into my vision with a smile, but I closed my eyes. I would not be swayed by her enthusiasm. Today was the beginning of the end of the Gym race; I had every right to be nervous. I still had to prepare, I had to go through a string of goodbyes, and then I would have to brave the unknown and beat seven others to get the job I'd been fighting tooth and nail for.

"_We all know you are not going to go back to sleep, so you may as well get up and save us all some time. We have preparations to make,_" Ike said in annoyance, echoing my thoughts. I groaned again and rolled over, curling around Carlita, much to her delight. "_Get up!_"

"I had a strange dream last night," I said by way of distraction. My bed, my soft, wonderful, warm bed… I wouldn't see it again. No more luxury hotel rooms after this. I would miss it terribly, I knew.

"_What was it about?_" Carlita asked, eyes big. I smiled. Okay, maybe a _bit_ of enthusiasm wasn't a bad thing.

"I… can't remember. Something about a Starly."


	118. Off To A Great Start

Maylene stopped by, successfully rousing me from bed, and informed me that we'd be expected to show up in front of the Sunyshore Pokemon Center at one, which only gave me a couple hours of preparations. It would be a couple days long, and out in the wilderness, so it was nothing to sneeze at.

What else was nothing to sneeze at was Hanna once she woke up and tracked me down. Thankfully, since she slept in later than I did, I had time to take a shower and get out of my pajamas—as well as accidentally give all of my team save Des one as well. As far as I could tell, Carlita actually wanted to get washed. Ike did not, but was chased in in a last-ditch attempt to avoid Konstantin, who, of course, gleefully followed him. Zarek wanted to get into the water, and Alice followed him, until she realized that would get her cloudy wings wet. So I had a screeching Altaria, yowling Luxray, cackling Duskull, and more wounds than I wanted by the end of it.

Hanna practically kicked my door down, and for a brief, serious second, looked all business. Then she caught sight of me blow-drying Ike and broke down laughing. He snarled at her, but I held out an arm to stop him. "Hanna, don't laugh at him. He's really not in the mood."

"B-But—!" she gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"_We took a shower with Trainer!_" Carlita gushed, dancing from foot to foot beside her. Hanna nodded, teary-eyed, and managed to make it to my bed before she burst out laughing again. With a pillow to muffle it, Ike didn't get so annoyed, but still. I scratched him behind the ears to try to placate him. He shocked me, but it only made my arm go numb. It was nothing compared to when he shorted out earlier.

"I take it you're here to take me on one last shopping trip?" I asked, already tired of the day.

Hanna nodded, her eyes barely visible above the pillow.

"And most of it will be spent not on supplies, but clothes?"

Another nod. She glanced at Ike and the corners of her eyes crinkled up again, accompanied by a high-pitched giggle through the pillow. Ike growled at her.

"Jude will probably be coming, too, right?" I asked, for lack of another question. I tried to keep talking, if only to break up any potential bloodbaths. It was hard enough smoothing the ruffled feathers after the shower scene.

Hanna nodded once more. I sighed, shut off the blow-dryer, and dropped a semi-dry towel on Ike. (There were no really _dry_ towels anymore. I felt sorry for the housekeeper who was assigned to my room and the swamp of a bathroom.) He laid down underneath it and set about to licking his paws. Konstantin floated over and tried to rub the back of his head with it, but a snarl and a snap of jaws chased him off.

"Alright. Let's go then."

Hanna took the pillow away from her mouth and gasped out, "I'm going to miss your team."

-.-.-

Jude couldn't make it, instead having to go complete a last-minute business deal at the other end of town. I convinced Hanna to go supply shopping _before_ clothes shopping, since I knew she would gladly eat up my time with no remorse otherwise. I was busy stocking up on Full Heals and Full Restores—ignoring my conscience at Hanna footing the bill—and weighed the options of diversifying. Those two items would carry me through most minor injuries and health problems, but not all. Although, if this was to be a longer race, time would be the best healer. I did, however, grab a few more Revives for my bag as well.

"Done yet?" Hanna asked, swiping her card without batting an eye at the total for the items. I winced and shook my head.

"I need food for the team, don't I? At least _some_." Far too many times I had been camped out and forced to rely only on whatever dead things Ike and Konstantin brought me. That was made even worse by the fact that Des preferred no meat at all, Alice liked _actual_ bird food, and I had no idea what Zarek would eat out in the wild. Thankfully, he was big enough that he didn't need any more baby Pokemon formula.

Hanna's impatience evaporated when she saw what sorts of food I picked out. Specifically, the fact that I bought very little actual _Pokemon_ food. "Why are you stocking up on peanut butter?"

"It has lots of protein, it keeps forever, and it's one of the few things everyone likes." I paused. "Okay, Ike doesn't really like it… And Zarek's never tried it. But still, it works."

"Why don't you just get them Pokemon food? You have a free lifetime's supply—"

"I know," I cut her off, feeling guilty. "But if worst comes to worst, either I or my team can eat it. Trainers think that way." I felt impossibly guiltier when I realized how that sounded—and the brief expression on her face that followed it. "No, Hanna, I didn't mean it that way!"

"I… I know that," she replied hastily. She turned away from me and plucked another jar of peanut butter off of the top shelf. "You're going to look ridiculous, carting around nothing but peanut butter, ramen, and healing items."

"I have bird seed in here, too," I pointed out. Hanna turned back around, smile back in place.

"Of course you do. Now! Ready for your new outfit yet?"

I checked my phone. We had an hour and a half left, which I thought was an obnoxiously long time to spend clothes shopping. Hanna thought it was a sin to go shopping with no less than three hours. The least I could do was give her the rest of my time. "Yeah, let's—" I was cut off as arms circled around me from behind and lifted my backpack.

I half-turned, surprised to find Vaikuntha inspecting the contents of my bag over my head. He grinned at me, but it wasn't completely happy. He looked rather frantic, actually. "Brother! I am glad to have found you!"

"Vai, what is it?" I asked, heart rate skyrocketing. Then again, the past couple weeks had conditioned me to think that when someone looked nervous around me, I had a very good reason to be, too.

"I have found out more details of our race!" He released me and handed my backpack back, offering Hanna a smile in greeting as he did so. "It will be longer than we originally thought, and it will be held in the north."

"Longer? How much longer?" As a group, we were collectively planning on three days, tops. Most of us were forgoing sleeping bags, so we could travel faster. But if it was going to be longer… "Wait, _north_? We're heading back to Snowpoint?"

"No!" Vaikuntha reeled back; it was apparent this was the first time this thought had occurred to him. "I think—If we were to head into such dangerous territory, the Gym leaders would have warned us, would they not? They do not want us to freeze to death! Or—Or they will supply us with clothing appropriate for the weather, yes?"

I wouldn't put it past them to do the latter, if only to keep us in the dark, but I was still worried about the possibility.

"Besides, brother, everyone has been to Snowpoint. It would not be held there," Vaikuntha added, voice stronger now. He nodded, mostly to himself, and beamed at us. "Pack more supplies! I am glad to have run into you with time to spare. If you find anyone else, would you please tell them as well? I want everyone to have a fair chance!"

That was so like him. Hanna and I both nodded, but when he made to jog off, I caught his arm and asked, "Wait, Vai, aren't you stocking up?"

"I will once everyone else has been warned," he replied, as if confused by my question.

"Who all have you warned already?" Hanna asked.

"Only you and Lola, you two are the only ones I have found so far."

"Vai, you have the entire city to search through, especially since everyone's going to be out and about. You won't have time to find everyone else and even if you do, you won't have time to re-supply!" I warned, but even as I said it, I knew he was fully aware of this.

He smiled at me and tilted his head to one side. "It would not be fair of me, or you, or any of us to have an unjust advantage over the others due to something like this, brother. I will be fine! I am a tough trainer, like you, and I am sure this challenge will not be that difficult."

He ran off again to find the others before Hanna or I could stop him. She sighed and straightened her headband, then placed her hands on her hips. "That boy… Is he _really_ that selfless?"

"Yeah, he is," I agreed sadly. Throwing himself under the bus to give the rest of us time to pack properly.

"Well, come on then." Hanna grabbed another armful of peanut butter, and then nodded towards the ramen in my bag. "We're going to have to get extra for him. Sneak it into his bag before the race starts, okay?"

I grinned at her. "Will do."

-.-.-

By the time we tracked down a sleeping bag—so much for traveling light—Hanna had less than an hour to work with my outfit. She was justly outraged by this. So we had to restrain ourselves to only one large department store to work with, which she was also infuriated by.

On the upside, she turned all of this focus inward and managed to pick me out less weird outfits and more things I would actually wear. I think it helped that I semi-forced her to work with layers, because even if we weren't headed to Snowpoint, 'north' generally meant 'cold'. She threw me into a changing room with two sweaters and a pair of jeans. "I don't see why they couldn't move it back! One is _way_ too early!"

"We're probably going to have to travel, and I'm guessing they don't want to travel so much during the night."

"Jetlag is the least of your worries! Ugh! They should just hand badges over to you and Vai and be done with it," she replied. I could practically _hear_ her cross her arms. "You two are the sweetest boys I know and you've _earned_ them, with all they've put you through!"

"Hanna, it's only a race… More like a trek through the wilderness. I do this thing routinely. No need to worry so much!"

"I'm not worried!" she snapped. I rolled my eyes. Full on denial. "I just—You have been through _hell_ and you deserve this job. You need this." She tossed another shirt into the changing room with a huff. "Hurry up. I want to see these clothes on you before you leave!"

"Fine, fine. Yes, _mother_." I came out and twirled in the latest shirt. She eyed me, but eventually nodded in approval.

"Alright, I've decided. The black t-shirt with the pokeball design on it, the blue and white one, and then the long-sleeved blue one."

"You like putting me in blues."

"Yes. I do." She didn't seem disturbed by my shrewdness and instead tossed me a white jacket. "You look good in blues, and you can't ever go wrong with some well-placed black or white. Just—Just don't _ever_ turn like that Lola girl."

"I promise, but only if you let me have these pants." I held up a pair of cargo pants that I had managed to sneak into the dressing room. Hanna glared at me for them. I pushed out my bottom lip and gave her my best Growlithe eyes. "_Please_? I've never asked you for any sort of clothes before and look at all the pockets they have! I _need_ pockets! Think of all the training stuff I could put into them!"

"But with your hand wrapped up," she reasoned, "You wouldn't be able to use the pockets on the left side anyway."

"All the more reason to have more on the right! _Please_ Hanna? I'll never ask you ever again for anything ever! It can be a really early birthday present!" I wanted the pants, I admit. They were denim, so strong material, and I was tired of attempting to shove all of my pokeballs into two pockets. Plus a phone, room key, random change, and whatever else I supposedly needed at the time.

"Fine," she gave in with a reluctant smile. "But only because you're going away to the great unknown and, knowing your luck, will probably get eaten."

I got my pants, and Hanna got the satisfaction of probably giving me nightmares later tonight. We had ten minutes before we were to show up at the Center by that time, and since it was a five minute walk, we took our time. I couldn't think of what to say, though. The next time I saw her, I would (hopefully) be a Gym leader. Or not. And that felt like it would be years from now.

A Gym leader that she would never challenge…

Even if she hadn't been collecting badges before, she might've started if she still had her team. I cringed and glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She seemed oblivious to my train of thought.

Oblivious or not, however, it didn't mean she didn't have her own thoughts. Hanna very suddenly grabbed my mitten and yanked me into the nearest store. I nearly dropped the shopping bags in the process. I stumbled up beside her as she flagged down a salesperson with practiced ease. We were in an electronics shop, and most of the televisions along one wall were showing the Sunyshore Center. I still had to run the hurdle of one last media bout… Great. It looked like only the Gym leaders and Benjamin were already there, though.

"Wait—why are we in here? We're three blocks from the Center," I asked in confusion, looking back at Hanna.

"Because," she replied impatiently, tapping her sandal, "Don't you need another translator?"

"You don't have to—"

"I've seen how the little monster treats you, and you need it," she deadpanned. I couldn't argue with that point, though I didn't like her calling Zarek a monster, even in jest. "Come on, they even have cute little ones for baby Pokemon!"

"He's not that much of a baby anymore."

"He's still tiny, though."

"What about when he evolves?"

"Then… I don't know. It grows with him or stretches or something." She shrugged, but didn't seem too worried about it. I couldn't bring myself to be too worried, either; that would be a long time from now, if past experiences were anything to go by. Except Alice, she had evolved rather quickly, but she was also captured at a pretty high level…

I felt very sorry for the salesclerk who had to hold Zarek still in order to attach the translator around his arm. I offered to do it, but I guess he had wanted to impress Hanna (or rather, her credit card). Zarek stopped short of making him bleed—only just—and seemed a little more subdued. Maybe he was excited, or nervous. I couldn't tell his moods yet. But wait—I could simply ask now!

"Zarek, can you understand me?"

Judging by the way he turned to me and looked at me, I had a feeling he could, perfectly, and knew exactly what had just been attached to his arm. And he didn't want to lose the language barrier.

"Zarek, come on, speak. Just a test. If you want to stay quiet afterwards, that's fine."

He crawled away from me, but I simply picked him up. He looked away and didn't try to pinch me. I poked one of the horns on his head, and that got his attention again. "_Don't._" My Krabby jumped in surprise at the sound of the translator, making Hanna and I both laugh. He blew a bubble at me and shifted angrily in my arms.

"We weren't laughing at you," I reassured him.

"You're just cute," Hanna added.

He didn't respond. I figured I was getting a mixture of the silent treatment and his sudden shyness, but that was okay. As long as he had the capability of speaking to me in a language I understood, sooner or later he'd lighten up. I returned him, Hanna and I both apologized to the salesman again, and then we glanced at our phones to discover that it was three past one.

We ended up sprinting there, but much to my relief, I wasn't the last one to arrive. We were still missing Vaikuntha and Archie. Hanna and I collapsed onto the pavement beside Gardenia, panting. She smiled at us but didn't reprimand me, which I was thankful for. Her presence also kept most of the cameras away.

It did not, however, stop Jude from sidling over to us, Cossette in tow. The little girl threw herself at me gleefully and a dozen camera flashes soon followed. I ignore them as best I could and instead smiled and laughed helplessly as she chattered on in French. "Ready for this?" Jude asked, sitting down beside Hanna.

"More or less. As ready as I can be, I guess," I replied bravely. He laughed.

"Do not be mean!" Cossette scolded him, reaching across Hanna to smack his arm. This, of course, had him laughing harder. I grabbed Cossette's hand to prevent more abuse, and instead tried to scoot her off of my lap. It didn't work. She clung to my arm and nuzzled against it, telling me, "I will miss you. Véro will miss you and Rose will miss you and Manon will miss you and Jacques will miss you!" Somehow I doubted that last part.

"Cossette, it won't take too long. Just a couple days, okay?"

"And when you come back, you will become a Gym leader, yes?" she asked, eyes shining up at me. I smiled nervously and looked away.

"Uh, maybe."

"I will challenge you when this happens!" she exclaimed excitedly, hopping off of me to strike a dramatic pose. She probably could _already_ stomp me into the ground if she let Jacques loose, but no need to encourage her. I got back to my feet to prevent her from sitting on me again.

"Why don't you become one of his Gym trainers instead?" Jude suggested. I glared at him for it, but thankfully, Cossette didn't know what the term meant. Then again, I doubted she would even become a real trainer. She was a Hanna-in-training, rich and spoiled and capable of owning any pet Pokemon she wanted.

Then again, with the rash of trainers who didn't 'deserve' their Pokemon getting killed off…

The mental image of Chase ripping into Cossette's Pokemon was not a welcome one. I shook my head, and when that didn't work, I beat it against the Center wall to drive the image away. I would _not_ let that happen. I would become a Gym leader and fiercely protect all of those trainers under me. I would use all means possible to stop Nick in a peaceful way, to silence his followers, to put the training world back into balance. No more elitism, no more anger.

Archie arrived, leaving Vaikuntha as the last to arrive. Then again, hardly anyone noticed his absence—Archie was having a grand, drunken time distracting the press allowed to be there. Hanna wrinkled her nose in disgust and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Eventually, Nurse Joy came out with a literal bucket of cold water for him, and that sobered him, at least a little.

During the commotion, no one noticed Vaikuntha slink onto the scene. Except, apparently, Lola. When I finally did notice his arrival, they were already in a heated, hushed discussion, Vaikuntha not frowning, but definitely not smiling. I started to head over towards them—only to get grabbed by Maylene and dragged over to where Volkner was gesturing everyone over. I waved halfheartedly towards Hanna and the other two, _really_ hoping that it wouldn't have to be a goodbye-until-this-is-over wave.

"Alright then," Volkner started after clearing his throat. We were arranged in a giant circle, the few reporters allowed onto the scene squeezing in between us or holding cameras above our heads in order to capture what was going on. I glanced over towards Vaikuntha. He didn't seem to be paying attention, eyes on the ground near his feet instead of the electric Gym leader. Lola, on the other hand, was staring up at Volkner with her usual flat expression, completely uninterested in whatever had transpired between the two of them. "Let's get this show on the road."

There was an expectant pause, and then we realized, with no small amount of horror, that _that_ was _it_. We weren't getting any sort of explanation beforehand. We really were going into this completely blind.

And as soon as that realization hit us, the circle around him collapsed as we surged forward. I saw Sela elbow Gardenia and a reporter out of the way and seized him by the front of his coat, snarling something about strategy. Cameras flashed all over. Keith and Alicia pulled her away from him, and I was suddenly and roughly shoved out of the brawl of a meeting and deposited on the sidewalk in front of the Center. I got back to my feet, ready to join in again in the name of answers, Hanna and Cossette in matching poses of concern in my peripheral vision.

And then, two golden arms wrapped around me with an astonishing grip. My surroundings instantly changed, and I found myself in knee-high grass. The sun was in a different position overhead, there were a couple of trees in the distance, and it was unnervingly silent.

I stared at the grass in front of me, shocked into stillness. I had just been Teleported out of Sunyshore and was now in the middle of nowhere. I didn't recognize the area—then again, I could hardly recognize every patch of grass in Sinnoh… Had they been planning this all along? Just to knock us a bit more off balance?

And I could absolutely not push the little thought of _what if this wasn't the Gym leaders' doing?_ out of my head.

My fears were put to rest and I heaved an embarrassingly large sigh of relief when Volkner stepped onto the scene, letting go of an Alakazam. He looked me up and down and I shakily got to my feet, smiling at him. "This is the challenge, right?" I asked. I had to ask. They shouldn't give me such a fright, dang it! I could've had a heart attack and died.

"Of course it is," he replied, furrowing his brow in confusion. "What else would it be?"

I stayed silent. He looked away, apparently realizing a plethora of things it could have been.

"We still have a couple moments for everyone to get situated, but I'll start explaining the rules to you," he pressed on briskly. I nodded, trying to focus on the matter at hand. This was it. This was _it_, the last of the Gym race. Now or never for the position. "There is no time limit in which you have to finish. It's simply until everyone is done. Winning does _not_ mean it will net you a position as a Gym leader, but, well… It naturally won't _hurt_ your chances."

I nodded again. They wanted a failsafe, just in case something went wrong. They didn't want to _have_ to place anyone into a position. Plus, they probably wanted to have a big reveal at the end.

"I'd plan for a few weeks, though," Volkner said, looking off towards the distance. I noticed a mountain in that direction; Mount Coronet? "Depending on which route you take, how straight your path is, and various other difficulties you'll have to get past."

I nodded once more, feeling a bit like a bobblehead at this point.

"The end of the race is there." He nodded at the mountain. "Stark Mountain. We've decided to take pity on you and you won't have to go _in_ it, but the main entrance on the south side is where we'll be waiting."

Stark Mountain, Stark Mountain… Why did that name seem familiar? It wasn't any place I'd been to before, though, I knew that. So this _would_ be a trek through unknown territory. Oh well, it had been a long shot anyway.

"There are two main routes you'll be able to take, and you can pick which one you'd prefer. One is longer, but it also has two stops with Pokemon Centers. The shorter way is basically a straight shot, but no stops. It's up to you which you want to take. The shorter way is due north, and the second route is west of here."

I continued my nodding, trying to absorb this information. The end was Stark Mountain. North was the short way, west was the safe way. It didn't sound too hard yet… Then again, who knew what sort of monstrosities were roaming the area around here?

As if reading my mind, Volkner's eyes narrowed. "Yes, there are wild Pokemon. There will also be trainers. If all of your Pokemon faint, you have to go back to the nearest Center."

"What if you take the short route?" I asked.

"There is a small area due south of here that has one. A half hour walk, if that." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in that direction. "But if you go back to that area, even if it's to heal your Pokemon, we will take it as you giving up."

I nodded more seriously. Okay. So it was definitely an all or nothing challenge.

"While traveling, only five minutes of flying is allowed per day. And if you use it three days in a row, you will be disqualified. Also, no Teleportation unless it is back to the disqualification Center, or in case of extreme emergencies." Uh-oh. We were getting into the warnings; I winced, and he noticed. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We _have_ to tell you the safety information, even if it makes you nervous."

"I know, I know," I said, but it wasn't as if I _wanted_ to hear this. It just reminded me of the Abomasnow and media attacks. Neither were pleasant. My hand was still in its mitten, too.

"If you're seriously attacked, stuck, seriously injured, or any other important thing has come up that qualifies as an emergency, shoot three attacks into the air, equally spaced apart. Fire, water, or electricity works best. There will be cameras in certain areas that we'll be monitoring, as well as occasional fly-overs to check on everyone as best as possible. Oh! Also," Volkner said, fishing around in his pocket. He eventually pulled out some sort of necklace with a little black box attached to it. "Wear this at all times."

"What is it?" I asked impulsively, taking it from him and slipping it over my neck. It was surprisingly light, considering it was pretty big.

"A GPS tracker. If it remains stationary for more than eighteen hours, we will come and find you. It's also so we can keep tabs on who is where," he said dryly. "So even if _you_ get lost, you won't really be lost."

That was actually a huge relief. I stuffed it under my shirt and grinned up at him. "You _do_ care about us, after all," I couldn't help but say. Volkner rolled his eyes. "So… Is that everything?"

"Not yet," he replied. "But nice try. Traveling together with another trainer isn't strictly illegal, but we don't recommend it. At all." In other words, he didn't want me tracking down Vaikuntha right away and making a team effort of it. "Remember, you are _competing_."

"I know…" I said, ducking my head.

"Active sabotage is illegal, of course." I brought my head back up to stare at him, but he was looking up at the clouds. "But, say, if you happened to cut down a branch that blocked part of the path, then you wouldn't be aware of what could feasibly happen afterward, would you?"

"You… You _want_ us to turn this into a competition!" I accused.

"Naturally. We want to see your ingenuity—and how badly you want to win."

I crossed my arms but growled out, "Fine." It didn't mean I would be participating in any such thing, however.

"A final word of warning?" Volkner asked, and I nodded to allow him the chance to speak. "The wild Pokemon around here are _strong_, some of the strongest in Sinnoh. There will also be species you have never encountered before, more likely than not. Keep your guard up. I _strongly recommend_ you keep a Pokemon or two out with you at all times, especially when sleeping. We want to keep you safe, but we can't babysit you."

"You've been doing a good job of it so far."

"Teenagers," Volkner griped, placing his fists on his hips. "You have no idea what we've had to put up with, what we've had to _do_ in order to keep you brats safe. And you've been nigh ungrateful for it all, too."

"It hasn't been easy on this side of the fence, you know," I snapped, but without much venom. I was aware he _had_ done a lot for me, for us. For trainers everywhere in Sinnoh. And yet… He, they could have done so much more. With that thought in mind, I mirrored his posture and told him, point blank, "I'm winning this. And Sinnoh and its trainers are shaping up."

He half-grinned at me in disbelief. The necklace under my shirt beeped once, and then, what sounded like a pager went off. Volkner dug around in his breast pocket and pulled the device out, glancing at it before raising his eyes once more. "Let's see you win this, kid. The clock's ticking down."

I only paused long enough to grin as hard as I could, shoulder my backpack, and then I sprinted off to the west.


	119. All Quiet On The Western Front

I passed by the little gathering of buildings that Volkner said was to the south. I saw the telltale red roof of the Pokemon Center, so hey, at least I knew where to go if I wanted to disqualify myself. Fantina and her Mismagius watched us from the shadow of one of the trees near the path leading to it, and offered me a cheery (yet chilling) smile as I went by. I walked a little quicker after that.

The sun was setting in my eyes when I reached the waterfront and other trainers. Benjamin was standing at the edge of the water, arms crossed, glaring at the expanse. I gave him suitable space and looked out over it, too. That was a _lot_ of water. I couldn't see the other side. I was an okay swimmer, but I spotted a couple of other trainers swimming and riding various Pokemon; I hated water battles. Could Alice fly me across that in under five minutes? And what if I needed it later…?

Then again, Alice couldn't fly very quickly while giving me a ride, and I didn't know what I would do if I couldn't cross the water in five minutes. Swim? If it was safe enough to swim across myself, then I'd be better off saving my five minutes. Usually trainers left you alone if you weren't swimming with a Pokemon… _Usually_.

But judging on the eyes on me, I wouldn't get that lucky. Then again, if I stuck to the empty spots and didn't get tired and didn't get called out or attacked, I could probably make it. I decided to try to swim it, and have Alice out in case I needed a quick ride out of the water. Konstantin seemed like a good idea, too, in the name of a fast escape. Zarek also seemed one, but more for the fact that with his Surf, he could be in the water with me. Actually, he could possibly tow me.

"Okay, I got this," I announced to no one in particular. Benjamin looked at me in surprise—and a little disbelief. I stripped off my sweatshirt, socks, and shoes, shoving them into my bag. I also pulled my pokeballs out of my pockets and put three of them into it as an afterthought; I didn't want any of my non-swimmer, non-flyer ones getting released by accident.

I let Alice and Konstantin out first. The pair of them looked around curiously, particularly at Benjamin (who had yet to say anything and was actually sitting now, watching me with a 'oh my gosh are you really this stupid?' expression that I was stolidly ignoring). Konstantin floated a little closer to me and, placing a paw against the teeth of his mask, asked, "_Where are we?_"

"_We're in the race, aren't we?_" Alice asked sharply, before I could respond. I nodded. She arched her neck and looked up at the sky, squinting into the sunset. "_Ugh, it's already so late!_"

"Exactly! I want to get across the water before it's completely dark out, and you two are going to help me."

Alice fluttered over and landed lightly in front of me, stretching out her wings. "_Alright, get on._"

"No," I said tiredly. She looked up at me quizzically. "We can't fly that much a day, and I'd rather save it for an emergency."

"_You are going to swim across?_" Konstantin asked in obvious surprise. I nodded again. He chuckled and immediately placed his other paw over his teeth to muffle the sound. "_That is… Are you sure, comrade?_"

"Yeah. It's swimming. I think I can survive." Did they really have so little faith in me? That hurt. I made a show of stretching for the swim, now more than ever bent on getting across that water using my own power. I would show them. I _could_ take care of myself, after all. "You two are simply going to chase trainers and wild Pokemon away, and bail me out in an emergency."

I received two very flat looks. Then, with a beaky grin, Alice turned to Konstantin and said, "_Looks like we will be needed, after all._"

"Hey! I _can_ take care of myself! I don't need _babysat_," I said scathingly, pulling Zarek's pokeball out of my pocket. I let him out, too, and squatted down beside him (ignoring the two giggling beside me). "Zarek, we're in the race now, and I need your help."

He crossed his claws and regarded me warily. Otherwise, he stayed mute.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine, just bubble if you'll help. I need you to help tow me across the water there so we can get there before midnight. And so I don't drown."

He bubbled and skittered over to the water, stepping onto it as if it were solid ground. He skated around in small circles, either having fun or getting used to it, and I handed my backpack to Alice. She allowed me to put it on her, but I could see she wasn't fond of the idea of Zarek out as well. "_Does he—?_"

"Yes, Alice. He's going to help. He's a big boy now, isn't that right, Zarek?" I called over my shoulder. He waved his claws in the air excitedly. "See? He wants to help, too. Okay, now Konstantin, you're in charge of keeping trainers away, since you're scary. Alice, you're on duty for any birds or water Pokemon you see. Just chase them off. After all, you don't want them attacking your baby, do you?"

"_They won't get near you!_" she huffed, fluffing up as well to prove her point. With a couple of flaps of her wings, she circled up over us. Konstantin bowed to me and then flew off over the water, looking down at it with a concerned expression. I looked out at the path in front of us. It would be a _long_ swim, and I wasn't a champion swimmer or anything. I wasn't worried about drowning, but getting tired would be annoying and possibly problematic. Not to mention any Pokemon- or trainer-related problems… My best hope for that was avoidance.

"Zarek, over this way." I chose a starting point away from the little knot of swimming trainers who were watching us curiously. No need to invite trouble. He eagerly followed my lead, bubbling in amusement as I lowered myself into the water. It wasn't frigid, but it was colder than I had imagined (and hoped). I grit my teeth to stop them from chattering, rubbed my arms a couple times, and shot Benjamin a dirty look for the laugh he let out.

"_Ready?_" Zarek asked—and immediately shut his mouth again. I grinned at him and he gave me his own dirty look. I had figured he would eventually slip up and start talking…

"Yeah, I'm ready." He allowed me to grab onto one of his claws, so that he was Surfing sideways. Thankfully, that didn't seem to deter him. If anything, he seemed happier that way. With him pulling me along, and by kicking my legs, I soon warmed up. Plus, we were moving along at a nice little clip. Faster than what I had dared hope.

Alice swooped low over us, whistling encouragement, and off to the side, I heard a shrill scream and Konstantin's cackle. Oh well, at least he was keeping the trainers away. Wingull lazily avoided us, and aside from a couple of semi-territorial barks from some Seel and a Sealeo, we were doing good. We paused for a moment for Zarek to switch arms, but other than that, I was hardly tired, and he didn't seem to be, either.

Konstantin earned another shout of surprise, and trainers didn't approach us. Overhead, Alice got into a squabble with a Pelipper—which got rather noisy rather fast. Between the squawks, shrieks, and trumpets, Zarek's pace slowed. He looked upward and drifted to a halt. "_Mama?_"

"Your mama's doing fine, Zarek." I sunk a little lower in the water without the forward movement, and let go of him to allow my arm a bit of a rest. I looked around. We were still surrounded by water, but off in the distance, I could see what looked to be a raised lump of ground. Hopefully the shoreline, but even if it wasn't, it was a place we could rest.

Zarek, apparently having realized he had spoken again, bubbled viciously and skated away from me. I was starting to think that he was embarrassed. Above our heads, Alice successfully fought off the Pelipper and sang triumphantly, floating down to us to reassure her baby that she was alright. I was also reassured; maybe the wild Pokemon around here weren't as bad as Volkner had made them seem.

We continued trekking across the water, and while I was starting to get cold again and Konstantin had gotten splashed by a Dewgong, things were going smoothly. Unfortunately, as we got closer to the land mass, I could see that it was an island, thick with grass and what appeared to be wild Pokemon. No buildings on it, unless they were on the other side. Even more sadly, the water continued on _past_ the island; we weren't done yet. As we neared it, I considered spending the night there. We could all get dry and get some rest, although I was unsure about sleeping in a place out in the open liked that. Maybe I was just an old-fashioned trainer, but I liked trees.

Just as I had made my decision, I felt a violent tug on my leg. It felt as if I was being pulled instead of pushed into a Shadow Sneak—and then I went completely under with a startled scream. I kicked desperately, trying to go up instead of down, and Zarek's claw slipped out of my hand. I flailed, trying to do _something_, and something else wrapped around my waist with crushing strength. A couple bubbles were squeezed out of me, and I was pushed upside-down in the water. I could finally see what had gotten me, and I was both terrified and somewhat unsurprised to find a Tentacruel.

I clawed at the tentacle around me, and it let me go, instead wrapping it around both of my ankles. I couldn't even tell which way was up anymore as it flipped me around again, and began swimming away. I struggled and ignored the painful pressure in my lungs. I would _not_ die like this. I couldn't! It would be the most embarrassing thing ever, getting taken out by a wild Pokemon when I was supposedly such an elite… Not to mention the fact that Alice and Konstantin would be right.

The water froze around me. My head snapped sluggishly around in alarm, and found that my feet were encased in ice. So were the Tentacruel's tentacles, though, and with a squeal that made the water vibrate, it yanked them away from me. I immediately started to kick and wiggle away from it as best I could. I looked up to find Zarek swimming awkwardly down towards us. He fired another slow-motion Ice Beam at the Tentacruel, making a chunk of ice on one of its jewels. He then grabbed the back of my shirt in one of his pinchers and started swimming back up towards the surface. I helped as best I could, but considering my vision was fading in and out at that point, I couldn't imagine I was that great at it.

We resurfaced and I splashed about like a person drowning—okay, maybe that simile wasn't too off. I coughed up a fair amount of water and gasped for air, which, at the same time, is quite a feat. Zarek bobbed beside me, looking very smug. "G-Good job—" I stammered out. But I had no illusions about his strength. He was not a fair match for a Tentacruel. My fears were confirmed when the water beside is erupted, and with an angry bellow, it swung at us.

It was little more than shooting Magikarp in a barrel, since I was still trying to breathe properly, and Zarek was trying to stay close to me. The Tentacruel flung us both into the air and smacked us back down. I fought the water again to try to stay afloat, coughing, my mitten latched onto Zarek like he was a life preserver. With a shriek, Alice pelted down towards the Tentacruel, distracting it from us for the moment.

Konstantin was suddenly over us, pulling on my other arm, trying to pull me out of the water. Considering he could hardly lift me anymore, and considering the fact that I was logged down with water and _sort of_ flailing madly, he wasn't doing too well. "_Comrade, you are too heavy!_" he exclaimed frantically, nearly going into the water with me.

The Tentacruel made Alice back off with a powerful Water Gun and a couple Poison Stings, and then turned back to us. It growled at Konstantin and batted him out of the way as if he were a cotton ball. It wrapped itself around me again, but Zarek crawled over my shoulder and sunk both pinchers into it, immediately drawing blood. The Tentacruel released us both and backpedaled, and Zarek leapt off of me, pursuing it. While it was backing up, he sent a Surf at it, sending it just enough off balance to tip it over completely.

It flailed wildly in the air, almost amusingly, while I spat out mouthfuls of watery blood and tried to catch my breath. Again. I gave my Krabby a grateful smile—just as the Tentacruel swung itself back over and slapped the water between us, separating us. I went under again. The Tentacruel (now the last part of the name made sense) pulled me under, squeezing me as it looped more tentacles around me. Zarek swam to my rescue once more, but no matter how many times he pinched the tentacles, they didn't do more than loosen a tiny bit and make it angrier. He looked at me once, and apparently decided to change tactics.

I had to admit, I felt a little betrayed when he swam away from me.

I managed to crane my neck back just enough to see him dig the sharp parts of his claws into the soft, blue part of its head. The Tentacruel practically _shoved_ me away to raise its tentacles up to grab at him. I kicked my way to the surface, gasping for breath and praying this time, I would stay above water. A couple of moments later, Zarek popped up beside me, sitting lightly on the water's surface with his Surf again.

"Kostya! Get us out of here!" I screamed hoarsely between coughs. He was immediately over us, pulling me (I wrapped my arm around Zarek to pull him along as well) away from where the Tentacruel once more came above the water. Alice swooped down with a vengeance, spitting blue flames at it.

"_I cannot lift you!_" he repeated desperately.

I clung to him, simply wanting to get _out_ of there. "Shadow Sneak me!"

"_I—I cannot! The water is too deep, it diffuses your shadow—_"

"Alice!" I shouted, although the second syllable got a little higher when I saw the Tentacruel turn on us once more. Konstantin flew over to it and expertly dodged under its attack, helping to keep it away from us. Alice looked torn—Konstantin couldn't hold it off on his own, but at this point, I _needed_ to get back to shore. My legs were more than likely both bleeding, I was too tired to keep from drowning for much longer, and I didn't want _any_ of them fighting such a savage wild Pokemon.

"_Mama! Help!_" Zarek yelled, trying to tow me back the direction we came, away from the Tentacruel. The island probably would've been closer, but we would have had to navigate our way around the brawl. Which, at the moment, would be more liable to kill us than an extra couple minutes of swimming. It was getting harder to move through the water, but I tried kicking my legs as best I could. Even I could tell I was slipping, however. Zarek turned to me in alarm as my hand slipped from his claw, and he hastily seized me by the back of the shirt, towing me that way. "_Mama_!" I had never heard him sound so scared. Nevermind the fact that I hardly heard him speak ever.

Alice shrieked suddenly, and I raised my head enough to see that the Tentacruel splashed back under the water. With Konstantin.

"Kostya!" Adrenaline pumping even harder, I tried to swim back towards him. Konstantin didn't splash back up right away. I struggled harder in that direction, causing Zarek to snort and tug me backwards, just as hard. Alice circled low around the water, searching it, but then flapped over to us with a shake of her head. "Zarek, go—" Was I really going to ask a young, under leveled Krabby to not only fight off a stronger and larger Tentacruel, but for the _third_ time?

Alice clicked her beak close to my ear to stop me from continuing. Zarek bubbled worriedly, but seemed to relax now that the Altaria was there. "_Get on!_" she demanded, hovering as close as she dared to us.

"But Kostya—"

"_He will have to take care of himself! What will you have us do, go in after him?_" she asked sharply. I couldn't do that. Alice was the worst swimmer out of all of us, and if she got too wet, she wouldn't be able to fly. Zarek was beginning to tire, and he was the weakest to begin with. "_He can use that shadow move!_"

"But the water—"

"_Get on, Trainer!_" Alice all but snarled, pulling my hair with her beak. Zarek propped my arm up in the air, and she snaked her neck under it before I could say anything. She pulled me awkwardly onto her back, so that I had little choice but to cling to her. Or fall back into the water. And I did _not_ want to go back into the water. "_Zarek, go back to the shore! Now!_"

"_But—_"

"_Now_!" she said in a tone that wouldn't allow argument. He made a sad burble and streaked back towards the shore. Alice struggled to get us higher in the air, nervously glancing downward.

I shifted on her, and lowered my head until I could whisper, "Alice, you are _not_ going to leave Kostya."

"_I'm not leaving him,_" she replied stiffly.

"Alice—!"

"_He did it on purpose!_" she hissed, narrowing her eyes. That shut me up. I swallowed thickly—but that only set me to coughing the remaining water from my lungs, which nearly upset us both. Alice bucked, scooting me up towards her neck, and I caught sight of my legs for the first time. The cargo pants I had so desperately wanted were in tatters below the knee, and my legs themselves were a rainbow of red. And, upon seeing this, my body decided they hurt.

I grit my teeth and groaned. Alice whistled, but I turned the groan into a growl. "You left him there!" I couldn't see her face, but her entire demeanor changed, stabbing me with guilt. "Oh crap, Alice, I'm sorry, it's just—" It was just that Konstantin _still_ hadn't come up. And ghosts couldn't swim. And he had done it on _purpose_. And he still wasn't coming up. "Why isn't he coming up…?" I asked, unaware it was aloud.

"_Do you know,_" Alice stated in a businesslike tone, "_How difficult it is to fight a water-based Pokemon while you are an air-based one?_"

"…Difficult," I guessed absently, sliding down on her back again. My heart was still thundering in my ears, I was exhausted, my legs hurt, and Konstantin was… somewhere. Somewhere he'd come back from, surely. He had to.

"…_I tried, okay?_" she said lowly. "_I did._"

"I'm sorry."

"_Don't be. Trials and tribulations are all part of it, right?_" Alice responded briskly, and now that she had a steady rhythm with her wing beats and I had stopped moving around, we were moving faster. The shore was coming closer, thank the stars.

Especially since my vision was dimming. I blinked a couple times, trying to clear it, but it wasn't working. I didn't say anything to Alice, however.

Zarek was already on the shore, calling to us. Alice trilled suddenly, grabbing my attention. She pointed down with her beak as we started to descend. I blinked harder and attempted to focus on what Zarek was waving at. It looked like a giant, blue rabbit. And Benjamin.

Alice landed rather heavily beside them. I more or less fell off of her, just barely managing to catch myself on legs which didn't _want_ to catch me. I refused to look down at them and instead stumbled over to Benjamin. The blue thing turned out to be an Azumarill, unless my vision was worse than I thought, and it was hunched over a prone Duskull. "Kostya!" I dropped to my knees and practically threw myself at him.

The Azumarill made a disapproving sound but allowed me to scoop him up. His single red eye opened and he stared up at me. I squashed him against my chest in a hug, which only set us both to coughing. "So, did you think your Duskull could swim, or are you just stupid?" Benjamin asked, above us.

"_He is not—_" Konstantin started, narrowing his eye.

"It was my fault. Did you… Did _you_ save him, Benjamin?" I asked in return. Thankful, yes, but also suspicious. Benjamin wasn't nice. He could rival Lola on sheer bitterness, and had a sour disposition that beat out everyone else. I also recalled he had curb stomped Sela on occasion. I curled over Konstantin, ignoring his whine, and glanced back at Alice and Zarek. They were a safe distance away.

"I wasn't going to let the thing drown, if that's what you're insinuating," he muttered, looking away. His Azumarill shied over to his leg, looking at us both distrustfully. "I saw it splashing around and drowning not too far from shore, so I decided to help. I figured you'd be back."

"Kostya, how did you… get back here?" I asked, turning down to my Duskull. I didn't want to use the word 'survive', even if that had been a rather close call. Maybe swimming on my own wasn't the best of ideas.

"_Shadow Sneak,_" he replied triumphantly, closing his eye again. He sighed and relaxed into my arms, and his voice dropped into a murmur. "_Comrade, did you know the red gems on Tentacruel light up when they are agitated? Light casts shadows, even if they were small. …I tried to get back to shore, but it was too far. I suppose it should be thankful it's boneless, as well._" I didn't even want to _think_ about those mental images. I was simply grateful he was back here in one piece. We all were.

"Thank you," I told him, giving him another hug. I then returned my attention to Benjamin. "You, too. Thanks… a lot."

"I wasn't going to let him die out there…" he replied, blushing in embarrassment. He scuffed his boot in the dirt and tried to step away from me, while simultaneously looking me in the eye once more. "You're a dumbass, though. Trying to get across on your own?"

"No need to rub salt in the wounds," I said flatly, wincing as I looked at my legs again. I should probably tend to those. I blinked a couple more times as spots ran across my vision. "…So _that's_ why you're still on this side. You can't get across, either."

He crossed his arms and turned his head from me. "So what? Lola nearly got disqualified trying to fly across it. Vaikuntha had to swim part of the way. Alicia…" He rolled his eyes, and I barely managed to hold my tongue. "She got one of the route trainers to give her a ride over on a Lapras."

"Vai is already across…?" I had meant to catch up to him and share supplies. But if I couldn't get across a stupid (albeit large and dangerous) lake, I wasn't about to manage that. "I haven't seen anyone else, just you…"

"I was set loose pretty close to here," he replied with a shrug. "I got to meet up with a couple people as they passed. It's not as if I _wanted_ to see them. This is a competition."

"Doesn't mean we have to be so cutthroat about it…"

"Hey, I saved your stupid Duskull, didn't I?" he snarled. I blinked up at him and nodded dumbly. His lip curled and he looked away again, taking another step backwards. "I… I wasn't going to let him die, but don't think I'm helping you or anything."

"Thanks, but I…" I fell backward, catching myself with an outstretched hand. Okay, I was getting dizzy, my vision was fading, my legs hurt, and I was still soaking. It was getting dark, the temperature was dropping. The time for niceties was over. "I understand," I finished lamely.

And then I promptly passed out.

-.-.-

When I reopened my eyes, I found bright, cheerful sunlight. Daylight. I gingerly sat up, legs reminding me of what had happened… earlier? Yesterday? Several days ago? I _sincerely_ hoped the latter was not the case.

I immediately went down again as Carlita and Konstantin threw themselves at me. They were both talking, but Carlita had the louder voice, so she managed to drown him out. "_Oh my gosh! You were hurt! Why were you hurt, Trainer?_"

"You are _pathetic_." I heard Benjamin's scathing remark and sat back up, Carlita and Konstantin happily sitting in my lap. He sneered at me and gestured vaguely in my direction.

"I'm sorry?" I guessed. Why was he still here?

"You were poisoned and passed out. I used up about half of your Full Heals trying to disinfect it and your things were running around, squawking and shrieking, the entire time." He stood up, dusted off his pants, and then threw my water bottle at me. I barely caught it before it hit my face (he looked disappointed at this). "Drink that."

I had had enough of water yesterday, but my mouth did taste like something had died in it, so I appeased him and took a swallow. And immediately spit it back up. "_Yuck_! What the heck is this?"

"Watered-down Full Heal. Tastes disgusting, doesn't it?" Benjamin said with a wicked smile.

"_Drink it,_" Alice said shortly, her fluffy wings suddenly pressing against my arm. She waddled down to my legs and craned her neck over them, inspecting them disinterestedly. "_The mean yellow-haired one is the one who cured your poison, so listen to him._"

"All he did was put a Full Heal on it!" I pointed out helplessly. I was _not_ going to drink more of that stuff, regardless of my health. It was almost worth it to die.

"Pokemon don't know how to use human-made items," he replied with a roll of his eyes. "Any trainer knows that. Except you."

"_I tried to find you Berries, but there weren't any around here!_" Carlita added in dismay. She hugged me again and buried her face in my shirt. "_Trainer, you aren't allowed to get poisoned anymore! …I was scared._"

"_Yesterday was scary in general, if I got the right impression,_" Des said dryly. I looked over to where he was curled up around the remains of a campfire. He didn't sound pleased. I looked away guiltily. Okay, so it hadn't been my brightest idea. But I _had_ taken precautions, I had tried to plan it out. And now that we knew the wild Pokemon around here were homicidal maniacs, I would be more vigilant.

"Drink the Full Heal stuff. We managed to—I _think_—get your legs to the point where we don't have to amputate, maybe, but it was the common consensus among your nurses there that you should drink some to make sure," Benjamin said loudly, breaking back into the conversation and my guilt. I managed to force the rest of the revolting concoction down, although it made my eyes water and I had to fight my stomach to keep it down. I wasn't even _sure_ humans could ingest Full Heals, but considering the collective evil eye I was receiving, I figured it was the safer alternative.

"Why did you—ugh—why are you still here?" I eventually asked Benjamin, holding my stomach to make it behave.

"I wasn't going to let your Duskull die, and I wasn't going to stand by and let _you_ die. I'm not a horrible person," he replied snobbishly. "I'm pretty sure the entire Gym race would get canceled if any one of us died, and I have fought way too hard to trip over the finish line just because _you_ were being disgustingly stupid. I should've let natural selection have you."

"You didn't, though," I reminded him.

He rolled his eyes and didn't say anything else.

And, curiously enough, he stuck around to make sure I was fully functioning, though it took nearly an hour for me to be able to stand up without wanting to throw up. He didn't help, per se, but he stayed in the general area and kept an eye on me. He pretended to get packed and even walked away a couple of times, but never too far and never for too long. This made me feel even guiltier, though I couldn't put my finger on it. I understood why I felt bad around my team, but around him? Was it just because he pretty much saved Konstantin and I?

"You're so _slow_!" he said waspishly. I shrugged and continued packing. It was _really_ time to move on. The thing that was bugging me was that he wasn't. Sure, we were both contestants, but we weren't really friends. I hadn't really interacted with him all that much, and he was sort of mean, even when he was nice. He seemed like a loner. But here he was, waiting for me.

"…You don't have to stay here," I said, cautiously.

Somewhat predictably, he turned scarlet. "I-I'm not! I mean—" Aha. He couldn't come up with a good reason. I pulled my backpack on—only to have Carlita pull it back off of me and pass it off to Des. Benjamin continued to blush and search for an excuse while I tried to convince my team that I was well enough to carry a backpack, of all things. A backpack that was significantly lighter with all but two of the Full Heals gone.

Even if I didn't know how to react to him, I wasn't going to ignore his kindness. I eventually let Konstantin have my backpack (how it migrated to him, I wasn't completely sure), and walked past him, turning to look over my shoulder as I did so. He scowled and followed me. And so, west didn't work out too well, and north was all we had left.


	120. Things Come By Fours

Traveling with Benjamin was unexpectedly smooth. Or maybe it was the fact that my team was babying me. I wasn't sure, but together, at any rate, it was an interesting experience.

Des was bent on carrying me, my backpack switched to Carlita, and Ike went on ahead. I was a little worried for him at first, and Konstantin checked on him a couple times, but I slowly began to realize that he was simply enjoying being outside in the wilderness for the first time in ages. He was loving being somewhere where the wild Pokemon were as tough as he was.

Benjamin complained about our pace—Des was _not_ a fast mount—but aside from that, he was almost pleasant company. We figured out that while he _was_ younger than me by a good few months, he had also started training at ten, while I had started at eleven. So while he was younger, I was technically the youngest trainer in the Gym race. He was relieved by this and even laughed; I was a little annoyed (but secretly proud). He didn't seem to be a bad person. Just snarky, a little petty, and vocal about both of these things.

It was a little past eleven when we stopped for a meal and a rest. I wasn't sure if we were making good time or not. We _were_ on the shorter route.

And, as if reading my mind from hundreds of miles away, my phone rang. I couldn't help but grin when I recognized Hanna's ringtone, flipped it open, and received a very enthusiastic, "Hey, oh my gosh!"

"Hi, Hanna—"

"You almost got _killed_ by _another_ wild Pokemon!" she all but shrieked. My grin dimmed a bit.

"You saw that?" I asked in confusion, glancing at Benjamin.

He shrugged and mouthed, "They _did_ say they'd be following the race."

"Of course I saw that! Everyone saw that! They're _still_ replaying parts of it! Well, that and Sela punching a Fearow in the beak—but _still_!" Hanna exclaimed. "Why, _why_ did you think it was a good idea to swim across that by yourself and then get yourself poisoned?"

"Yes, because I did that part on purpose. Hanna, Zarek's the only water Pokemon I have. Even if Jude gave him Surf, I can't use him as a ride. I thought my plan was rather smart—_Benjamin don't you laugh at me_!" He clapped a hand over his mouth, but it hardly quieted him.

"…You're still with him?" Hanna said, suddenly quiet. I could hear her staring at me over the phone.

"He's not that bad. A bit bratty, but not that bad overall. Plus, I couldn't catch up with Vai…"

"Oh! That's right!" she said, and I heard a sound that might've been her snapping her fingers. "I'm here as your informant. Unless those are against the rules—but even if they were, they can't monitor phone calls without a search warrant or something like that, so we're in the green!"

"…" I was glad I hadn't put her on speakerphone. Who knew what Benjamin would say to something like that… Or Des, for that matter.

"Sela and Archie headed north without trying the western route. You and Benjamin are the only ones who couldn't get across the water. The other four made it to the Pokemon Center that night, but way late, and only Lola has left, as far as I know. I think their sleep schedules got messed up. Alicia got in at something like five in the morning…" Hanna chattered on. Such an informant. I could have guessed half of that, based solely on personality and Benjamin's information, but I didn't want to stop the flood of information. Later on in the race, this could be invaluable…

"What have they said about the race itself?" I asked her, figuring I might as well milk the Miltank.

"Just that it's going to be long. They're going to have recaps of the day's exploits on the news at night, and they have the Elite Four channel donated to coverage all day. Of course, since there's not a lot of footage yet, it got _really_ boring watching you try to drown over and over…"

"They haven't said much about the rules?" I asked, a little surprised.

"No," she replied. I supposed that made a little sense. The viewers didn't _have_ to know the rules, they simply wanted entertainment. And were probably making bets. "There's a huge betting pool in my company right now. I put my year's allowance on you." That figured.

"Thanks, Hanna, but—"

"Well, you and Vai. You know, so I can show faith _and_ stand a chance at keeping some of that money. But the odds on him are not _nearly_ as good as the ones on you, so if you could somehow win this, I'd become a very rich girl."

"And you aren't already?" I couldn't help but ask.

She sighed daintily, breath turning into static over the phone. "You know what I mean… I promise, if you win this for me, and I get all of that money, I'll donate some to your Gym, okay? Renovate it into something nice. And Vai's! He needs a new wardrobe, too, walking around in that _ugly_ necklace—"

"Necklace? …Does it look like a clunky black box?" I asked her, taking my own out of my shirt. Benjamin watched curiously, eyes narrowed a bit. I assumed it was his default look.

"Yeah! It's terrible, isn't it?" she exclaimed dramatically. I laughed and decided to explain it all to her _after_ this thing was over. Though it was also interesting to note that the whole of Sinnoh didn't know about the safety precautions. Maybe they didn't care; maybe they were only watching, waiting for us to get lost or maimed. "Anyway, I'll give you information as I get it, okay? Cossette's rooting for you, too. You'd better not break her heart by losing."

"I won't, and thanks, Hanna." Once again supportive from afar. We bid each other farewell and I hung up with a click. I had three bars of charge left… And it was then that I realized that we'd be out here for potentially _weeks_ and it wasn't as if we could charge our phones. With three bars, I could last a little over a week, most likely. Hanna being my informant might not go over so well. I groaned and shoved the poor phone violently into my pocket.

"A cheerleader?" Benjamin asked flatly.

"A friend," I retorted. "Hanna."

"The brunette girl who's always with you? She your girlfriend or something?"

"No!" I said, perhaps a little too quickly. He leaned back, smirking smugly. "I'm serious, there's nothing between us. She has a boyfriend, anyway."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say. Oh, that's right—you liked _Alicia_, didn't you? That worked out just as well—"

"Shut _up_, Benjamin," I snapped. He quieted, which stopped any further arguments. I scowled and we ate in silence, or as silent as Carlita can manage to eat. Since I didn't get to give Vaikuntha any of my supplies, it meant I had extras (besides Full Heals), which was probably a blessing at his expense. If I was headed north, this would be rough, and without any breaks in Centers.

The mood lightened when we all had relatively full stomachs and Des got his tongue stuck in a jar of peanut butter. By then, us trainers were on speaking terms again, so our teams decided that it was safe to investigate each other. Carlita was instantly enamored with Benjamin's Machamp, and they took turns flexing and teaching each other moves. Konstantin floated shyly over to the Drifblim beside them, but after receiving a tight hug from the other ghost, they began talking quite animatedly.

"They seem to like each other," I remarked, offering the olive branch.

"Ben seems to like your Breloom a rather lot," Benjamin said, sounding a little surprised.

"Wait—Ben? Seriously?"

His attention snapped back to me and he turned a shade of red to match his Magmortar. "Sh-Shut up! His name is Bentley, an-and—"

"Hey, I have a Pedestal, okay? I'm not saying anything," I replied, putting my hands up in mock surrender. Still, it would be lying to say I wasn't amused by it. At least _he_ got to name his team something relevant. …Then again, Des was probably the most relevant name ever.

He glowered at the grass in front of him, then hastily jerked his chin up in the direction of his Roserade. The grass Pokemon was standing off to the side of Carlita, watching her, shifting from side to side nervously. As we watched, Bentley shuffled over, tapped Carlita on the shoulder, breaking her out of her kicking lesson. She turned to him, and he held out one of his arms like a bouquet of flowers.

"That is adorable," I said with a helpless laugh. "I haven't seen anything that cute since Des was pining after…" I trailed off upon realizing what I had said. I looked over towards my Camerupt, but he hadn't seemed to hear me, too busy with Alice and Zarek on top of him, Alice apparently trying to play keep-away with her baby from Benjamin's Azumarill.

"After who?" Benjamin asked.

I turned back to him with a nervous smile and a blank look. "Nothing! Nevermind. Say—why is your Roserade's flowers weird colors? Are they wilted or something?"

Either sufficiently distracted or willing to let a sensitive topic go, he turned back to the two grass Pokemon. "Oh. Ben's shiny, I guess."

"You guess?" As far as I was concerned, getting a shiny Pokemon was like winning the lottery—or being rich like Hanna. It just didn't happen, and when it did, you were supposed to be excited!

"I don't know. He's not different from any other Pokemon because of it. I thought he had just been a wilty little Budew when I found him."

"See! You thought it was because he was wilted, too!"

"So? Have you ever seen a shiny Budew? They're the same colors practically!"

We continued to discuss Bentley's shiny coloration well into the afternoon. Apparently, he had been Benjamin's starter. I could hardly comprehend getting a shiny as a starter, even if it wasn't on purpose and he had thought the Budew was wilted or diseased. Then, somehow, we got to exchanging early trainer stories. I told him how Des had gotten stomped by a water Pokemon and that developed into a paranoia (that admittedly still haunted me occasionally), and Benjamin shared how Starly were the bane of his and Bentley's existence.

"We lost _every_ time we came up against a Starly. And then, one time, we came across this one that was sick or something. I don't know. It didn't look very strong, and it didn't know any annoying flying moves, or couldn't use them. We sat there for almost an hour, Absorbing it until it fainted. Or fell asleep from boredom. Either way, he was so happy to have finally beaten a Starly that he evolved on the spot."

"I didn't even get to see Des' evolution. We were in Johto on a vacation, and he wandered off on some grand adventure. Next thing I know, he's nuzzling my back and I turn around to find a Camerupt staring me in the face. It freaked me out, actually."

And so the afternoon passed. We steadily headed what we believed was north. I voted that we follow the sun's direction, while Benjamin voted to follow his PokeDex's compass, even if he admitted it was glitchy. Eventually, we compromised rather than start another argument, and went with the average between the two directions. Wild Pokemon left us, for the most part, alone, but having so many Pokemon out at any given time helped.

Sundown made traveling more difficult, but we trekked on a little farther as best we could. Eventually, however, we had to stop and make camp for the night. Alice and Zarek went back into their balls, citing tiredness and an early bedtime for the Krabby (which he was not impressed with). Carlita and Bentley were both visibly drooping, but stubbornly refused to go back into their pokeballs. Ike came back with a dead Roselia that certainly woke them both up and that Konstantin had to get rid of while Benjamin yelled at us both.

"I-I'm all for acting like a trainer and living off of the stupid land or whatever, but he did that on purpose!"

"Probably, but it's not like I asked him to!" Still, Benjamin didn't seem so friendly (not that he ever really was) after that. Ike came back a little while later with a fat Pidgey, but I personally didn't feel very hungry. Benjamin didn't want any, either, so most of it went to Ike, his Magmortar, and Konstantin. Carlita snagged a half-full jar of peanut butter from me and shared a bit of it with Bentley, and I attempted to make soup for the rest of us. Some ramen, wild seasonings the two grass Pokemon found for us, and lots of water. It was sparse and bland, but it filled our stomachs.

I slipped into my sleeping bag after checking on where Ike was. He promised he wouldn't stray far during the night, which settled a couple fears. But only a couple. I'd rather have him near me, if not because I wanted to keep an eye on him, then because he'd be able to fight off anything that wanted to eat me in my sleep. And then I wiggled over to Des, pulled Carlita towards me, and allowed Konstantin to snuggle into the crook of my neck. "Goodnight, Alice, Zarek," I murmured, setting the great ball and pokeball by my backpack-turned-pillow.

"_Goodnight_," Carlita said sleepily.

I chuckled and patted her head. "Goodnight, Carlita."

"_Goodnight, comrade!_" Konstantin chimed in, never one to be left out. He burrowed deeper into my neck, pressing the teeth of his mask against my throat, something that felt _very_ uncomfortable on multiple levels. I moved him with a half-grin.

"Goodnight, Kostya. And stay down here. I mean it!" Des snorted and licked my head, practically pulling me from the sleeping bag. I swatted at him, but he just snorted at me again and this time licked my hand. "Yes, goodnight to you, too! I'd never leave you out, Des—!"

"Good_night_ John-Boy!" Benjamin snarled on the other side of the fire. "Go to sleep already!"

I raised my head and saw him in his own Pokemon pile, arms around his Azumarill, Bentley draped over his chest, snoring. His eyes were bright in the firelight, even if he was glaring daggers and swords and bullets at me. I smiled again, mostly used to his sour disposition, and replied sweetly, "Goodnight, Benjamin."

The next morning when we awoke, he was already gone.

-.-.-

I wasn't really saddened by the loss of my human company. I understood that he needed his space, that this was a competition and we were rivals, that he probably didn't like me all that much, anyway. I wasn't terribly fond of him. Occasionally I'd miss the conversation and the human perspective, but other than that, I was just as happy with my team.

We fell into a bit of a routine. Alice and Zarek would sleep in their balls, since Alice wanted Zarek safe at night (although he protested vehemently) and she was useless by sundown, and every morning, I'd release them to happy birdsong and bubbles. Carlita also rose with the sun, but she wanted to stay out. When asked, she simply replied with "_Snowpoint, remember? You need me!_", which I didn't want to argue with.

Ike took to sleeping during the days in his pokeball. Konstantin also switched to a more nocturnal lifestyle, although he tried his best to stay awake during my conscious hours as well. And he was pretty good at it; I was beginning to worry, by the fourth day of the race, if he was getting enough sleep. It didn't affect his movement or abilities, as far as I could tell, so I figured the ghost didn't need as much sleep.

Des was simply always out with me.

We were headed in a northern fashion, at least that was my guess based on the sun's position. Alice agreed with my directional abilities, so I figured that was good enough. Birds had a good sense of direction, right? We waded through alternating meadow-y patches and dense forests, all of it teeming with wild Pokemon. We didn't see any trainers, however. At first, it was a blessing, but then I began to worry. I was heading north, but there weren't other trainers. I knew it was the route less traveled, and nervously told that to myself time and time again.

"Why are there _Pidgey_ strong enough to take out Carlita here?" Day six, still in the forests, on Carlita's third fainting from a Pidgey. After trying to take out the first one and getting knocked out in one move, we had been getting better about keeping birds away from her. Unfortunately, they must have been able to sense the double weakness, because she and I seemed to be the only targets.

I used another Revive on Carlita, helping her back to her feet as she shook her head, and watched with some satisfaction as Des shot the Pidgey out of the sky with a well-timed Flamethrower. It was a lot of bugs, birds, and grass Pokemon so far, now that we were well away from the water. I hoped we wouldn't come across any other places with any water or ice types. Then, we would only have to shelter Carlita, and I wouldn't have to worry obsessively about half my team.

Wake up, put Ike to bed, let Alice and Zarek out. Start on our way. Eat whatever Carlita and Konstantin brought, although Alice surprisingly was getting into the spirit of gathering fruits from high branches of trees. Make food for everyone and try to travel as we ate. Keep up the pace until sunset, at which point Alice and Zarek go back in, Ike comes out, and we press on for maybe another half hour before Carlita crashes. Ike brings us food, sometimes Konstantin helps, and Des starts a cheery little fire for the night. Hanna calls and gives us the day's updates while we eat, and Ike slinks off to patrol the area and generally be a night terror. I drag Carlita away from the fire so she doesn't scorch her tail (again), I scoot up next to Des, and we fall asleep. Routine, right?

Except on the eighth night.

I had just hung up on Hanna, having been told that Sela was probably closest to finishing, although she was lagging, and that Vaikuntha was in the lead on the other way to the mountain, with Lola hot on his heels. (Apparently, they had actually _raced_ at a couple points. I couldn't wait to see replays of that.) My phone was down to one sad little bar left, so I turned it off for the night to conserver power. I figured if I had an emergency, pressing the panic button on the GPS necklace was just as good as dialing 911.

Konstantin suddenly popped out of my shadow beside me, nearly giving me a heart attack, and seized me by the shirtfront. "_Comrade, the feline has misbehaved! He's still a monster and you have to stop his misdeeds!_"

"Eh? What did Ike do now…?"

"_He killed a Pidgey!_"

"…" We had been eating Pidgey and the occasional Roselia (I felt bad initially, but they tasted sorta onion-y, so I couldn't resist after Ike's third attempt at bringing me one) for the past week. I was pretty sure Pidgey and peanut butter was my new favorite food, too, although we were down to half a jar left. I would sorely miss it when it was gone. "…Kostya, what do you think we have been eating the past—"

"_I know,_" he said hastily, rubbing his eye sockets. "_It was a mother Pidgey! She had chicks!_"

I got to my feet with an angry growl. "Ah, damn it. Ike!" I cupped my hands around my mouth to make my voice carry, and sure enough, the Luxray in question soon padded smugly into the ring of firelight, a very fat Pidgey held in his jaws.

"_Yes?_" he asked innocently after setting it down, like an offering, at my feet.

"Did this Pidgey have babies?"

"_I care not what lives prey have or do not have prior to their death. They're sustenance, nothing more._"

"_Ike_, I'm serious! Kostya says it was a mother." I didn't have the patience to deal with this, nor the time. I didn't want to be responsible for not only one poor bird's death, but more? And _babies_, no less? That reminded me far too much of Zarek for me to be comfortable.

"_You shocked her off of the nest!_" Konstantin added accusingly, hovering over my shoulder.

Ike flicked his ears back and regarded us both coolly. I recognized that look; he was getting rebellious again. He was returning to his instincts, to his killing nature. Des, having sensed this as well, offered a warning rumble of his volcanoes. "_I simply believed,_" Ike started in a carefully measured tone, "_That my beloved trainer is too thin. You are losing weight and I would not even hunt something as scrawny as you. I wanted to bring larger prey, and since none of the featherbrained, hollow-boned, thin-blooded things have the brain cells to evolve, I had to resort to fatter ones._"

I couldn't tell the amount of sincerity in his speech, but as a guess, I would have said it was low. I growled again and pointed off into the darkness. "We are getting those chicks and bringing them back here. They'll freeze to death before the sun comes back up."

"_If you are still hungry after that one, I would be more than happy to catch you another,_" Ike replied. I was astonished to hear that he was _honestly_ confused by my statement.

"We're not going to _eat_ them!" I cried pathetically. "We're going to save them!" I nodded to Konstantin for him to lead the way and grabbed Ike by the scruff of the neck. He gave a surprised mewl at the movement but, aside from some growls and an attempt at kicking my leg, allowed himself to be half-dragged, half-led into the night.

It wasn't too far away that Konstantin pointed out a tree. I squinted up into the branches and could make out a shape that might've been a nest. He floated up and oh so carefully retrieved it, coming back down with a mass of sticks and pine needles and soft, sleepy peeping. I peered into it and could make out four fuzzy little things. Four. Four baby Pidgey, and their mother was sitting back at camp with her neck broken. Lovely.

I took the nest from Konstantin and cradled it in my arms as we walked back to camp. I had been initially angry with Ike for killing a mother—that was like killing Alice. But the fact that he had killed a _mother_ hadn't sunk in until I saw the chicks, and even now, I was a little numb to it. All that had happened was that I was now carrying a nest that was poking into my hands.

It wasn't until I sat down next to Des and showed him the chicks and he said, "_What are you going to do with them?_" that I started thinking again. What _was_ I going to do with them? I couldn't in good conscience leave them anywhere. They'd die. But I was in the middle of a race, a race I wasn't really winning. I didn't even know _how_ to take care of chicks! Zarek had been easy, and Alice had helped a great deal. Maybe I could get her to adopt these, too… But that would mean I would have to keep them. Legally, I couldn't have more than six on a team. Not that they would be able to battle anytime soon…

"I guess I'll keep them for now. Until the race is over…" I could probably give them to Jude once this was over, and he could raise them. That would probably be the best course of action, at least the best I could think of at this point.

I very carefully set the nest in my sleeping back and then slithered in next to them, curling around it. I gave orders to Konstantin and Ike to stop me from moving during the night so I didn't squish them accidentally. I hoped my body heat in the bag would be enough, but I didn't know what else to do.

The night passed, and the chicks survived. I was almost wishing they hadn't with the squawking the next day. Like Alice, they rose with the sun. In the light, I could see that they were a little older than what I had originally pegged them for. They were still fluffy, but had actual feathers growing in, mostly on their wings. They definitely couldn't fly, though, and they were very tiny. And they were _loud_.

"_Why did you decide to get more?_" Alice asked, pressing her cloudy wings over her head.

"Blame Ike!" She gave me a look that told me very clearly that she would gladly do just that. "Alice, don't you want to…"

"_What?_"

"You know…"

"_What?_" she repeated, eyes narrowed.

"…Adopt them? They're babies!" I held the nest out towards her with an appealing smile.

"…_You are crazy. Those aren't mine! Zarek's the only baby I have!_" she exclaimed, fluffing up. She waddled closer to Zarek and pulled him closer to her, much to his enjoyment. "_I'm not a babysitter!_"

With that, she threw my idea out the window, fluttered after it, and stomped it into the dirt. It looked as if I was the brand-new mother of four baby Pidgey. Hungry Pidgey that I was trying to keep fed, although grinding up birdseed into a sort of watery formula probably wasn't the best nutrition they'd ever received. Carlita, surprisingly, helped. She brought back Berries and squished them into a sort of paste that they didn't spit out, at least.

Our routine stayed mostly the same. The main difference was that my backpack was emptied of items, mostly into my pockets, and I now carried the nest in it around my stomach. I fed them whenever we stopped or Carlita brought more Berries, and they peeped and cried and squawked at me, napped, ate greedily, and then peeped and cried and squawked some more. Baby Pidgey were _noisy_.

"_You're going to keep them, aren't you?_" Des asked, nudging my back with his snout. I turned and gave him a look over my shoulder, but as I turned back towards the winding path ahead of us (that we were more or less making, admittedly), I nodded. "_…Are you going to name them?_"

"I can't even tell them apart yet. I don't know genders or personalities or anything—"

"_You always seem so keen on that idea. I thought you would be excited. And you did not get to name anyone save Ike and I, as you're fond of saying._"

"And I was on drugs in Ike's case," I reminded him happily. But I could already admit that I was attached to the idea. I would finally get to name some of my Pokemon again! And _four_ of them to boot!

Carlita bounced up with claws full of Berries. "_You should have matching names! That would be so cute!_"

I also liked that idea. I nodded and looked down at the fluffy chicks in my backpack. "Matching names, hmm…" I liked this idea even more. I had quadruplets, and matching names would be a cute idea. Didn't Jude say he named siblings in sets? I knew he mentioned something like that about Isabella and Alexander once…

"_Oh my gosh! Name one Oonu!_"

"…what?" I looked at her blankly. Oonu?

"_Yeah!_" she said brightly. "_It means one! And then you can go two and three and—_"

"That's _uno_, Carlita!"

"_Oonu and Voonu!_" Alice said at once. I could sense where this was going.

I opened my mouth to nip this in the bud—_I_ was going to name these chicks, _not_ them!—but Zarek bubbled excitedly, "_Woonu!_" I had no idea if he was copying Alice with some sort of baby lisp or that was his own contribution, but that was three.

"No—!"

"_And Vi._" I turned and stared at Des with the most betrayed look I could create. Which, considering the way his ears flicked back, must've been pretty bad. "_It matches the theme_," he said, looking away.

"You guys are _nuts_. I am _not_ naming the poor things something like—like that!"

"_But they're cute names!_" Carlita and Alice said at once.

"Guys, _no_. I want to name them! And Des—Vai, really?"

"_No, Vi. It's said differently. And uses different letters,_" he replied smartly.

"I still will get confused and I'm the one deciding what to name them!"

Three guesses as to what they ended up being named.

Oonu, Voonu, Woonu, and Vi, four Pidgey chicks orphaned by my Luxray. They joined the party, and I figured since I was stuck here _and_ they weren't battling, it was legal. Although their constant noise attracted even more Pidgey, either curious or outraged that I had screaming infants. The good news was that they didn't attack Carlita so often, and instead focused on me. Which actually _was_ good news since I walked beside Des and he kept them away very well.

We tied colored strings—we used strips from my now-shorts, left one regular color, charred another one into black, grass stained another green, and used Berries (and blood) to dye another red; I felt proud of our collective ingenuity—around each of the Pidgey's legs to differentiate them, although I was still having trouble keeping them straight. Khaki was Oonu, green was Voonu, black was Woonu, and red was Vi. Des seemed to be able to tell them apart even without the colors, and often had to remind me which was which. The rest of us struggled.

As the days passed, the Pidgey quadruplets quieted and settled into our routine. It's not as if they had much to worry about, anyway. They were gaining noticeable weight and they got carried all day. They were also losing more of their fluff and it was beginning to line the inside of my backpack.

We kept heading north, and the regional Pokemon began to change. I nearly had a heart attack the first time I saw an Ariados. My phone was now off all day and night, except for a couple minutes after six, when Hanna would call. Even so, I could tell it wouldn't last too much longer. Lola was now in the lead on the other side, Alicia and Benjamin had apparently gotten lost, and Sela had slowed considerably for some mysterious reason and Archie (and I!) were catching up to her. I knew I was traveling slow, but at least I wasn't lost. And my team, while tired and mildly injured in various ways, was still in pretty good health. I stood a chance of placing in this race.

Or that's what I kept telling myself.

Then, right when I was feeling comfortable—right when I was _happy_ with my progress, happy with new moves for Zarek and Alice and even Ike, happy with the effort and companionship, happy with the tiny birds living in my backpack—things changed. For the worse. For forever.


	121. A Horizon To Catch Up To

"Holy freaking sh—" Some of the wild Pokemon in the area were getting nosy, or perhaps weren't shy to begin with. Either way, more than once, I woke up in the middle of the night with an Ariados or Venomoth hovering over me. Des would usually wake up about that time, or Konstantin would notice, or Ike would slink out of the shadows. Either way, the wild Pokemon never hurt me. They only scared the crap out of me. Bug pokemon were _big_ when they wanted to be.

Not to mention that my exclamations usually woke the quadruplets.

Screaming baby Pidgey weren't something else you wanted in the middle of the night. They also didn't like to calm down unless you picked them up and carried them until they fell back asleep. I dimly remembered my mother saying the same thing about me, so I figured it was karma and bit the bullet.

We worked our way steadily north. When I was up walking the babies around, I had taken to returning Des and Carlita and moving camp. Even if it was just a couple hundred yards, it was progress. And hey, I was up anyway. The nighttime walks slipped into our daily traveling ritual so smoothly that I was starting to feel comfortable with the nightly wake-up calls, even if it was probably taking years off my life to be frightened so often.

I lost track of the days, but it was probably early during the second week that my phone died completely. I sighed at its loss, but aside from quieter evenings, I survived.

Two days after my phone died, I met up with another contestant.

I was stumbling through the pitch black forest, head drooping, eyes hardly open. I was getting good at sleepwalking. The chicks were still peeping occasionally, but they were dropping off too, so I was hoping it wouldn't be too much longer. It had been a rough day; Konstantin had nearly been carried off by a Purugly and Carlita and I had to go chasing through the undergrowth to get him back.

My shoe caught something, and to my immense surprise, there was a muffled swear. I went sprawling, however, and my main concern was the chicks in my backpack-turned-baby-carrier. I managed to flop over onto my back and not squish them, but the fall had woken them and they were once more shrieking at the top of their lungs.

Before I could even get the chance to get back to my feet and offer more than a halfhearted shush to the Pidgey, I felt something stab me in the thigh.

I swore and kicked on reflex, the curse slipping off into a hiss. I dropped the backpack back onto my stomach and my hands found the wound—only to get my finger cut open. With the chicks squawking bloody murder and my shorts rapidly turning a dark shade and my finger bleeding just as profusely, I was rapidly running out of patience.

Fortunately or unfortunately, my night guard arrived to investigate all of the noise. They could both see better than I could in the near black, and I was concentrating on figuring out what the hell was in my leg, so I didn't have time to call them off. Next thing I knew, with a snarl, Ike leapt and landed right next to me. He actually smacked me in the face with his lashing tail. I felt Konstantin pulling on my shoulders, pulling me away from what was immediately turned into a tussle.

There was a high scream, childlike and heart stopping. All I could think was that Ike was killing something else's mother. I threw myself forward, trying to latch onto him, but all I managed to do was ram the thing in my leg deeper in by the chick-filled backpack. I snarled a curse and glared down at the thing—only, with no small amount of horror, to realize what it was. It was the hilt of a knife sticking out of my leg.

"Ike, get off of her!" I desperately lunged for my Luxray again, only a bit late; he was kicked away and narrowly missed me (and the still-screaming Pidgey chicks).

Sure enough, barely visible in the darkness, Sela Schaffer was crouched over her Lopunny, orange hair tousled, face bleeding, eyes hard.

-.-.-

I didn't blame her for stabbing me. If I had a knife on me, and I was as harsh as she was, and someone had tripped over me in the middle of the night, I probably would've done something like that, too.

That said, it _sucked_. I couldn't walk anymore. While Des had carried me after my poison incident and I had gotten better, this wasn't going to get better like that. Not to mention how much it hurt, getting stabbed. To be fair, thanks to Ike, Sela was just as injured as I was. The only difference was that hers was around the face and—I sighed in shame—neck. He had been going for the throat. I couldn't blame him, but still… _He_ at least had to have known that she was there. He could see perfectly in the darkness, after all.

I also figured out what had stalled her up and was the reason that she had fallen so far behind after her early lead.

Dana, her Lopunny, had a broken leg.

"Yeah, it sucks ass," she griped over breakfast. "But since she hates being in her ball, I've been carrying her."

"You've been _carrying_ her?" I asked incredulously. Sela nodded, mouth full of oatmeal. "You're never going to finish at this rate!" Definitely not if I was overtaking her. Then again, with my leg (thanks to her) injured, that wouldn't last very long.

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped. Her Lopunny hid her face in her long ears, making a whimpering sound. Sela's face immediately softened and she leaned over, pulling the rabbit onto her lap. "Dana, it's not your fault…" She looked back up at me. "For the _record_, she was injured protecting me from a Pinsir."

"I didn't…" I trailed off faintly under her hard stare. The wilderness had done nothing but make her even more terrifying. Her reddish-orange hair was even messier than normal, her eyes were practically blood-colored (not to mention bloodshot), she now had scratches along both cheeks, and she was in (almost) full combat gear. Including some of the weaponry. She was prepared for war—and judging on how well she was faring, she was perfectly content to take it to that. She was still in it to win it.

I halfheartedly wondered if she had stabbed me on purpose.

"What's up with the chicks, oh hero?" Sela asked, nodding towards the backpack on my stomach.

I couldn't help but wrap my arms around it protectively. "Ike, that adorable fluff ball you met last night, decided to make a meal out of their mother. I'm carrying them with me until I can get them back to a breeder friend of mine."

"How noble of you." I glared at her through my bangs. She made it sound so… bad. Sela heaved a sigh, stood up, and carefully helped her Lopunny up like a gentleman helping a lady. That was actually a pretty apt way to describe the way she treated Dana, come to think of it. "…So, how have you been faring on this hellish race?"

"Oh, fine. I fought off a Tentacruel, got poisoned and got my ankles roughed up, have been fending off Pidgey strong enough to take out my Breloom in one hit, been woken up I don't know how many times by bug Pokemon larger than I am, had my Luxray orphan four baby Pidgey that I am now the mother to, and most recently, nearly got gutted."

She gave me the first grin I'd seen from her since we had met. "Nice. I'm glad to see you're not the pushover you look," Sela said regally, before turning and scooping up her Lopunny bridal-style. "Come on. We can talk as we travel. I'd rather still stand a chance at winning this."

"That would be nice," I muttered, gingerly standing up. I could at least stand on the leg, albeit with my weight on the other.

We started walking—well, I _did_ try to hobble but Des would have none of it, so Carlita forced me onto him—and Sela was unusually talkative. At first, we traded information. Archie had already passed her, so we were, at best, in second place. Last I had heard, Vaikuntha had retaken first place from Lola, but since that was a couple days ago, I had no idea anymore. Benjamin had not passed her, so he either managed to miss her or was still behind us.

"We could very well end up last," I lamented, sinking back against Des' volcano.

"Hell no. I'm not about to let that happen." She shifted Dana with a grunt. Her Lopunny whined and wiggled, but Sela held her still.

"If she doesn't want to be carried—?"

"It's none of your business. She can't walk on a broken leg if she wants it to heal properly, and she's _not_ going back into her pokeball," Sela said shortly. I could sense there was something more to it, but I wasn't about to push her. She had already stabbed me once.

"Fine then," I mumbled and peeked into the backpack. Four inquisitive little birds looked back up at me. One of them peeped. I cooed at them and they happily cooed back.

"You're being a good mommy, I see. Have you named them?" I grimaced and withdrew out of the backpack, turning to her with eyes narrowed. She shrugged as best she could. She was still being _very_ unusually talkative. It was worse than traveling with Benjamin. At least he was my gender and in my age group. "…I never acted like a mother to any of my Pokemon," Sela said after a long silence. She hastily turned to me and gave me a sharp look, adding, "And if you say _anything_ so chauvinistic as to implicate that just because I am a _woman_ I should feel maternal instincts—!"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" I really wouldn't. I didn't feel like giving her more of an excuse to maim me. (Okay, so maybe I _was_ a little bitter.)

"…But it looks cute on you, the motherly persona." I couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. Her Lopunny whispered something in her ear and Sela gave a derisive snort. "I can't wait to see where you'll be in ten years. Hell, even five."

"Why do you care?" I deadpanned.

Sela paused in mid-step, just long enough for me to notice. I'm not sure if any of my team did, however, although judging by the expression on Dana's face, she had noticed as well. "…Did you know," Sela said, with a very casual air, "That I'm the oldest Gym race trainer?"

It was all I could do not to retort with a 'duh'. I settled on a, "Yeah".

"I'm almost thirty."

"Okay?" I had no idea what she was getting at, but I had a sinking feeling. She had been so talkative; she had something she wanted to say to me. I just couldn't figure out _what_. I wasn't sure I could handle too much more information at this point.

"I also grew up in Oreburgh," she continued with that disturbingly casual air. Her Lopunny gave me a look I couldn't even _begin_ to decipher. "I didn't start training until my late teens. I finished out school instead. I never really had an interest in Pokemon… Well, until later, obviously." Dana tightened her hold on her trainer and curled her ears around them both. Sela grinned at her, and then turned back to me. "I definitely wasn't like any of you young things, running around with Pokemon at ten."

"I wasn't, either," I told her primly.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "…Is that so." She turned back to the faint path ahead of us.

"Yeah, it is," I said, defiantly. I _wasn't_ like the other trainers she was so condescending towards, my age and starting age the least of the reasons why. "Sela, what is it you're trying to tell me?"

"_Trainer_," Des mumbled, looking back at me. I turned to him in nothing less than shock—why was he suddenly speaking? Unless he had figured out what Sela was getting at before I had. "_…Can you add?_"

"Uh, yeah."

"Your Camerupt's caught on," she noted with some approval. I leaned over him and glared at her. "Since I wasn't a trainer, I had to get money somehow. Oh, when I was younger, I was _obnoxious_. All shopping and makeup and gossip and boys. I needed spending money to buy new clothes and other unimportant stuff." I had a _very_ hard time imagining Sela as a regular teenage girl. This woman beside me, carrying a Lopunny like it was nothing, decked out in combat fatigues and boots, hair cut short and expression perpetually hard, she had once acted like Hanna?

"What happened to change you?"

"I found Dana, but that's not what I'm getting at."

"Then what _are_ you getting at?" I cried in exasperation.

"I babysat for money. I was sixteen when I started, and he was seven. I thought you had known he'd grown up in Oreburgh," Sela replied, voice quiet for the first time since she started forcing the issue. I blinked at her, confused. "I… was actually really relieved to find out you were his friend. Someone else had known him when he was just another sweet, dorky, want-to-rule-the-world Pokemon trainer."

"…You knew Nick?"

"Him and Mattie both. Of course, I babysat him before his brother came along."

I tried to process this information—and _why_ she was sharing it. Was she still trying to get at something, or was this the extent of her topic? Sela was a blunt woman, so I figured she could deal with her own medicine. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I told you. I'm just glad that someone else isn't so caught up in the fact that he snapped. And I thought you should know that I'm not fond of thinking of him in killer terms, either."

"You were—You were just as mad at me as everyone else when this came out!" I snarled at her.

"I was," Sela replied calmly.

"Then why—?"

"I _was_ mad. Because unlike you, I realize that he _is_ a serial killer now. But unlike most of the others, I can appreciate the difference between Nick Sayre the trainer and Nick Sayre the killer. All I wanted was for you to know that we're not all high-strung and so blinded by our own nobility that we can't realize that we learned a lot from that kid. Not to mention—" She cut herself off, turning away. Dana pressed her tiny paws against her cheeks and gave her a kiss on the nose. Sela returned it with a chuckle.

"…Not to mention what?" I asked, ignoring the cutesy, very out-of-character action.

"Not to mention the fact that when you get to be this high in the world, especially in today's training climate, we're all about five minutes from pulling a Nick Sayre."

"No we're—"

"I don't know where _you_ were, but I was in Sunyshore fighting off trainers and Pokemon with my goddamn _fists_ when that riot broke out. You were all fighting tooth and nail against each other. And judging on your Luxray's behavior, you're not a perfectly innocent trainer, either," she snapped, cold once more. I reeled back, caught off guard by the personality change. "The fact of the matter is that each and every one of us has the potential to turn just as bad, if not worse, than he is. All it takes is the proper trigger. For him, it was Matthew."

"I know." I sunk low between Des' volcanoes, looking down at the fluffy chicks in my backpack. I knew all about what she was talking about, of course. The three greater tragedies of training, losing things, losing loved ones. I wasn't sure what I'd do if I heard my parents had been killed. …I _knew_ I would snap if it was one of my Pokemon.

"At least you realize it," Sela replied, voice distant.

"I do. I was there with Nick, don't forget," I reminded her flatly. "I saw him as a trainer. You saw him as a little kid."

"Ha, I saw him as a trainer, too. We actually got our training licenses at the same time. I doubt he recognized me since I'd cut all my hair off and stopped wearing skirts by then, but I sure as heck recognized the little guy. Especially with Matthew hanging off of him the entire time."

"…What was he like?"

"Who?" She turned to me, suspicion and curiosity written all across her face.

"Matthew," I whispered.

"…Oh." She turned away again. "Well… I-I only saw him a couple times. After he was born, the boys' parents decided to stay home with them more often, so I only babysat him a handful of times, and he was so tiny. He was a cute infant, though. He had a full head of the softest brown hair right away, and hazel eyes that were just like his brother's."

I tried to picture that. I had never met Matthew, even if Nick had talked about him incessantly every time he was brought up. He was younger than I was, and Nick had always been trying to send him Pokemon to spoil him and watch over him… Obviously that hadn't worked. I felt as if I had a small, fleeting little window into Nick's mind—he must have felt so guilty because of that…

"He took me on as a foster brother, practically," I said with a sigh. "He told me that I reminded him of his brother a couple times. He acted like my brother."

"Do you have any siblings?" Sela asked. I shook my head. "Me neither. I guess we can't step into his shoes, as much as we try. But you know, that's in the past, right?"

"I know that—"

"Do you?"

I paused and gave it some thought. I _knew_ it, yes. But had I realized it? Or maybe I had those backwards. The fact of the matter was that I usually ignored it and clung pretty hard to those memories. "…Why are we discussing the worst serial killer in the history of Sinnoh like this?" I asked her with a forced grin.

"Because we're both saps and too sentimental for our own good," she responded, laughing harshly. Dana buried her face into Sela's neck with a sad whimper. Aside from how she treated her Lopunny, however, I couldn't see Sela Schaffer as sentimental. The only emotion she regularly showed was anger.

Or maybe I—along with the others—had judged her too callously and too quickly. After all, in my eyes she was now a stabbing, sentimental, Lopunny-carrying, Nick-babysitting feminist. Which was certainly an upgrade from a violent, cursing, dress code-breaking feminist. Right?

Unlike Benjamin, Sela stuck around. Perhaps we were just traveling at about the same pace, or perhaps she felt guilty for hurting me, but she didn't leave one morning like he had. I wasn't sure to be glad or very, very worried. It was a mixture of both that I eventually ended up feeling. On one hand, the company was survivable and she kept wild Pokemon away. On the other, I simply felt awkward around her.

And we were competing against each other.

"_Why is the blood-haired one still here?_" Ike asked on the second night. Sela bared her teeth at him. He backed up against Des, hackles raised, lip curled. He turned his head towards me, but kept his eyes on her. "_I understand that you enjoy keeping monstrosities around that injure you regularly, but perhaps you are going too far this time?_"

"I really hope you realize that you are the other one in that group, right?" I asked, looking at Sela's hair. It wasn't blood-colored, but then again, he was a feline Pokemon. Maybe his sense of color was warped. Or maybe he just preferred that sort of language.

"_The Krabby injures you as well_," Ike said shortly, and with that and a swish of his tail, stalked off into the night. Sela snorted at his departure.

Konstantin floated over and wiggled into the space between Des and I. "_Comrade_," he whispered into my shoulder, taking care not to be overheard, "_I am also worried about the woman trainer. She may be trying to sabotage you._"

"Mission accomplished, then." I winced as I raised my leg to prove the point.

"_I am serious!_" he hissed, paws tightening on my shirt.

"Kostya, I don't think she would go that far. She already has apologized a lot for the leg incident. _And_ Ike hurt her in return, so it's not like she came out unscathed."

"_I agree with the ghost_," Des rumbled. I turned to him, but his head was facing away from us, resting on his front legs. I nervously turned towards our guest, but she was busy tending the fire, and if she was eavesdropping, she was doing a good job of it.

"Guys, this isn't going to be a permanent thing. I'm sure she'll be leaving soon. And if she doesn't, we always can."

"_I believe we should_," Konstantin said firmly. "_She may simply be accompanying you up until the end, and then cripple you further so that she may be the winner._"

"I'm already pretty crippled—"

"_She can do worse!_" he whined. He buried his skull in my shoulder, teeth pressing uncomfortably into my chest. "_Comrade, you have already been through much in this insane pursuit of a career. We have followed you with nothing but loyalty and devotion. But if you keep going down this path—_"

"What path?" I said in exasperation, finally prying him away from my chest with my good hand. "I'm hoping to become a Gym leader so I can help people! So I can stop Nick!"

"_Why haven't you been doing that to begin with? You've wasted all this time only getting yourself hurt_," Des said simply. He shifted so that he faced us now, eyes lidded, not bothering to look upset with me like the Duskull.

"This was—"

"_Not just that. Your hand? The light-haired female? Becoming a pariah just because you once knew the wrong trainer?_"

"Nick wasn't wrong, and don't bring Alicia into this."

"_Being with other trainers only hurts you. They don't understand you_," he said lowly, reaching down to lick the top of my head. "_We only worry about you._"

"Thanks, _mom_, but I can handle it. So I'm a little accident-prone. Nothing's stopped us yet, and this is almost over, anyway. Tough out a couple more days, or weeks, or some time and battles. Then we can either go back, triumphant, or back to how things were."

"_We're just worried_," he repeated with a sigh.

-.-.-

"Interesting names," Sela quipped with a grin. I ignored her and continued trying to beckon two of the chicks over. They were growing rapidly, and I had to regularly let them out of the backpack now that they'd figured out how to waddle and hop around. The two boys, Oonu and Voonu, were also starting to get a little bigger than the two girls. I could at least tell them apart by gender.

"It's a long story and I can't be held responsible for it."

"I'm sure."

"_I named one!_" Carlita bubbled excitedly, picking up Oonu. He shrieked and flailed in her grasp, but if she noticed, she didn't let it deter her from swinging him around. I hastily took the baby Pidgey away from her.

"_It was a group effort_," Des said curtly.

"…That Camerupt of yours doesn't seem to like me much," Sela said, facing me but eyes on him. Des snorted out a plume of smoke and flicked his ears back.

"Des, play nice. Oh—Voonu, get off!" I plucked the Pidgey off of his sister. She peeped angrily at him and fluffed up further (if such a thing was possible), then strutted off once she was sure I restrained him properly.

They were losing more and more of their fluff every day, and they all had full feathers on their wings now. I hadn't know they would grow this quickly, but come to think of it, Zarek had grown pretty quick, too. Then again, he was a crustacean.

He also didn't appreciate their place in the team. He had since realized that they had taken over his position of both the newest and the youngest—and, most recently, the mute. I had to regularly chase him away from them, lest they lose a couple feathers or worse. He had taken to approaching Ike and asking him to eat or electrocute them. I wasn't sure which to be more worried about, his aggression or his fearlessness. Ike clearly had no idea how to react to him, either.

"It doesn't even look like it's getting closer," Sela said with a sigh. I glanced up at Stark Mountain, looming over us. It seemed so far away… I idly wondered if anyone had made it there yet. "I'm starting to think of changing tactics."

"What, stab more of your competition to get them out of the way?" I asked mildly, wiggling my finger to distract Vi from pecking at Alice's tail feathers. Of course, all that succeeded in was getting _me_ pecked.

"Flying." I looked up at her, not surprised, but rather, concerned. She rolled her shoulders back in a shrug. "We're allowed five minutes a day. Might as well take advantage of it. It'd be five minutes less walking, and since we're starting to head uphill, it would be a lot faster."

I thought about that. It _would_ be handy, and even if it's a couple hundred feet more, it would be more progress. I looked over at Alice, but she was absorbed in bickering with Konstantin. She wasn't that large of a bird. She _could_ carry me, yes, but it took her a couple minutes to get used to my weight and get back up to speed. Would five minutes be enough to counterbalance that?

_Well, I may as well try_, I supposed.

"Also… We _are_ getting closer, even if it doesn't look it. And you can at least hobble along on that leg of yours now."

"_Barely_, and no thanks to you."

She took it in stride, although Dana giggled nervously. "I'm saying that we should split up."

I looked up at her for the first time in the conversation, brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"You can travel faster than I can. I don't have any large Pokemon to ride, aside from Hark, and I can only use him for five minutes a day…"

"Are you telling me to go on without you?" I also couldn't tell if she was trying to be noble or simply wanted this to be a competition again instead of a friendly stroll through the never-ending forest.

"I guess I am." I don't know how a person could say something so arrogantly, but she managed it with ease.

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask. We were beyond rudeness and courtesy; Sela was a being that spoke her mind and expected others to. I obliged. It was a little refreshing, being so frank with someone. (Someone who didn't see Nick as a complete monster, but oddly, that didn't come up much.)

"I'm a favorite, remember?" The sharp grin was back. "I can afford to be a little slow, a little sloppy. Maybe I'd like to see how badly the Gym leaders play favorites, maybe I'd like to play the odds a bit."

"You're crazy," I told her. But it didn't stop me from leaving the next morning, with her cocky blessing. She may have been tiring, or she may have honestly wanted to push the envelope. I didn't think she was that nice, though. She couldn't have been that selfless.

Maybe she still felt bad for the knife thing.

Either way, I wound up on my own again. I found out that Alice could indeed get a fair distance in five minutes and began using that, although she told me that we could get farther if I didn't have to lug around four Pidgey constantly. During the days, I could walk a ways myself, more and more with each passing day. Des was perfectly happy to be the team's pack mule in the meantime. I would even go as far as to say he _enjoyed_ it. I realized that we never really spent that much time together anymore, but now we had hours to simply converse and head steadily towards Stark Mountain.

Almost a week after I left Sela—although even then, the days were blurring and I may have lost count, I had been out here for _forever_—I could pretty much tell the quadruplets apart. Oonu and Voonu were recognizably the larger two, Vi was the most fearless, and Woonu seemed to have a fascination with Konstantin.

"At the rate they're growing, you're going to have to teach them to fly." I had, in fact, directed the offhand remark at Konstantin, but Alice fluffed up and hissed at me for it, anyway.

"_You teach them!_" she snapped.

"Alice, I didn't mean—"

"_I'm not teaching them anything until I'm done teaching Zarek to fly_," she added stuffily. She landed on the back edge of Des' volcano and set about to preening. I didn't even know what to say to that and instead looked at Zarek, who was currently being carried by Konstantin. "_Also, I cannot wait until we're out of the wilderness! The Pokemon here are too strong and too hostile. I'm starting to get tired._"

"_But think of all the muscle mass you're gaining!_" Carlita replied cheerfully. She bounded on ahead with dance-like movements. I guess that was the difference between my girls: one hated it out here, the other loved it.

"_Are you calling me fat?_" Alice shouted, bowing her head, tail feathers frizzing up like a cat's.

"_No?_" Carlita said, pausing mid-step. She tilted her head to one side, confused—but then, the moment passed, and she danced along again.

As Alice took Zarek back and flapped off again, Konstantin made me get back onto Des. As I was clambering on, I tried not to move my leg that much. Still, as I settled into the hollow between the volcanoes, I noticed that my shorts were bloody again. I casually set the Pidgey-backpack on my lap and hoped Konstantin hadn't seen. Every time the wound started to heal, I would manage to tear it back open. I _could_ walk on it, though, so it had to be healing on some level… But just not enough that my worries were assuaged.

_Poison's gone, I think. Ankle's still a little tender. Leg starts bleeding if I move it too much. Hand is still in a mitten._ That was all I could think of and could remember. The upside was that my hand had been properly taken care of and was probably healing nicely, and, well, I could still walk. Just not for long distances. And due to the fact that my shorts were already stained red for almost the entire right leg, no one thus far had noticed when it started bleeding again. It wasn't as if it gushed down my leg or anything. It was just complaining.

I looked out over the daylight team. Carlita was ecstatic but had fainted more often than any other member of the team. At least we were mostly out of Pidgey territory now. Des was probably the most well-off, since we hadn't come across anything (yet) that had been much of a fight for him. Konstantin had earned a couple more scrapes on his mask and I'd noticed that he was holding his paw a little funny, but hadn't complained about anything yet. Alice was cautious, never strayed too far, and she was starting to sleep more and more heavily. Some days, she didn't even wake up when I released her.

Zarek, we had found out very belatedly, had hurt his claw in the Tentacruel fight. He could still use it and didn't say much about it, but he was now preferring his other instead. He had also been knocked out a fair amount. Ike was faring well, but he was roughed up in a very general sense. His fur was dark with blood—his or not, I didn't dare ask—that he couldn't keep up with trying to get out, at some point one of his ears had gotten a notch torn in it, and Zarek had clipped a nice little gash into the star on his tail.

My team was doing better than I was. This was good. I would take all the injuries if I could, although they'd take that treatment kicking and screaming.

I thought back to what Sela had said. We were all five minutes from pulling a Nick Sayre, provided we had the proper trigger for it. I smiled darkly. Well, that was true.

"But you guys are all fine, aren't you!" I cooed into the backpack. One of the girls—I think it was Woonu—tweeted back at me. They weren't so much of a burden anymore. They _were_ cute, too. And making faces at them was entertainment while I was stuck being a passenger.

"_Are you sure you'll be able to give them up?_" Des asked dubiously, carefully stepping over a fallen tree.

"…It's not like I could never see them ever again," I replied after a very telling pause. "They're not going away for forever. Just to Jude."

"_What if he sells them?_" Konstantin asked, tone curious. He floated over and peered into the open backpack, only for Woonu to screech excitedly at his appearance.

"I'll ask him not to. Besides, even if I did keep them… I couldn't use them in battles, or I couldn't have you guys with me. Even for adorable baby Pidgey, I wouldn't trade you guys." I grinned at them. Konstantin ducked away from me, hiding his face in embarrassment. Des grunted a dry laugh.

And so the days passed. Not with a bang, but with cooing at baby Pidgey.

I felt like I was getting behind, though. Even with Alice flying me for five minutes every morning, even with me being able to walk for awhile, I felt so stagnant. Stark Mountain remained stubbornly out of reach. I began traveling later and later, after sunset, after Alice and Zarek went in and Ike came out. Even after Carlita fell asleep (and I returned her secretly, letting her back out when we had stopped for the night).

"_This isn't good for you_," Des told me on one such night.

"We're so close to winning…" I panted back at him, ignoring the way I could feel something hot run down my injured leg. It was dark out. No one could see the blood. Or so I told myself. I was impatient, and getting more so with each passing minute. "Des, I _want_ to win. We're almost at the finish line."

"_Yeah, well, don't trip over it_," he muttered.

"If you're tired, I could put you back into your pokeball."

"_And leave you out here alone? You'd die without me._" I thought about the giant bugs that haunted the forest at night and shuddered.

And as if I had predicted it, I walked straight into a web. I screamed and flailed on impulse, but only managed to get more tangled up in it. The chicks, woken up by the noise and jostling, joined in with the shrieking and generally made things more annoying.

Annoying transformed immediately into horror as an Ariados, nearly as large as I was, crawled out onto the branch above me that the web was connected to. I writhed in the trap it had set; Des, being a little ways behind me, hastily jogged up the slope to get to me. Unfortunately, with my heart pumping and with all of the flailing, not to mention a day of travel, my leg had decided enough was enough and gave up. I went down, the web catching me and further ensnaring me.

I felt a disgustingly sticky string latch onto the back of my neck and suddenly I was hauled up, towards the trees. I tried to reach back to dislodge it, but the web was starting to impede my movements, and the backpack's straps were in the way. As quickly as humanly possible, I fought to get the backpack off, one hand still around the squawking chicks, the other arm reaching back to claw at the String Shot the Ariados was attempting to pull me up with.

I dropped neatly back to the ground, the web probably slowing my fall a bit. Good thing, too, as my leg refused to support my weight and I immediately sunk to my knees. I gasped for breath, heart thundering from the pain and terror both, all but ignoring the chicks' racket. I sensed more than saw Konstantin's appearance on the scene and Des had finally waddled up to me. It had all taken only a couple seconds, but it was terrifying.

Then, it got worse.

Apparently, the Ariados didn't pay the Camerupt or Duskull any heed, because it looped another thread around me. I turned and snarled at it, half-hoping to scare it off. It didn't work. It screeched, voice high and grating, and shot another String Shot at me. I clawed at this one, too, even as I was dragged up to my feet.

It hit me with another web assault, and this time, I flew up into the air. The problem was the backpack. I was ten feet in the air before the momentum caught up with me. It wasn't on me anymore; it slipped out of my hands.

My heart must have stopped. I threw out my hands to catch it again, just barely managing to snag one of the straps.

The problem was that the backpack had momentum, too. It swung down off of my fingers, flying open, now upside-down.

And I watched helplessly as two of the Pidgey fell out with shrieks high enough to rival the arachnid's. Two tiny, infant Pidgey who couldn't fly, who were frail and weak and hollow-boned, fell and hit the ground below mercilessly.

The backpack continued swinging gracefully—it had only taken but a moment—and then swung itself out of my hands. Konstantin made it in time to catch it, eye wide in its socket, looking at me instead of the Pidgey below us. One of them wasn't moving. The other was peeping feebly, wing splayed out at a painfully awkward angle.

I was hardly aware of the rest of the journey up into the tree, or the fact that the Ariados attempted to make a snack out of me and got as far as plunging its teeth into my shoulder before Ike arrived and Thunderbolted us both out of the tree. I landed on top of it, holding my shoulder more on instinct than anything else, eyes still on the Pidgey. The unmoving one had a black strip tied around its leg, the other one kicked a red-tied leg in something that scarily reminded me of the way Ike's prey would kick.

I felt a blast of heat go over me and the Ariados screeched again. I crawled over to the Pidgey, leg trailing blood, shoulder just now informing me of the pain. Black and red. Black and red—why couldn't I remember which ones had been black and red? I wanted to reach out to them, but I didn't want to touch them. The moving one stopped moving and laid still.

I slowly turned to look at the Ariados, which was unconscious and slightly charred on the other side of the remains of the web. Des was standing over it, volcanoes roaring, mouth still dripping flame. Konstantin hesitantly floated down and looked nervously between the Pidgey chicks and me.

It had all lasted just a couple seconds. It had been quick. But why did it feel like this had been the end of a horribly long battle?

I hesitantly reached out to one of the birds, but halted before my fingers made contact with the downy feathers.

"Des." I heard him turn back towards me and calm down a little. I turned completely to look at him, expression perfectly blank. "Kill it."


	122. Thanatos Instinct

Quick Note: The 'song' during the 'dream' is to the tune of Miss Suzie Had A Tugboat. Or Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches, if you prefer Emilie Autumn.

-.-.-

"…_What?_" Des repeated dumbly, ears as high as he could lift them. I stared back at him. I knew he had heard me. I wasn't sure if it was stubbornness or the fact that I didn't want to have to say it again, but I waited him out. "_…You can't mean that._" It wasn't a question. It was an order to mirror my own.

"Des."

"_Comrade, do you know what you just said?_" Konstantin hurriedly intervened, the backpack swinging from his arms. I snarled and dove at him, catching it in my hands, pulling it against me and back to the ground. The two Pidgey still inside, shrieking their fright and alarm at suddenly missing half of the contents of the backpack, stared up at me desperately. They wanted answers. I was keenly aware of the two behind me.

"Des, kill it. Kill that—that horrible monster!" I was more aware of what I was asking him this time around. I was also conscious of the fact that I was not asking Konstantin. Blindly loyal Konstantin who would not hesitate, no, who would _delight_ in carrying out bloody orders. I was also not asking Ike—I was halfway surprised he _hadn't_ killed it already.

But no. I was asking Des.

And he was the one who was balking.

He physically shied away from me, ears down low, volcanoes reduced to low murmurs. He stepped away from me, looking down, until he ran into a tree. He just stood there, head down, not looking at me. Did he look sorry? Sad? Submissive? Stubborn? I couldn't tell. I could hardly tell what was going on anymore, just that I was angry.

No, I wasn't. I didn't feel anything. I felt that I _should_ be angry. That Ariados, that stupid, horrible bug Pokemon had just ki—hurt two of my Pidgey babies. Two of _my_ Pokemon.

I had to do something, lest this emptiness consume me. I had to take revenge for what had just happened. I had to do _something_ to make it pay.

Ike suddenly laughed, startling us all. He stalked over towards me, tail lashing lazily behind him, still yowling with laughter. "_Oh, my dear Master Trainer…_" He had never made the title sound so insulting before; that was saying something. He finally reached me and sat unceremoniously between the prone birds and me. "_You do not even feel this wrath you're trying to push upon the fat camel, do you? You are not equipped to handle this sort of rage. You don't know what to do with yourself, now that you've seen death and don't like it?_"

"Ike, I—"

"_You are not going to order me to slay the insect_," he said in a low voice. I didn't know whether he meant it as a command or a fact. "_Nor are you going to use the ghost or the fat camel. You do not possess the courage or blackness of heart_."

"Are you trying to talk me out of this?" I asked dumbly.

"_I would not dream of such an asinine idea_," he scoffed, ears pinned back against his skull. Rotating them forward and leaning towards me, eyes bright even in the darkness, he continued, "_But you have a choice, and contrary to your current belief._"

"What choice?"

"_Comrade_," Konstantin said worriedly, pressing a bit closer in on my other side. "_Do not listen to him…_"

I ignored him and focused on Ike. He grinned, teeth sharp. "_You can kill it if you choose. You would have to muster up an appropriate amount of courage and gall, but if you did, you would be more satisfied than you have ever been before_."

"_Don't listen to him!_" Konstantin repeated, more firmly this time. I once again brushed him off. He seemed to sense this and roughly pulled my head around to face him. He pressed his skull mask against my forehead, eye narrowed. "_Do not go down this path. Do not become dark_."

"I'm not a dark Pokemon, Kostya," I told him simply. He gave a cry of distress as I turned back to the devil's advocate in feline form beside me. "What's my other choice, Ike?" I asked him with a calm I certainly didn't feel.

"_You may still choose not to kill the selfish, stupid insect who chose to attack you. It was aware of what it was taking on. I am making sure you are as well._" He said it with his usual smugness, but I was starting to guess that there was something else in this. "_But taking a life is not something that the heart handles lightly. I am not sure you… would be able to._"

"If I don't?"

"_Then it will eat at your insides,_" he hissed with a smile. "_The guilt over doing nothing will consume you, it will come to define your being. You will hate yourself more and more with each passing day, for taking this burden on, for not allowing yourself to take out this growing rage and revenge on the only creature you could_." By the time he finished, his voice was hardly more than a purr.

The worst part was that I could see the logic in it. I tore my gaze away from him and Konstantin seized upon the opportunity, once more pressing our foreheads together. "_Ignore him. This is nothing but temptation, he wishes for you to fall. Remember the prophecy, the warning given to you by Katerina! Do not become a monster like the dark-haired trainer did!_"

That was right. Nick had this same issue once. I wouldn't release Des because of this, but if he didn't listen to me… If I didn't get this figured out… I didn't know what I'd do.

I clutched my head in my hands and ducked low over the backpack with the two screaming Pidgey still inside it, safe and confused and scared. Why did this have to happen in the first place? It had only been because I wanted to walk at night, even though I was completely aware of the fact that giant bug Pokemon roamed about during the night. I had literally walked straight into this.

It wasn't fair that the Pidgey had to pay the price of my carelessness.

"Kill it!" I snarled at Des again, glaring up at him through my bangs, baring my teeth at him. He shuffled his feet and looked back down. I turned to Ike, who perked up expectantly, but Konstantin intercepted me with a nervous whine.

"_Don't do this!_"

"Kostya, would you kill it for me?" I asked quietly. He let go of me and floated back, obviously surprised.

"…_I… Me?_"

"You're a ghost. You kill for food. If you don't want me to let Ike do it, then you—"

"_I will not! There is a difference between killing for nourishment and killing out of revenge!_" he cried, flying to me once more.

"_There is, and that is exactly why he desires to kill it_," Ike said pointedly. I couldn't help but silently agree. "_Master Trainer, be aware of what you are asking of the pathetic, bloodless, cowardly specter. He does not possess the spine, no matter how devoted he may be._"

"_It is not that and you know it_," Konstantin snapped. "_I will not allow my beloved comrade to stray down this_—"

"_Both of you, shut up!_" Des suddenly bellowed, making all of us jump. Even the chicks temporarily quieted. He stomped over, nosed Konstantin out of the way, and spat a mouthful of flames at Ike behind me. He grabbed the fabric of my shirt in his teeth and dragged me back away from the others and the two little bodies laying on the path.

"Des, what are you—?"

"_Return them, now_," he breathed, singing my shirt. He dropped me at his feet and, with shaking hands, I returned them. Ike only turned his head in disgust, but Konstantin attempted to race for me. He didn't make it. Des snorted and leaned down, forcing me back into a sitting position. "_Don't think of the parallels between you and Nick. Don't think of what just happened. Just tell me—do you want me to kill that Ariados? It is not a monster, it is not a thing. It is a Pokemon, living, breathing, just trying to get food like you or I_."

"But it—"

"_Just tell me_," he all but begged. He shut his eyes and pressed his snout into my chest. "_Trainer… Do you want to turn out like this? I will follow you either way, but… Please. I thought you were better than this._"

I looked down at the two Pidgey remaining in the backpack. I was calming down, I was realizing what had just happened. What I had just lost. And that only served to make me angrier.

Then, I heard a peep behind me.

-.-.-

Des and I didn't talk about what had transpired. Ike often laughed at me for no reason, and Konstantin hardly left me alone. He tried to ask me what had happened after they were returned, but I refused to answer him.

Alice, Carlita, and Zarek didn't find out what happened until late in the afternoon of the next day, when they noticed that there were only three Pidgey, and one of them had a splint on a badly broken wing. Des told them not to ask further, and I assumed he explained things later on to them. I couldn't do it.

I was running on no sleep. It made for harder traveling than normal, but I didn't complain. I didn't dare complain about anything ever again. I was too overcome with gratitude at having found Vi, still alive, crying softly.

Woonu was dead. I had buried her last night, and had sat over the gravesite until the sun was up. I didn't cry; I couldn't find it in myself. Yet. I hoped it was a yet. It seemed too cruel not to cry over such a stupid, tragic death. It had been so sudden, so accidental, so… my fault.

Des had to have felt the tears finally come, dripping into his front volcano, but he didn't say anything about it. None of them did. Alice had taken the chicks, so I could safely curl up and cry without worrying about squishing them.

This time, the days passed, not with cooing at chicks, but with blood, sweat, and tears.

I pushed us harder than we had been going thus far, but the progress made it pay off. We broke out of the forest into rocky foothills. Stark Mountain was coming ever closer. All I could think about was the end of this godforsaken race. I was _so tired_ of it. My leg was starting to stiffen up, and I was starting to worry about infection, especially when it stopped bleeding red and started bleeding a watered-down pink. I was also prone to dizzy spells and twice I threw up for no good reason other than my body liked to punish me.

Ike and Alice caught something from one of his kills and we spent a couple harrowing days holed up in a cave, trying to break their fevers. Ike got completely better, or at least hid it convincingly, but Alice never quite got her strength back up. She got tired easily, spent a lot of the day riding on Des instead of flying, and didn't seem to eat much.

Carlita seemed to regain a bit of her courage with the advantage over the rock and ground Pokemon populating the area. Des lost a bit of his advantage, but he did seem to enjoy the terrain more. Zarek got a lot of training, unfortunately, since in a lot of cases, Des wasn't fast enough or Carlita was gone and he had to defend both Alice and I. Ike didn't bring back as many Pokemon for food anymore, and when he did, it was mostly Diglett. We were all out of food I'd brought with, and healing supplies were dwindling, too.

It got worse when we got into the sandstorm.

Many times, I got completely lost or separated from my Pokemon, even though Des was usually just a couple feet away. It only took a day before we had to all huddle on or near Des. Alice stubbornly remained out, although she insisted Zarek go back into his ball, and Carlita wanted to stay out with me. She sat behind me between Des' volcanoes—making it a tight fit—and helped me shield the backpack from the wind and sand. Konstantin flitted about us, disappearing and reappearing at random.

I was positive my leg was infected by the third night in the sandstorm territory. My shorts had all been fused to the wound, and peeling it off that night, I was not pleased with what I found. Sand crusted everything, and what wasn't scabbed over with dried blood or something disgustingly yellowish, oozed something that was _not_ blood and something I was positive my leg should not be oozing.

I broke down again when I realized the futility of it all. What was I doing out here? I killed baby Pidgey, I got myself hurt and I was terrified this wouldn't be something I could brush off, my Pokemon were hurt and tired and sick, and for what? To _maybe_ become a Gym leader? Why did I even _want_ to become one, anyway? I just wanted to be home with my family and friends, to curl up in that luxurious hotel, to hang out with Hanna and Jude, to train with Vaikuntha, to be _okay_ again.

"_Shh, it's okay_." I jumped violently as Carlita came over and wrapped her arms around me. I had thought she was sleeping. Next thing I knew, Des was behind us, shoving his snout into the space between my neck and shoulder, breath hot and reassuring. Konstantin floated shyly over, carrying the backpack, and set it down beside me before hugging me as well.

Ike sat by and watched us in disdain, although after a smack from Carlita's tail and a small Magnitude from Des, he gave us a long-suffering sigh and at least came over and leaned against my other side.

"_You've gotten this far. You can do it._"

"I don't want to anymore," I whispered back, still trying to get past the tears. What was I doing? A fourteen-year-old with three years of training behind him, injured and ill-equipped and above all else, scared. I wanted someone to be here with me again. Benjamin or Sela, Vaikuntha or Hanna, my parents, above all, I wanted Nick to be here and tell me to buck up and laugh at me and tell me I could do it. I didn't want him to be a homicidal psychotic anymore; I wanted him and Matthew to be alright, and for things to be good again.

I wanted to go back to when I was happy.

To before I had water paranoia, to before I had discovered allergies, to before the Abomasnow attack, to before scrapes and scars and bets and ghosts and dark-haired trainers and monsters and nightmares and Champion's tragedies and The Tournament and being locked in a burning building and watching Nick do all of these things. Watching him talk down to Cynthia before viciously attacking her. Watching him beat in two girls' faces with a shovel right before my eyes. Watching him break down in prison and joyfully reunite with his team. Watching him slip away from me through a crowd in Sunyshore.

I didn't want to have to face _my_ Electabuzz in a battle to the death.

I didn't want to have to find out I had screwed up every single part of the ghosts' warning.

I didn't want to have to be forced off of the bridge to nowhere and into Sendoff Spring to begin with.

I didn't want to have to live with the knowledge that my best friend had killed my other best friend's Pokemon.

I didn't want to listen to Vaikuntha waking up with sobbing and coughing over Sarika.

I didn't _want_ this anymore.

So I did the only thing I could: I pushed forward.

We broke out of the sandstorm the next day, to everyone's collective relief. Not seeing the sun for days on end was a horrible experience. Zarek was excited to be allowed out again, too. We were forced to go west for awhile, but I was glad when we could head north once more. Stark Mountain seemed closer than ever—and yet so far away.

Several times, I fingered the bulky GPS necklace around my neck, sorely tempted to give up. When I voiced these concerns, however, my team bullied me back down. "_We've come so far!_"

"_Would you like all of this effort and pain to be in vain?_"

"_Keep going, Trainer!_"

"But what if stopping now prevents more heartache?" I asked quietly in response to their fervent replies.

They didn't have anything much to say to that. But we continued on.

The wild Pokemon became more varied. To our horror, there were Fearow here, Fearow that loved to pick on Carlita. Ike had to be called out on a couple occasions to chase them away when Des' Flamethrower wouldn't cut it.

But better than that, there were wild Numel and Camerupt. This delighted our team and they had a fun time pointing out the 'wild Des's. There were also wild Skarmory, which I actually felt a little cheered up about. They mostly left us alone, and they reminded me of Vaikuntha. I could deal with far-off glimpses of 'wild Koel's. The wild Numel and Camerupt were a little more friendly, or at least got closer to us, probably to investigate and meet Des. I once woke up to a Numel sleeping on the embers of our fire, and aside from sorely missing Des as a Numel right then and wanting a camera, it wasn't so bad. At least it wasn't more horrible bug Pokemon.

It was a series of ups and downs. Some days I would actually be almost cheerful. But then I'd just break down again at the slightest provocation. Ike called me a hormonal teenage girl on several occasions. I could tell I was starting to worry the others, especially Konstantin. I couldn't tell what he was thinking half the time, aside from the fact that he was getting to be worse than Alice with Zarek.

Des, too, was keeping a close watch on me. I could tell, although he hid it pretty well. But we had known each other long enough that I knew his tells. Unfortunately, that connection worked both ways and he could tell how rough of shape I was in.

It was on a bad night, when I was once again having a staring contest with my necklace, that it went off.

I immediately dropped it and put my hands up, shouting, "It wasn't me!"

"_Did you press the button?_" Des asked, eyes wide. I shook my head emphatically.

"_Nngh, wha' is it?_" Carlita sat up, rubbing her eyes with her claws. She yawned and looked sleepily over at me. "_Trainer, what did you do?_"

"I didn't do anything! It just started beeping!" But then, just as suddenly, it stopped. It has lasted maybe ten seconds, and while it nearly gave me a heart attack, nothing else came from it.

No one arrived to haul me off, so I started to wonder if they all went off if someone pressed theirs. Was it intentionally? Did it even work that way? …Who had pressed it? What had happened?

If someone else had given up, I wouldn't be the first out. I wouldn't be the only one.

"_Don't do it_," Des said so quietly, I wasn't sure I had heard him at all. I dropped the necklace and leaned around his volcano, but he wasn't looking at me. Maybe I was delirious. With all of the emotional instability lately, I wouldn't doubt it. I collapsed into laughter, leaning against the volcano in front of me for support. Great, I was going crazy to boot.

It wasn't so funny after I slid off of him and hit the dirt below. I was lucky it was Konstantin's turn with the chicks. I clutched the side I landed on, still chuckling weakly, but I couldn't seem to get back up. I crumpled to the ground twice more before Des stopped and Zarek scurried over. I felt him poke me with a claw, but I couldn't muster up the energy to flip over.

I was hardly aware of the next… however long. At some point, I was flipped onto my back. I could remember Carlita looking down at me, asking me something about Full Restores. Des was there, too—he always was. He licked my forehead and I swatted him away. His tongue was too hot and too wet. "_Fever_," he said.

"What? You don't have one, you're a fire Pokemon," I told him irritably. "You always feel that way…"

Zarek doused me in cold water and I spluttered and flailed, only to have Alice and Carlita hold my arms still. I was suddenly dunked into a nightmare. They were operating on me. I kicked and fought back and even bit Ike's tail, but they were operating on me regardless. I was dimly aware of the fact that they were concentrating on my leg, and that that made my leg hurt.

And then, I slept. And I dreamed.

-.-.-

Nick threw a shovelful of dirt over his shoulder. I stepped out of the way, not wanting to get dirtied. He was humming and his shirt was sticking to him from sweat; he had been doing this for awhile. I circled around him, curious. What was he digging?

It was a large, deep hole. I could comfortably fit inside it, and I had a feeling that I couldn't be able to see out of it if I were standing on the bottom. There was a whole row of them, too. He was starting on another. He stopped humming and instead started singing, although at first, the words were indistinct.

"Nick," I said, unsure of what else to say. He didn't look up.

"I'm digging lots of graves now," he sang, and I looked back down at the holes. Is that what they were? "For all of those I've killed!"

"You haven't killed anyone," I replied, confused.

"None of them deserved their teams, and were terribly weak—will you think ill of me?" He stopped digging and looked at me for the first time, leaning on the shovel. He continued his little tune with a smile for me. I nervously smiled back, uncertain. "Or will you praise me too?"

"I don't—"

"Or are you simply wondering if I'm still as sane as—you are not the hero here!" Suddenly, his voice turned into rough bark and I jumped, startled by it. He pulled his shovel out of the dirt and swung it at me. I leaped out of the way, my thundering heart nearly drowning out the rest of his now-terrible song. "And you never were!"

"Nick, what are you—?" I cried desperately, yelping as I tripped backwards. I hastily crawled away from him, trying to get back to my feet.

He circled around me and cut off my escape route with his shovel, burying it in the dirt with a snick just millimeters away from my fingertips. I looked up at him, scared of him for the first time. He knelt down towards me, smile back in place. "But stroke a Luxray long enough and even it will purr."

Ike leapt out of nowhere, landing on his back, sending him into the ground in front of me. Nick pushed me out of the way and I fell into one of the open graves. I hit the ground below with a painful thump and immediately rolled to my feet. Nick screamed, a scream that he should not make under any circumstances. I clawed at the dirt wall in front of me, trying to get back out. "Ike! Ike, leave him alone! Stop it!"

My Luxray was suddenly there, leaning over the top of the grave. He seemed so far away. He grinned, teeth stained crimson. "_Why? You want me to kill for you. I do as you order_."

"I didn't—I didn't want it this way!" I begged, still scrabbling for purchase. The dirt simply crumbled under my fingers and fell down onto my arms, my face, my shoulders. "I didn't want to kill! I didn't!"

"_Oh, but you did_," Ike purred.

He yowled as the shovel suddenly buried itself into his side. He vanished as if he were nothing but a shadow. I stared in horror at the spot where he had been. A figure in a black hoodie stood over me, so far away, so tall and regal and disappointed. I reached up pathetically.

I nearly sobbed in relief as the figure leaned down and extended a hand for me to grasp at.

Next thing I knew, I was staring up at the night sky, leg hurting, Pokemon sleeping all around me. I turned, sensing something. And I saw a figure in a black hoodie walk away from me, back into the darkness.

-.-.-

"_Are you feeling better?_" Carlita asked worriedly.

"Yeah," I replied shortly. I was hungry, and while I wasn't annoyed with her, she _was_ interrupting my meal. Apparently, I hadn't eaten in about a day and a half.

"_I nearly had a heart attack when you did that! Don't do that anymore!_" Alice commanded, snuggling up to me on my other side.

Also apparently, I had went temporarily insane or something. Des told me it was from a fever brought on by a very nasty infection, but I was still convinced that a large portion of that was because of the stress and what had happened.

They had tried to patch up my leg, too.

And since Pokemon couldn't use human-made items (at least not correctly, as I soon found out), they had done it rather creatively. They _did_ know how to use bandages, for which I was eternally grateful, but after that, I was a little surprised that it hadn't turned out worse. For starters, Des cauterized the wound with some sort of mixture of a lot of licking and biting. I was glad I had been hallucinating by that point.

Ike and Carlita had eventually put me under with a mixture of electricity and spores, and that had led to the rather interesting dream I'd had. What I couldn't figure out was when the dream ended and when reality took back over. I could have _sworn_ that I had seen that figure… But that was crazy. I had an entire team of overly protective Pokemon out the entire time. There was no way even Nick could have gotten in.

I stretched out my leg. I could move it, although it was sore, and I was still debating to what extent I would trust their medical skills. It was definitely closed now, at any rate. Of course, after a breakfast of Skarmory that I was hell bent on _not_ thinking about digesting, they had me guzzle down the remaining Full Restore. And while I took this kicking and screaming, I was hardly a match for them. I nearly choked on it.

It also tasted _horrible_. At least the Full Heal had been watered down.

I was immediately convinced that this was the worst idea they had ever collectively had—and a little vindicated—when it came back up not an hour later. I also got to guilt them about the breakfast they had so painstakingly caught and cooked (without direction from me, which was actually a feat) that I didn't get to keep.

That said, I _was_ feeling better. Zarek regularly doused me with ice water to prevent any more fevers from spawning, and whether or not it was effective, I couldn't tell. He simply wouldn't stop it. Alice returned to hunting during the day, though the most she could do was direct Carlita or Ike to whatever she had spotted. They were babying me, and it worked. A little.

They got nervous whenever I started laughing, though.

"_What is that that you are humming, comrade?_" Konstantin asked curiously, floating over. I ducked my head as I realized that it was the dark little tune from my dream (which I surprisingly remembered, in equally surprising clarity; I wish I couldn't).

"Kostya… Did you see my dream the other night? When I was sick—er, out of it."

"_No. Why?_" He tilted his head and placed his paw over his teeth.

"Oh. Uh, no reason." I couldn't figure out what part of that had been real, or whether it was all a dream. And why I could remember it so clearly. Usually I couldn't do that unless the dream had been tampered with in some way. But I didn't remember Who being in the dream… I screwed my eyes shut and tried to remember if Nick had any ghosts. Besides Lassie.

We hit a wall later that afternoon. Literally. I craned my neck back, trying to look at the cliff in front of us. Stark Mountain was barely visible behind it, but I could tell we were getting close. Like, a day or two away close. _I don't have to quit, not if I'm so close_, I repeatedly told myself. Of course, a cliff when you can't walk, much less climb, sort of put a damper on things.

"_We could help you up,_" Alice suggested with an overly innocent blink. The problem was that I could tell she was weakening. She hadn't completely gotten over what she'd caught, no matter how well she hid it. I let her keep her image and didn't call her out on it, though. And she owed me for that, so I didn't see why she was suggesting this.

"_I have helped you climb before_," Konstantin added eagerly.

"Kostya, you can't lift me, and Alice, with my leg like this…" It was the best excuse I could come up with. She bowed her head gratefully, looking towards Zarek. She wanted to keep the strong mommy persona for him, and so long as she didn't overexert herself, I'd let her. Still, she didn't have to be so obvious about it.

Carlita wasn't big enough to carry me, Des couldn't climb, period, Ike couldn't help, Konstantin and Alice couldn't help me with this, and of course, Zarek was small and not that great of a climber, anyway.

"I guess… We circle around and see if there's another way up…" I looked around, but evidently, I moved my head too quickly. I immediately felt dizzy and swayed on top of Des, holding my head. I shut my eyes and tried to stay still, waiting it out.

It passed, and as far as I could tell, they didn't notice. Victory for the trainer.


	123. The Finish Line

It took another day and a half, but we managed to circle around the cliff to a point where we could get up. By then, Stark Mountain was practically on top of us, we were so close. I got excited and tried to move us along faster, but Des had all of one speed, and would not go any faster than he was. I tried—once—to circumvent this by traveling on my own, but Ike merely asked, "_How well did that work for you last time, Master Trainer?_" It successfully stopped me from traveling during the night.

"We're probably only a day away… Maybe two. But probably one," I said with a grin, looking up at the mountain. "We're finally almost done with this."

"_About time_," Alice muttered sleepily. I looked over at her. She was curled around Zarek, eyes closed, clouds a little less fluffy than normal.

"Are you feeling alright?"

She cracked an eye open to look at me. "_Fine_."

"Alice—"

"_I said I'm—fine_." She curled tighter around the Krabby. I glanced back at the mountain, then back to her. Did she look paler than normal? I knew she was riding Des almost as often as I was now. She got tired so easily…

Quelling a sense of dread, I swallowed thickly and started rummaging around in my pockets. Alice was sick, I knew that. I had let her stay out because she would have thrown a tantrum and I had naively assumed that she was getting better. I couldn't stand to lose another bird. I couldn't handle losing one of my actual _team_.

I took out her great ball and held it out towards her. She raised her head and opened her beak, giving me that _look_ that even Ike cowered from. I returned her.

"_Trainer?_" Des asked, worry in his tone.

"Zarek, you too. Come here."

"_But—_" he started to protest, but I shook my head. He dropped his claws submissively and skittered over. I petted him once for behaving, which must have surprised him, but returned him as well before he could do more than look up at me.

I turned to look back at Des. He flicked his ears back and narrowed his eyes. "_Don't even think about it._"

"I wasn't…" I lied. "I'm just worried. About her. About all of you. About… well, everything." I sighed heavily and struggled back to my feet. "Done eating?"

"_I was waiting on you_," he replied with amusement. I could see, however, that he still didn't completely trust my motives. "_Trainer… You can't shelter us._"

"Then you can't shelter me," I said primly, and he let it drop after that. I'd stop protecting him after he stopped trying to protect me. Which, we both knew, would be never. I supposed that was just how relationship between Pokemon and their trainers worked. I found this notion amusing; we were each other's mother. I giggled weakly, but after seeing the worried look he shot me, I clamped my mouth shut and covered it with my mitten for good measure. It _was_ funny though.

I kept laughing, even if it was muffled, and I realized I couldn't stop. It was just too funny. Unfortunately, between trying to stop and trying to stifle the noise, I was only starting to hyperventilate. Which wasn't good for one that had recently started having dizzy spells.

I passed out for the umpteenth time. I was on a roll. When I woke up, noting with frustration the setting sun, Des informed me of another fever and that Carlita was nearly hysterical. I managed to calm her down by showing her that I wasn't dead, psychotic, or in the process of becoming either, but I could tell that this was starting to wear on her. She often hugged me, yes, but almost never near tears. This was starting to wear on all of us.

Later that night, when Des and Carlita were asleep and Ike had long since disappeared, I looked down at the necklace. I could end it now, or I could keep going. A day, maybe two. We were _so close_. But Alice wasn't okay anymore, I shouldn't have let Zarek out at all, and then the Pidgey… I shut my eyes as tightly as I could to stop the tears. Ike, my own Pokemon, practically under orders, killed their mother. And then, also my fault, Woonu died and Vi's wing was badly broken. For all of our confidence and pseudo preparations, we weren't doing well.

I clutched the GPS and brushed my thumb over the button. It had already gone off once. Someone else could have ducked out; I wouldn't be the only one to. I wouldn't be the only one who had to back out of this. But we were _so close_…

But to what? To a dormant volcano, to the last in a long line of twisted and demented challenges that so far had only led to disaster? Nightmares. Psychological torture. The riot in Sunyshore. Crasher Wake and the dead trainers. Nick's reappearance. Just to have a _chance_ at becoming a Gym leader. If it were a sure thing, it would probably be different, but who was I kidding? I wasn't a favorite. There were only four spots, three of them basically spoken for. That pitted me against four others for one spot—four others who, if I was being honest with myself, were probably much better trainers. Even if Benjamin and I were about tied in experience, we both lost out big time on age, and my luck was rotten, anyway.

They probably also didn't want someone with so much baggage, a lot of it concerning Sinnoh's favorite serial killer.

"_Are you giving up?_" I looked up at the bright red eye suddenly staring at me from the other side of the fire. I didn't pretend otherwise, nor did I drop the necklace.

"I didn't know you were still up," I whispered, mindful of my sleeping Camerupt and Breloom.

"_Someone must watch over you_," Konstantin replied, floating over. I snorted and returned my attention to the black box. "_Are you, comrade?_"

"I've given it thought," I fielded.

"…_You aren't giving up on Nick. Why are you giving up on this?_" I glared at him, peeved at the low blow.

"You all tell me I _should_ give up on him, so you can't use that against me now."

"_This is true._" He paused, thoughtful, and continued to stare at me. "…_Well, I do believe you should give up on him. He is too far gone. This, however, could be a good experience for you. …I simply want you to succeed._"

"Contrary to all of the warnings you gave me."

"_In spite of those warnings_."

I gave him a wry smile for his encouragement. I finally dropped the necklace, although I knew it wouldn't be the last time I struggled with this. Maybe just the last for the night. "Thanks, Kostya. Though, for the record, I haven't _completely _managed to mess everything up just yet."

"_Oh, no, of course not._" He folded his paws demurely in front of him. "_You still have yet to die._"

"…Thanks, Kostya," I deadpanned. I flopped down and snuggled into the warm, shaggy fur on Des' belly, gingerly curling my injured leg around the backpack of sleeping chicks. He came over and apologetically snuggled into my neck, letting his teeth rest on my throat. I was too tired to even think about pushing him away.

It seemed like just five minutes later when Carlita was shaking me away, screaming something about water. I bolted upright and, after making sure the chicks weren't squished in the night, made sure Des was safe from the evil water.

Of course, all I could see was a sleepy Camerupt looking at me, just as confused as I was. We turned in unison to Carlita.

She seized me by the shoulders and shook me again, probably giving me whiplash in the process. "_The water is coming! The water trainer!_"

"Carlita, _what_ are you—did you say water trainer?" It took a couple moments for it to penetrate my thick skull, but when I did, I was scrambling for my things as fast as possible. Konstantin picked up the chicks, I returned Ike and shoved his ultra ball into my pocket with Alice and Zarek, and Carlita all but tossed me onto Des. I pointed up the path to Stark Mountain, shouting, "Onwards, noble steed!"

"…_Are you crazy again?_" Des asked me. I burst out laughing and nearly fell off of him (again), but Carlita's frantic cries kept us on track.

"Kostya, give me the chicks, and you and Carlita go check and see where Archie is." It'd be great if this was some sort of false alarm—I was in _no_ position to be actually racing anyone—but Carlita, while a little air headed at times, wouldn't have done something like this unless she was absolutely sure. I wasn't naïve enough to hope for another pleasant run-in like with Benjamin or Sela (although that one had earned me a knife in the leg, so, yeah), not this close to the finish line.

But when had I gotten ahead of Archie? Last I'd heard, he had passed Sela and I hadn't knowingly passed him. Of course, the sandstorm had made everything crazy for a couple days, or maybe he had gotten lost…

I also had another reason for not wanting to meet up with him. Before the riot, he had been pleasant, friendly, and okay, _flirty_. But he was nice, if a little strong at times. After he found out about my friendship with Nick, he had been nothing but cold and hostile. I didn't feel like meeting up with the one trainer who could successfully take out Des with any member of his team _and_ who potentially had a grudge.

Konstantin came back before Carlita did, and said breathlessly, "_It is him! He is not traveling very quickly, but he looks as frustrated with this as you._"

Hey, if I stood a chance of coming in first from one of the routes, I wasn't going to waste it. For the first time since this last leg had started, I was _excited_. I could win this! Well, not win, since Lola and Vaikuntha had probably been there for a couple days, but at the very worst, I'd be in fifth. This was a race. I should at least pretend to act like it. "Go back—stall him! Well, no, don't let him see that it's you!" Passive sabotage _was_ allowed, and it wasn't as if I was stabbing him or anything.

Konstantin saluted and floated back down the path, just as Carlita bounded back up. "_Wait—where is the ghost going?_"

"He's going back to play poltergeist. Carlita, you're up here with us. Keep away wild Pokemon, and go a little—a _little_!—ahead of us and see if there's anything nasty waiting for us." If I was willing to sabotage (and I was one of the milder-mannered trainers left in this convoluted race), then others would be, too. Some more than others. Lola was probably ahead of me, and I _definitely_ didn't want to see any of the traps she could have left. "Be careful!" I shouted desperately as she raced up the hill.

"_We look pretty close. It could be today_," Des remarked breathlessly, grunting as he shuffled along. I patted his side with my good hand.

"It could be. Have I mentioned how much I love you?"

"_Say what you will, I cannot move much faster_."

"Just keep ahead of Archie. I don't want vengeful water Pokemon after us." Or the Garchomp he had. I was already probably mentally unbalanced and prone to fainting—I was pretty sure that would send me over the edge into heart attack territory.

The sky grew overcast the further north we headed. Konstantin didn't return, but neither did we spot Archie behind us. Carlita periodically checked in and said the path was clear, although it was raining ash. We soon found out that she wasn't lying or exaggerating. It was literally coming down like rain. Des stuck out his tongue and caught it like snow, much to my disgust (though admittedly, I tried it, too).

He continued snacking on it like candy, and I tried to keep it out of the backpack. The last thing I needed was for the Pidgey triplets to develop some sort of disease from it. Archie still did not catch up to us, Konstantin still did not return, and Carlita finally came back to squeal, "_I can see it!_"

"See it?" I repeated dumbly.

"_There are people there! It's the finish line! Come on, run through it!_" I gave her a look and she drooped. "_Well… Then Des can run through it! Come on come on come on!_"

"_I don't see you carrying Trainer around all day_," he snorted.

I started in embarrassment. "I can get down—!"

"_I was kidding. There's no way you're walking on that leg._" I couldn't help but agree. I had tried putting on a brave face, but even now, several days later, I could hardly stand on it. Oh, the press was going to love this… Hanna was going to have a heart attack—assuming she didn't watch it all on television—

I paled suddenly, mouth going dry.

They had been filming us. Not all of our journeys, but when they could.

What if… What if they had seen what I'd done?

No one was ever going to speak to me again. Hanna would hate me. I could go to jail. I'd be out of the race, probably have my training license revoked, get my Pokemon taken away…

_No, they couldn't have gotten that part. They would've done something already_, I told myself, but the damage was done. Now that the thought was present, it was all I could think about. I was convinced that I was going to go to jail for what I did.

"_Trainer, why are you frowning? We're almost done!_" Carlita broke into my thoughts, hanging off of Des' side, tugging on my shoe. I gave her a weak smile. "_Be happy!_" she commanded.

"I am."

"_Liar_." She puffed out her cheeks and glared at me, her hat-thing making her seem a little meaner than she probably would've otherwise. "_You haven't been happy for a long time_." Well, that was a depressing thing to say.

"I'll be happy once this is over," I said, and meant it. Regardless of the outcome, at this point, I just wanted it to be _over_.

The afternoon wore on, and the sky grew darker the closer we got to Stark Mountain. We had yet to see Archie, so I figured Konstantin was doing a pretty good job of keeping him away. The fact that he hadn't checked in with us was a little concerning, though. The chicks were either getting hungry—we didn't stop for lunch—or agitated because we were all so stressed, because they started getting vocal. I busied them (and myself) by teasing them with my fingers, though that game soon had to end since they made me bleed. Their beaks were almost as sharp as Zarek's claws, and there were three of them. Three, not four…

"Stop thinking about it," I hissed, hitting my forehead against the volcano in front of me. Des snorted at me, but I didn't think he heard me.

Carlita got to be the hero of the day by bringing us some Berries that the Pidgey and Des eagerly gulped down. My appetite was honestly gone, and even so, I'd rather the Pokemon eat before me in this case. The food quieted the chicks and even got them to nap, so we savored the quiet time. Zarek hadn't been a noisy baby. In fact, Alice had been the last noisy one, and she was more musical about it. Perhaps it was a bird thing.

And then, all at once, we came over a hill and I could see the opening to Stark Mountain. There were people crowded around it, I couldn't tell how many from this distance, but still. The end! It was in sight! It was much better than the light at the end of the tunnel.

Des broke into a shambling, rather awkward gallop, nearly upending me and the chicks in the process. I threw my arms around the volcano in front of me, carefully pinning the backpack between me and him, and hung on tight. Suddenly, I was wishing we hadn't pestered him so much about going faster.

Next thing I knew, I could hear people talking. And right after that, Des halted very abruptly. As in, abruptly enough to have me fall off one side—of _course_ it was the right side, too. I clutched my leg with a groan of pain, but then my mind pushed that away and I fearfully looked up for the backpack. Carlita was draped across Des' back, the backpack's straps in her claws. She grinned nervously at me and I gave her one in exchange.

Suddenly, I was hauled up to my feet. I stumbled and tried to keep my balance, assaulted by noise and excitement all around. Maylene all but tackled me and I went back down, only to get picked back up by Flint and clapped on the back. I had a camera in my face and someone was asking me questions, something about Tentacruel. I blinked wildly at them, trying to get a fix on a single thing, but instead getting mauled by everything.

And then, reality promptly caught up when they realized I was more or less covered in blood. Sure, it was dried, but I had come into this race with khaki cargo pants, not maroon shorts. There was also the fact that I was leaning heavily on Maylene for support.

It was a little comical. Everyone froze, and their eyes slowly went up and down, taking in the sight. I tried not to smile at the collective shock. The camera was shoved roughly away by Fantina, I was pulled to the side by Volkner and Gardenia, and Maylene herded my Pokemon after us. A loud argument broke out, punctuated by angry French. Gardenia put her arms around my shoulders to keep me upright, although the farther I got from Des, the more my leg refused to hold my weight. She pulled me around to where a tent was set up.

I blinked in surprise as Cynthia and Lucien stood up to greet me. Then, we repeated the same overly long awkward pause when they both realized my health status. "…What happened?" Lucien asked quietly, finally breaking the silence.

"The race happened," I replied, and for some reason, I found that absurdly funny. I must've scared everyone there when I burst out laughing, clutching my sides, finally falling over when Gardenia let go of me. She hastily helped me back up, at least.

"I don't see how that could have led to… this," he said helplessly, gesturing up and down my body. I laughed harder, struggling to breathe.

That was when Des said, "_Stop it._" Five heads—Fantina was still back with the media, I presumed—turned to him in surprise. I felt him nose the small of my back. "_Shouldn't you be more worried about fixing my trainer than how he broke?_"

"I'm fine." Obvious, token lie.

Cynthia smacked her forehead against her palm. "And we thought the press coverage was bad _before_."

"We're going to be villianized," Maylene whispered beside me, looking fearfully back towards the media heyday behind us. "They've been so blame-happy for everything lately, no one's ever going to trust us again."

"Trust _you_?" I repeated, a little indignantly. "You weren't the ones who were getting ripped to shreds a couple weeks ago, unless my memory is as bad as my leg."

"Well, that was before. Ever since Keith—" Gardenia cut herself off and pressed her hands to her mouth.

"The media has changed tactics and are now portraying you as victims," Volkner completed. "Especially _you_ and Benjamin. You're young, you're skilled, and you're both more or less victims of your circumstances. This is only going to add fuel to their fire…"

"I'll go out and stall," Cynthia said, resigned, and brushed past us back out into the fray.

"Wait, so suddenly I'm a good guy again?" I asked cluelessly. Volkner nodded tersely. I chuckled at the irony of it, although a fickle media was a dangerous one. "…What happened to Keith?"

"He dropped out," he replied, still curt. It was obvious there was more to it, but since there were more pressing matters to attend to, I figured I would let it slide for now. That answered the question of the necklace going off…

Bertha bustled in, followed by a Nurse Joy. I practically threw myself at her; I had never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. She held me out at arm's length and, after giving a _very_ nasty look to Volkner, pushed me into another tent joined to the first. "My word, you look absolutely… horrible!" That did nothing for my ego, but I was so happy to see the one doctor I trusted that I was too happy to care. "You must have had a very rough time out there!"

"You have _no_ idea." I suddenly remembered the injuries other than my own. I wiggled out of her grasp and gestured wildly to Des and Carlita, who had followed me into the second tent. "Them! My Pokemon are hurt!" I limped over and retrieved the backpack and held it out to the nurse. "This Pidgey has a broken wing, and they're all probably malnourished, and my Altaria has some sort of stomach problems and has been really tired lately, and my Krabby has a hurt claw, and my Duskull—oh my _god_ Kostya still isn't back!" With all of the excitement, I had nearly forgotten.

"Calm down, please! You're acting hysterical!" she cried in alarm.

"Hysterical? I'm not hysterical!" I shot back. "My Duskull is _missing_! I-I sent him back to keep tabs on Archie, and I haven't seen him since this morning!"

"I will see to it that your Duskull is found, but for now, _please_! Calm down! You and your Pokemon also have injuries that really need tending to!" Nurse Joy said primly with a pointed look at my leg. I sunk into the chair and allowed her to prop my leg up on a table, trying to ignore the little gasp she let out when she saw the extent of the damage. "What _happened_…?" she whispered, looking up at me with large eyes.

"My team tried to do your job," I replied with a thin smile.

It was difficult, keeping still while Konstantin was still MIA and Nurse Joy poked at my leg. I did relax a little after they decided to feed me, however. Alice, Zarek, and Ike all came out and eagerly joined in, finishing off whatever the Gym leaders put in front of them. It was funny, seeing them run in with an armful of Pokemon chow or kibble or chips or most recently, handfuls of grass that only Des would even touch and Ike actually growled at. Eventually, as far as I could tell, Lucien was sent on a food run, since they had gotten the hint that we would all act like this. Then, we got soup.

I could understand why they were doing soup. It was easy to make large quantities of, for starters. But after having little solid food the past week and a half, I was more than disappointed. At least we got some actual food to begin with.

"I feel sorry for anyone who came after us," I replied around a sip of soup. It was better than what I'd made, at least. There was that. "Though whoever came in front of me must not have had a very hungry team." That was probably Lola, and as far as I knew, her team was made up of smaller Pokemon. Easier to feed, not a seven foot camel.

Nurse Joy hardly looked up from cleaning out my leg. "My dear, you are the first one to arrive here."

She was lucky she had turned away to dispose of another sand-filled cotton ball, although either way, I'm sure she didn't appreciate soup being spat out in her general direction. "Sorry!" I said hastily, wiping my chin, turning red. "B-But—I'm _first_?"

"Well, yes." She wrung out her looped pigtails with a sigh. "So far, you are the only one, too."

"Archie's behind me," I mumbled. I would be first, and he would be second, then. Wow. Two of the non-favorites getting the top two positions. I wondered what the Gym leaders would make of that, and how much—if at all—it would influence their decision-making.

And on cue, we heard a commotion outside. I grinned at my awesome prediction skills—that is, until Maylene rushed in excitedly. "We have our second finisher! Lola!" Nurse Joy barely got out of the way in time to avoid another spit take.

"But—Archie was behind me!" I looked wildly over to my team, Carlita nodding emphatically in agreement.

"Well, I don't know about Archie, but Lola just arrived." Maylene jumped aside, startled, as the gothic trainer in question breezed into the tent. She took one look at me, shrugged off her backpack, and pulled out a whimpering Konstantin. I immediately made grabby-hands for him, since Nurse Joy preemptively held down my injured leg to prevent me from jumping for him.

"I believe this is yours," Lola said flatly, dropping him in the air. He flew at me, arms outstretched, and buried himself in my shirt with what sounded suspiciously like a sob.

"_That woman—she is terrifying!_" he whined. I let him cling to me, since I could see that it would be futile to try to detach him when he was this upset. I patted him on the head comfortingly.

"Lola, er, thank you for bringing me my Duskull?"

"I didn't hurt him," she replied, looking affronted. She wrinkled her nose and rolled her black-rimmed eyes. "I found him terrorizing Archie and worked out a deal with him."

"_She said she would not hurt me if I led her to him!_"

"Then what happened to Archie?" Maylene asked in confusion.

"What do you think happens when a water-based team goes up against an electricity-based team?" Lola asked with evident delight. Maylene took a couple steps away from her. She chuckled dryly and crossed her arms over her chest, swinging her weight to one leg. She looked sharply down at my leg. I shrugged in response and ignored the question hanging in the air. She gave me a look that put the fear of all things black-wearing in me, and then turned on her boot heel. "Archie should be along shortly. I didn't paralyze him in exchange for a guarantee of the place before his."

"How… kind," Nurse Joy said awkwardly, filling the silence she left. Lola chuckled again in that completely not-amused way she had, and strode back into the first tent. Maylene shot us a look and then trotted out after her. "So then, I have two trainers to look after. At least she could stand on her own two feet."

"She didn't look all that hurt."

"She was favoring one leg, and she was using her hair to cover something on her shoulder," the nurse replied casually. I stared at her, amazed she could tell all that just by looking. She smiled, pleased, and added, "You don't get to be the number one Nurse Joy in Sinnoh without knowing a thing or two about the trainers themselves, you know."

"I… see."

"Of course, a lot of that comes from treating you," she continued brightly. I blushed (again) in mortification. "You have quite the reputation…" I dimly remembered having gained one after the poison ivy incident. She patted my ankle and beckoned her Chansey over, handing it another handful of sandy cotton balls. "Well, your leg's all cleaned up. I'll get some stitches in it after we numb it."

All the redness in my face quickly drained away. "…Stitches," I repeated with a wince. They were a rarity, even for me, and not something I was looking forward to. "Any chance you could just, like, knock me out for it? I don't want to have to see it, and I could really use a nap…" I pleaded weakly.

"Needle phobia?" She looked up at me, brow furrowed in concern.

"Not so much that as the fact that I had to see my leg get ripped open. I don't want to have to see it sewn up again. I don't like having to deal with the consequences of my stupidity."

She sighed, but it was the kind of sigh that meant she'd give in to my silly demands. At least, I hoped so. One of her Chansey helpers hurried over and helped her move me onto a flat surface. The pink Pokemon then smoothed my hair back out of my face, reminding me strongly of my mother, and began to Sing to me. Konstantin was finally pried off of me and sullenly floated over to eat with the others, and I smiled at them before I fell asleep.

-.-.-

When I was woken up again, two hours had passed. Archie had arrived, Alice was put on medicine for her stomach virus, Vi's wing was properly set, my hand was deemed healed and my mitten was taken off, and I was given some foul-tasting medicine to rinse out my system from all of the poison and Pokemon-meant healing items. I had a sneaking suspicion it was also meant to clear up the last remains of my fever, too. Although in my defense, I _was_ getting better. I was just a little giggly at times.

With my leg taken care of, the infection chased away, and my team lectured on feeding me items meant for _them_, we didn't have a lot to do but wait. The Gym leaders were busy with the media, or Lola, or Archie, or Nurse Joy, and aside routine checks on my health, hunger, and overall status, we were left alone in the sick tent. And it was _boring_.

"I wonder why Vai hasn't arrived yet…" The chicks had been taken out of their backpack-nest and set in a pile of clean towels, and Vi peeped at the sound of what she thought was her name. I rolled my eyes and gave Des a look. "_This_ is why we shouldn't have named her Vi!"

"_But it uses different letters_," he replied matter-of-factly.

"It sounds the same," I told him. He didn't bother saying anything else on the subject. I went back to wondering how the other two favorites were doing. Sela, carrying the injured Dana, and Vaikuntha, who had been racing for the lead but now, at best, could only come in fourth…

_Fourth of seven, though_, I told myself. Keith had dropped out (or had been forced out?). The odds were not in anyone's favor, not anymore, not with the top half of the finishing positions already taken.

And for the first time, I allowed myself to feel giddy, not shocked, at my first place. I beat out the favorites. I beat out _everyone_. Volkner himself had said that I was one of the public's favorites, so maybe… For the first time, I thought I might actually have a shot at doing this.

For the entire Gym race, I had been hoping for a spot, talking to my team and other people as if I would get the job and that would be that. I had figured it was a lost cause, though, deep down. I would go until I was kicked out, say it was a good run, and then go back to moping around and being passive about everything. Only with the position came the power to change things, at least quickly and effectively—that was what I'd believed.

But now…

Now, it was reversed. I _actually_ stood a solid chance of getting a position, and the Gym leaders weren't trusted anymore. The public supported us—but us as contestants. Would that trust and favor hold after the jobs were taken? Or would it go back to the distrust, the skepticism, the misgivings? The best I could hope for was that it went back to how things were _before_. Before Nick faced Cynthia all that time ago. Back when Gyms were just another challenge, back when Gym leaders were constants and it was the event of the year to get a single new one—and that was always due to a retirement. Never death.

"How you doing in here?" Maylene asked, jarring me out of my thoughts. I turned to her with a wry smile.

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"I could be one of the next Gym leaders."

She grinned, looking away. "Well, I can't really comment on that one. Volkner is making sure that we keep quiet about these sorts of things while this is winding down."

"Wouldn't want to get you in trouble," I joked. She came over and sat down on the makeshift hospital bed Nurse Joy made sure I stayed on. "Maylene, can I ask a question?"

"You just did," she replied smartly. I glared at her, but she just stuck her tongue out. "Oh, sure. You can ask _another_."

"Crasher Wake isn't here, is he?" She looked down, but nodded after a pause. "Did he… Is he okay?"

"Oh, y-yeah. I mean, he's awake and his condition is stabilized and all that, but he's not here because Gardenia and the doctors didn't want him up and about just yet. And not in front of the cameras."

"Why not?"

"It was bad enough another one of us was attacked, but in Sunyshore? And he was roughed up pretty badly," Maylene said softly. She looked up at me, eyes sad. "We have to be strong right now. And as stupid as it is to make him stay in Sunyshore because of it, we have to appear strong. We don't want to make any more targets for Sayre or his followers."


	124. We Participate In Tragedy

Me, Lola, Archie, Vaikuntha, Sela, Benjamin, Alicia. And, of course, Keith never finished. The race was over. The Gym race was over.

We were Teleported back to Sunyshore, met with cheers and parties. We, however, were nothing but tired. Tired of the race, tired of other trainers, tired of putting on a happy face.

I had stitches in my leg. Lola had stitches in her shoulder. Vaikuntha had a broken arm. Benjamin was severely dehydrated and suffered from heatstroke. Alicia had a sprained ankle. And _we_ weren't the ones battling wild Pokemon; they were in worse shape than we were (well, most of my team aside).

The reason Keith had dropped out was because one of his Pokemon was killed.

Half of Sunyshore attended the funeral; most of the battle leading up to it had been broadcast. Everyone felt this personally. Even if it was arrogant of me to think it, I thought that I understood what he was going through a little more than the others. I had lost Woonu and nearly Vi on that trip, and now that I thought about it, I was glad that nothing happened to anyone else. Carlita got stomped by birds, yes, but only to the point of unconsciousness. Alice got sick, yes, but it wasn't life-threatening.

Sela noticed the fact that I introduced the Pidgey chicks as triplets instead of quadruplets, but she didn't say anything about it. I was grateful for it. I didn't need the same looks that everyone was giving Keith; I would break down if I was reminded every day, by every expression, of what happened. The day after the funeral, I sat down with my Pokemon and explained what had happened, shared a group hug, and then after Carlita shyly asked to see the grave, took them. It had been Keith's Nidoking who died, after all.

I stood back and watched her lay a flower on the stone. I had never been in Sunyshore's Pokemon cemetery prior to these events. Now I was half-wishing I had been able to lay Woonu to rest here. "_Trainer, what happened to him?_" Carlita asked sadly, stepping back to my side.

"I-I don't know, Carlita." I couldn't ask Keith something like that. He was in a bad enough state as it was.

"…_Are you going to bury me in a place like this when I die?_" The question was startling, to say the least. I immediately knelt down beside her, dropping my crutches and ignoring the twinge my leg gave.

"Carlita, why did you ask that? You're not going to die for a long, long time." I hugged her, but she looked away from me, her hat-thing obscuring her eyes.

"_Will you?_" she pressed.

I didn't know what to say. It was bad enough being confronted by Pokemon death first by the event and second vicariously, but now she had to go and personalize it again and remind me that yes, all things died. "Please… Don't ask me that. Not now."

"_I want to be buried in a meadow full of flowers_," she told me matter-of-factly. I could only nod.

-.-.-

"You two look _horrid_," Hanna announced. Vaikuntha and I exchanged a glance. I was on crutches so I could get around while my leg healed, and he had a cast. He turned back to her with a bright grin.

"There are worse ways to look," he said simply. She rolled her eyes, then looked down and started digging around in her purse. She withdrew a wallet and started pulling out bills. We stared at her, more lost than ever.

She counted out a thick pile and held it out to me. I gaped at her. "I made bets, remember? Sorry Vai, but you'll get less. Your odds weren't as good and you _did_ come in fourth…"

"S-Sister! You do not have to do this!" he spluttered. I shook my head and hobbled backward.

"We're not taking your money, Hanna!"

"I told you both!" she insisted, narrowing her eyes and placing her free hand on her hip. She waved the wad of cash in our faces. "I _told_ you that I was betting on you, and I _told_ you that you'd get your cut!"

"I thought you were kidding…" Somehow, the fact that she had called Vaikuntha as well as me surprised me. That was just more arrogance, though, I figured. "Hanna, we can't take that. We were the contestants. Would you give a winning Rapidash a share of the winnings?"

"Yes, in treats and future investments!" She growled and shoved the money unceremoniously back into her purse. "I'm going to open bank accounts for the both of you and depositing your sums. They'll be yours, but if you do nothing, then they'll sit there and collect interest and it'll be that much less money in the economy."

We couldn't persuade her to do anything else, so I guess we both had nest eggs put into place for us. On the practical side of things, that was probably a good thing. As a Gym leader, I wouldn't be able to go out and battle random trainers for money; we would be put on a fixed income. I didn't know what the pay actually _was_, but weren't most government jobs supposed to be only average? Then again, it wasn't as if I had the job just yet. I was just… hoping. Simply a little more strongly than before.

I saw Jude for the first time since the race started, and I introduced him to the triplets and my idea. We worked out a plan for them. He would keep them and raise them, but only on loan from me; they would still be mine. I couldn't help but admit that this was probably the best route possible. I had gotten attached to the little birds. I wasn't about to trade in any of my main team for them, but I didn't want them to be in the computer forever, either. At least this way, they would grow, they would socialize with other Pokemon aside from my crazy team, and I could still see them whenever I liked. Also, they'd have some other birds to teach them how to fly, since Alice (still) refused to.

Unfortunately, he was going to leave soon, since the Gym race was winding down with no more challenges, and he had a couple of business deals lined up across Sinnoh and even back in Johto. He agreed to let me keep the triplets with me until we had the results of the race.

Cossette was immediately enamored with them. And I had to admit, it was pretty adorable how she said their names with her accent. "This is which again?" she asked, holding up Voonu. At least I could tell them apart by sight now.

"Voonu. He's the biggest one," I replied, gesturing to the other two. They had grown remarkably fast, shedding all of their down and packing on the weight since we got back to civilization. They adjusted to being pets (I didn't dare call them trained Pokemon, because not only were they _not_ trained in the least, it was also sort of illegal to have that many with me) rather well and became tame very fast. They still got vocal occasionally, but usually only when they were hungry. And when the sun was coming up. They must've thought they were part Dodrio or something.

"I see!" she exclaimed and set him down. "And this one is the little Vi?"

"Yes. She's one of—she's the only girl." If Cossette noticed my slip, she didn't comment upon it. She continued playing with the Pidgey, her Numel, Véronique, toddling around after them. Jacques stood idly by, watching over the scene with his usual sharp eye. While I had missed the little blonde girl and her team, I hadn't exactly missed her Gallade. He still scared me. At least he wasn't semi-homicidal anymore.

"Jacques, _je veux_—"

"_En anglais, s'il vous pla__î__t!_" he said brusquely.

She frowned and amended, "I want a… _Roucool_?"

"_Pidgey_," he corrected.

"I want a Pidgey!" Cossette said happily.

I looked at the pair of them curiously. She stumbled often, yes, but usually Jacques wasn't so curt with her. I wasn't exactly sure if I should ask, though, and if I did, _how_ I could go about that.

Evidently, Cossette caught my expression. "I am learning English and Jacques, he is not doing the translation for me now. Jacques and Papa want me to learn on myself."

"_On your own,_" Jacques fixed. She bobbed her head with a shy smile.

"On my own, _oui_."

"Oh, well… You're doing a good job of it." I had learned all of maybe three French words since meeting her all those years ago. Granted, I wasn't _trying_, but still. You'd think I'd learn more from osmosis or something. Maybe I was just resistant to learning new things.

"I like your Pidgey! They are very… _apprivoisés_, Jacques?"

"_Tame_," he responded.

"They are very tame! Very quiet, very nice." She picked Vi up, mindful of her wing's splint. "She is small and she is my favorite."

"That's Vi."

"Vai?" she asked, looking up at me. I had gone through this with her twice already. "Not Vai, but it is sounds the same?"

"_Sound is the verb, n'utilisez pas __ê__tre_, _Mademoiselle_." It was more than a little interesting to hear French in my head, but I was slowly getting used to it. I concentrated a bit more on what he was saying this time, too. Maybe I could try to learn a _little_ French. Although the accents made it difficult. _Very_ difficult.

"It sounds the same?" she guessed, looking up at him, frowning fiercely. He nodded. Her frown immediately turned into a wide smile that showed her teeth. "I will learn this. _É__ventuellement_."

"You will," I agreed.

We had a week's downtime for the media to be pacified, for us to recuperate, for our Pokemon to get better, and for things to generally settle down once more. At least, that was what was _supposed_ to happen. What actually happened was that we progressively got more and more anxious and jittery, Keith and Alicia both suffered breakdowns due to this, Sela punched another reporter, and, of course, Lola called it more psychological torture.

By day four, we were exchanging stories of our tragedies. Sela and Archie also got roaring drunk together—I had never been so shocked. They had hardly _ever_ gotten along, and yet they got along very fine while intoxicated.

"Yeah, an' then without thinkin', I sit up and stab the nearest thing! I thought I was being attacked!" Sela said with a laugh. I burned in embarrassment and ducked my head. "Poor darlin', though, it turned out to be the little tournament hero. All I know is, well I mean, next thing I know, that monster of a Luxray o' his is tearing at my throat an' it's all I can do to stay alive!"

"Can we not relive this story?" I complained. It was unspoken between us that none of this would make it to the Gym leaders or the media, since we had found out very quickly what had been broadcast and what had not. The things that managed to dodge the camera bullets were ours and ours alone. They wouldn't get out to the masses. They didn't understand trainers anymore.

"You got _stabbed_ and you didn't drop out?" Alicia whispered through her fingers, eyes bigger than ever.

I smiled, a little pleased. "Um, yes. I didn't think it was all that bad at the time. Of course, it got infected later on…"

"Yeah, I heard the Gym leaders said they'd thought you'd gone crazy from it," Benjamin said plainly, crossing his arms.

"Says the one who _did_ go crazy!" Archie said, chuckling, and took another swig from his flask. "I saw you when you first got in. Shouting something about roses and princesses, practically had to be restrained by your Machamp."

Benjamin blushed fiercely and looked away with the most sour expression I'd ever seen on him. And that was saying something. "His Roserade has a crush on my Breloom," I remarked.

"Aw, how cute," Lola deadpanned. "Isn't this the second attachment that Breloom of yours has formed?"

"Huh?"

"In Snowpoint, I saw the way she fawned over that girl's Leafeon." Oh. Alexander. That had never been reciprocated as far as I knew, and I wasn't sure it was a crush so much as a fascination with his leaves. But that was a long time ago…

"Your Breloom gets around, huh?" Archie said with a wry grin.

"Hey! Don't say that," I warned. He laughed it off—I much preferred him drunk than when he was moody and avoided me, I decided—and emptied the rest of his flask.

"An' I remember when Dana got her leg broke," Sela slurred randomly. I couldn't tell whether or not she was sober enough to consciously change the subject. "She saved me from a Pinsir. I nearly throttled the thing when I heard that bone snap."

We collectively winced. Keith looked away. "I was electrocuted," Vaikuntha offered, sensing the atmosphere. We turned, collectively shocked, to him. He smiled brightly and tilted his head to one side; out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Lola had turned a brilliant shade of red beneath her black fringe of hair. "It was earlier in the race, when Lola and I were vying for the lead. She had had enough and ordered a Thunder down on my team and I."

"I-I saved you!" she said hastily, narrowing her eye dangerously. "I went back and made sure you and every one of your pets were completely fine."

"Only paralyzed," he allowed kindly.

"Only paralyzed," she repeated.

"He's not the only one she paralyzed, either," Archie muttered. Alicia nodded in weary agreement.

"I got lost on that first day. I didn't make it to the Pokemon Center until the sun was rising. It put me at a huge disadvantage," she lamented, hanging her head. "I keep thinking I might've placed better than dead last if I just went on that day instead of sleeping."

"Then you would've collapsed later," Keith pointed out. We were pretending not to notice, but he wasn't speaking much. And when he did, it was in a very flat, emotionless tone. Honestly, it was a little creepy. "I tried to go a night without sleep and I sure as hell paid for it." He set his chin in his hand and rested his elbow on his knee, smiling humorlessly. "You know, I probably would've trounced all of you."

"Why's that?" Lola asked skeptically.

"Running through the trees is a lot faster than plodding along on the ground. I can travel on my own faster than most of you can with Pokemon. I would've had this thing in the bag until Jackson…" Alicia patted his back awkwardly. He didn't speak again, however.

"…Ato nearly died," Lola said. I was both surprised that she was the one to break the silence, and that she was confessing such a thing. I certainly didn't have the courage to confess to Woonu's death.

"I would've killed if I saw any of mine killed," Sela whispered, suddenly sounding very sober. I definitely didn't want to mention my story now.

"I broke my arm saving Koel from a Machoke. He would have been crippled, perhaps dead," Vaikuntha said, voice low, looking down at the cast on his arm. And rapidly, we were all talking about near-death experiences and losses.

It came out that besides Keith, Lola, Alicia, and Vaikuntha (and myself) had lost Pokemon some time in the past. There were tears by that point, although none of us commented on it. Benjamin, Sela, and Lola all confessed to doing terrible things—no one asked details—in the name of saving their Pokemon. Sela and Lola I expected, but not Benjamin. He was so young, both as a person and as a trainer.

Unbidden, I remembered the fact that his parents had been part of Team Galactic. I hoped dearly that these two things were not related.

Regardless of my dark thoughts, we bonded, once again, over trauma. First the nightmares, then training stories, and now nightmarish training stories.

And then, it happened. It was brought up. "My nightmare was about the night I first found Dana," Sela said suddenly, quietly, curtly. We all stared at her. There were no details, but somehow, we didn't need them. We only needed confirmation that someone else had experienced terrible things, that we were not alone. The nightmares, while unique to each trainer, were a joint burden.

"My nightmare was about Sarika," Vaikuntha said with the saddest smile. He looked away from the group and let out a shaky breath.

Archie and I looked at each other. We knew each other's nightmares. Hell, they were probably the same. I felt something, then—we both knew what had happened, who it had concerned, our own role in it. I felt… forgiven. Although really, it wasn't my fault in the first place. I _couldn't_ have stopped Nick at that point.

"Nick was my nightmare. He always was," I told the group matter-of-factly.

"Me too. It was horrible. Your idol mercilessly killing Pokemon in front of you, and you're powerless to stop it," Archie added in an airy tone that didn't fool anyone.

"Mine was about Jayden," Alicia said, wiping at her eyes with her wrist. Then, in an even smaller voice than her first confession, she added, "I miss him."

"My parents," Benjamin said curtly.

Keith looked at us all, expression unreadable. "…Have you ever gotten the feeling, that one day, you'll mess up big time?" A couple of us nodded. "…Heh, I guess I really did now." He buried his face in his hands and didn't make any further sounds.

"…I lost a friend in a very tragic way," Lola said uncertainly, looking sideways at him.

"I guess whoever created the nightmares wasn't in the race, then," Alicia said. I looked at her, eyebrows raised in confusion. "We all had nightmares; we have alibis."

"Not very detailed ones," Lola said dryly. Alicia turned and glared at her, but she simply offered a lazy shrug. "All it takes is peer pressure and some quick thinking to come up with a horrible event in your life. Or an outright lie. Who is going to call you out on it?"

"Can you stop being paranoid for two seconds?" Sela snapped.

"Paranoia serves a purpose sometimes," she drawled.

"They still haven't caught who did it," Archie sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I would be worried, except that was so long ago and it hasn't happened again since."

"I don't think they're even trying anymore," Benjamin said.

-.-.-

Our week simultaneously flew by and crawled by. Either way, we reached the end of it and it happened. The Gym leaders called us into the main chamber of Volkner's Gym. Or what had once been his and now would be one of ours…

"No doubt you all know what we 'ave called you 'ere for today," Fantina said primly, seated in front of us. Alicia and Vaikuntha nodded and the rest of us stared at her impassively, scarcely daring to breathe.

"We are going to release this to the press tomorrow, but it would be a wise decision to tell you all beforehand," Gardenia added, tone a bit kinder than the French woman's.

"Tell us already, then," Lola demanded in a perfectly flat tone. I had the feeling she was carefully controlling her voice; there was something beneath the monotone.

"First, one more thing," Volker said, raising his hand. We would've groaned in exasperation, had the stakes not been so high. We were fixated on him. The lights overhead were harsh and cast half his face in shadow, making him seem all that more serious. It also made me feel as if we were on trial in some sort of… well, nightmare.

Maylene looked away, and Crasher Wake shifted uncomfortably. The Gym leaders kept silent long enough to make things awkward and even more tense. Cynthia was also present, the only one of the Elite Four, even if she had technically retired. Her light skin and hair stood out even more starkly against her dark clothes in the bright light. And it was she who finally broke the silence. "We have to make sure of one thing."

"What?" Alicia asked breathily.

"We need to make sure that you trust each other, that we can trust you. We know a fair amount of both of you, but like any person, any trainer, you all have secrets. We respect that. We have made judge of your character and you all have passed that test; you are all remarkable trainers and personally, I would give each of you the position," she said simply. She crossed one leg over the other and looked sideways at Volkner.

He kept his eyes firmly on us. "But we can't afford to take risks. Not in today's training climate. Not with Nick Sayre and his followers among us."

"What are you getting at? Out with it!" Sela burst desperately, knuckles white from how hard she was gripping her chair.

"We need to make sure none of you were behind the nightmares. We have to know your nightmares."

The statement was met with stunned silence.

Gardenia took back over, soothing as always. "We didn't want to do this. You can choose not to share the information with us, but know that you will forfeit your chance at a position if you do. We have to know we can trust you and that you are not responsible for the nightmares."

"Why… Why couldn't you simply catch the person on your own!" Benjamin exclaimed frantically. I couldn't help but wonder the same.

"We've tried every available and legal route," Maylene said weakly, tugging at the bottom hem of her shirt. I had never seen her look so unsure before. I had never realized how young she really was; she had to be my age, or maybe even younger. She was a Gym leader, and she was just as lost as we were. I could see where they were coming from, yes, but the nightmares had been our basest fears. We would have to bare our deepest, darkest secrets in order to win the Gym race?

We more or less knew the outline of everyone's at this point. But not the details. And that was what they were asking for. Benjamin was wrong, and Lola's wry remark was coming back to bite us in the butt.

"We're giving you all the opportunity to show that you are capable of trusting us as much as we trust you," Volkner said in a low and measured tone.

"This is trusting us?" Keith growled, narrowing his eyes up at the leaders.

"You're lucky we didn't search all of your minds with a psychic!" Cynthia snapped in reply.

"That's illegal and just as bad as whoever did this!" he shot back. They glared at each other for awhile.

This wouldn't work. We had just been growing comfortable with the end of the race and with each other again, but now they were sowing seeds of mistrust in the name of trust. But they couldn't do much else. Whoever had created the nightmares meant to undermine us all, meant to create havoc. That sort of person could _not_ become a Gym leader, especially if they were smart enough to hide it until now.

But that would mean… One of _us_ was the creator.

I looked over at the other contestants with a new eye. I hadn't caused them. Vaikuntha had woken up after me, so he couldn't have… But he did have Pollyanna… I shook my head firmly. This is what they had wanted. They didn't want us to trust each other.

Benjamin had a ghost. I hadn't seen all of Sela's team. I was pretty sure Alicia had a psychic. Archie, Keith and Lola were specialized, but that didn't mean that they _only _had those types… Archie had a Garchomp, anyway. But what if computer Pokemon were brought into this? It wouldn't be weird for someone to trade out a couple of Pokemon for the night, especially not earlier in the race when there had been so many of us…

No one was going to come forward with their nightmares first. We probably would if someone else broke the ice, but it was just like last time. Someone had to trust the others first, and hopefully, the rest of us would follow. My mouth went dry. I couldn't do it. I wasn't brave enough, I couldn't be the first. Mine was one of the more transparent nightmares, and I didn't even have the courage to describe what Nick had said to me, what reliving that hellish night in the Pastoria Pokemon Center had done to my psyche at the time.

"What if none of us confess our darkest parts of ourselves?" Lola challenged. "What will you do then? Hold another race?"

"We are 'oping it will not come to that!" Fantina replied with a fierce glare.

"Please, just cooperate!" Maylene begged. "These nightmares will never leave the room, they will never on pain of _death_ be leaked! You have to trust us!"

"No, we have to trust you _and_ these other people, one of whom may very well be the twisted psycho who did this to us!" Alicia gestured wildly at the rest of us. I felt offended by the fact that no one was willing to make the leap of faith—not that I was much better.

"We've already told each other what the nightmares were, basically, so what's the big deal?" I said faintly. Someone had to say it aloud. The Gym leaders exchanged glances at this tidbit.

"Why don't _you_ go first then!" Sela retorted.

I backed down, defeated.

"Please, we can still talk this out!" Vaikuntha broke in, raising his hands for calm that most of them ignored. "We can reason out a compromise!"

"How?" Archie and Maylene asked in unison.

"I… do not know." And he backed down, too.

"We are not leaving this room until we figure out how to get around this!" Cynthia announced decisively, setting down her boot with a clomp that made several of us jump.

We all stared back at her in varying shades of defiance. If they had tried this a different way, it probably would have been better. But instead, they had forced the issue. We were tired, stressed, and anxious. We didn't want to be pushed. So even if I could see their side of the issue, I wasn't about to give in because of it. Not first, anyway.

"You want us to bare our souls to you," Lola spat, breaking the angry silence. "What have you done to deserve this?"

"We are the highest trainers in Sinnoh and that alone should deserve some amount of cooperation."

"Not that much," Archie muttered, loudly enough to be heard.

"We have protected you, guided you, aided you throughout your journeys and this race," Gardenia said sternly. "Archie," he jumped at being addressed, "I remember how many times you had to challenge me and I remember comforting you when you started crying when you lost for the fourth time."

I had never seen him blush before, but it was certainly a sight to behold. He put his hands up in a defensive gesture and spluttered, "I-I was young, okay! And I only had two Pokemon!"

Benjamin and Sela chuckled, but that only drew attention to them. "I seem to recall an incident concerning a rather young team and someone breaking down into tears as well," Gardenia said with a pointed look at Benjamin. He pulled his hood over his head and ducked down as low as possible in his seat.

"And you," Volkner said to Sela, "Are incredibly lucky I didn't press charges for what happened during your visit to my Gym."

"Th-That's… beside the point," she said humbly.

"Is it? Maybe I'm calling in that favor now," he replied.

"It doesn't work that way!"

"I also seem to recall a couple of incidents at my Gym," Crasher Wake interrupted with an overly thoughtful air. I slipped down even lower than Benjamin and wished I could turn invisible.

"We get your point!" Alicia broke in quickly with a shaky, nervous smile. "You can embarrass us all you like, though! W-We are just… scared, I guess. You think you're all so good at comforting broken trainers, then try to see this through our eyes."

"We are," Cynthia said shortly.

"If we'd had any of the nightmares, we would—"

"That's just it! You _didn't_ have them, so you can't know how horrible it was!" Benjamin snarled, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He scooted back up in his chair and glared daggers at them.

"You honestly have no idea what it was like," Keith added with something like triumph.

"That's why we're asking!" Gardenia cried. "We want to know what to do! We don't know how else to handle this. If any of you need help, we can offer it with greater accuracy, and we _have_ to make sure that the creator is not among you! Once that matter is settled, we can move onto appointing the positions and fixing our country!"

"What if the creator _is_ among us?" Lola snapped haughtily. "They could simply come up with a lie!"

"…You can't lie about this kind of stuff. And if you can, you are a sick fu—"

"_Sela_, language, please!"

"Why?" she demanded. "It's true, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Volkner allowed. She leaned back, victorious. "The point remains, however. We can't leave this be, not like this. We need answers. The easiest way is through the nightmares. Unless you want to submit yourselves to a psychic combing through your mind… You said so yourselves, you've already shared with each other."

"Just little things. Not details. Not anything that would expose a lie."

"Maybe none of us are lying," Alicia whispered hopefully, sharing a look with me. That would be nice.

We were only talking circles and rapidly getting more and more flustered, though. We agreed that the Gym leaders had a point, and they could see our view on the subject. Thus, we were getting nowhere. Fast. But then, our savior appeared, as it always did, in the form of a kindness in the midst of our bickering.

"Sarika." We turned and looked at Vaikuntha. His head was bowed, his long hair obscuring his face. His fingers were bunched in the fabric of his pants. I could feel my heart break a little; he was throwing himself out there to stop us from fighting and to foster trust once more. "M-My nightmare was about Sarika."


	125. Flames and Fists

Coughing, choking, hardly able to see through the thick smoke, Vaikuntha kept searching frantically. "S-Sarika!" he shouted, voice lost to the roaring flames around him. "_Sarika!_"

He pushed forward through the fire, the heat searing his skin and stealing the oxygen from his lungs. He could feel his throat become more and more raw with each breath. Still, he had to find her. He would not leave without her. He'd sooner die in the flames about him and hope to meet her in the next life than leave her there.

"Sarika!"

-.-.-

Vaikuntha had been given a Skarmory by his father for his tenth birthday, and that metallic bird became his starter. He didn't have much inclination to go out and travel like other trainers, however, so they both stayed home and trained idly, mostly helping out around the house. He came from a large family, with three siblings, two of whom also had a couple Pokemon each. Even with all of the help, though, they lived in the countryside. There was always work to be done. Vaikuntha still felt needed, so he stayed. It really was as simple as that.

Time slowly passed, and Vaikuntha was happy in that time. He felt comfortable, safe, content with the world.

So was his Skarmory, Sarika.

As the time passed, he still felt no need to leave his home. Sarika steadily grew stronger with age, practice battles, and defending their home from wild Pokemon. Eventually, Vaikuntha, inspired by her beauty and grace, mimicked her. He became less talkative, more purposeful with his movements and words. He became more serious. He was still happy, but he rarely showed it anymore, instead choosing to remain stoic and poised like her.

As more time passed, he devoted himself entirely to Sarika. They were inseparable and knew each other perfectly. As she shed those blade-like feathers, he picked them up and began to use them. He helped her defend their home from wild Pokemon—he learned how to wield a sword. She helped him and adopted a bizarre style by doing so, unfit for a bird but making it work nonetheless. She was that sort of Pokemon. She stayed on the ground and fought with her wings like swords, both teaching and copying his movements. Somehow, together, they created a fighting style out of it.

And, as time passed and they grew closer, he began to understand her language.

The first thing she said to him was, while craning her neck to meet his eye level, "_Smile._"

"Why?" He took this as a natural step in the evolution of their relationship and was not at all alarmed by the fact that she was speaking to him. He was, however, surprised at the command.

"_Smiling is a good thing, Vai. Please do it more often. I like you better that way._"

"You never smile, Sarika."

"_I am always smiling. You just cannot tell._"

Even from then on, it was difficult for him to smile. He'd already spent years working his face into an impassive mask, thinking it was the best thing to do to grow. Sarika gently encouraged him to smile more, as she did with everything, ignoring the work he'd put into his inexpressive persona. He gradually realized that she _was_ smiling, true to her word. Just because she had a rigid, metallic beak didn't mean her eyes could not smile. That day, when he realized that, he broke into his first unconscious grin in years.

"_There you go_," she told him cheerfully, rubbing the top of her beak against his cheek. He looked at her quizzically, and with that same twinkle in her eye, she said, "_You are learning to smile with your heart._"

-.-.-

"Sarika, please! Tell me where you are!" Vaikuntha begged the inferno around him, as loudly as his throat would allow. He collapsed into coughing again and strained his ears for any sound. Suddenly, there—a metallic crash to his right. He whirled around, only to find Sarika sprinting at him, wings splayed out in her fighting pose.

"_Vai! Where is Koel?_" she screeched, eyes wide with panic.

"I thought he was—" He nearly fell to his knees as his lungs tried to force themselves up his throat. He covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and tried to filter the smoke out as best he could, but it wasn't working anymore. He could hardly breathe and his vision was going from a combination of smoke and bright fire. "He is not with you?" Vaikuntha whispered hoarsely. There was no way she could have heard him, but she seemed to read his intention.

"_I have not seen him!_" As she pushed past him, searching the other side of the room, he realized that her wings were _melting_. The silver was charred into near black, but underneath that, it was glowing a dull red. Already the tips were starting to droop towards the floor. Vaikuntha stared in horror at his beloved Skarmory, unable to tear his eyes away even when the stakes were so high.

-.-.-

Sarika fell in love.

It hurt him, if he was being honest with himself. He suddenly wasn't her favorite anymore, and while he was still willing to devote all of his time to her, she had other priorities. She didn't neglect him; to say such a thing would be unfair to her. She simply spent a little less time with him, and a little more with a handsome wild Dodrio in the area. He was not jealous.

"Sarika… I am finding it difficult to smile as of late," he admitted to her one afternoon. She looked up at him from where she was preening, concerned.

"_Why is this?_" she asked softly, leaning over with her long neck and brushing her beak against his cheek.

"I feel as if I am losing you. My brother speaks of a time when he had to release a Pokemon due to a similar situation."

"_Vai, I will never leave you, and you should know better than to listen to that brother of yours. He only seeks to undermine your trust in me and to cause you anguish_."

"He is not so spiteful—"

"_It is not spite that motivates him, but jealousy_," she said sagely. He looked down in shame. She rustled her wings, the steel screeching in the otherwise silent clearing. "_He wishes to feel not so alone. He does not wish for you to feel pain, but for someone else to feel his pain instead._"

"…I feel sorry for him then," he decided. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her back. "Sarika, would you ever want to become the Pokemon of a trainer?"

"_Am I not already?_" she asked, amused.

"I am asking if you would like to travel."

"…_I would like to stay here for the time being_," Sarika replied delicately. Vaikuntha had already known the answer; he only had to ask to be sure. He still wanted to remain at home with his family, but he wanted to know her wishes as well. He told himself that that was the extent of his motivation for asking.

It was some time after that afternoon that he noticed she was becoming sluggish in her movements. She wasn't as fast, her reflexes weren't as quick, her stance became more and more awkward. Naturally, he first worried about her health. But she refused to see the doctor, and insisted she was fine. "You are not fine if even I can push you back now!"

"_Perhaps you are getting stronger. You are growing as a human_," she responded, composed as ever. Vaikuntha shook his head and threw her feather to the ground. "_Vai, I am sorry. I did not mean to make light of your concern for me._"

"Please, tell me what ails you," he whispered, stepping closer to her. She didn't return the gesture but instead ducked her head down low, tucking her wings in, and appeared to be bowing to him. It was her apologetic stance and she didn't adopt it often. "Sarika?" he asked fearfully.

"_I am afraid I have kept a secret from you._"

"Tell me what it is, please!" he pleaded, now upset.

"_I… I will have an egg soon_."

-.-.-

"_Koel!_" Sarika screamed, racing off into the fire once more. Vaikuntha tore after her, lungs demanding air but adrenaline fueling him past such things as breathing. He lunged at her, but she turned sharply into another room and he nearly ran straight into a burning beam. Hissing in pain at the heat, he turned and chased after her once more.

"Sarika, please, come back!" he shouted desperately, voice coming out in a rough whine instead of the command he'd intended. "_Sarika_, come back here! That is an order!"

She still didn't reappear. She had never disobeyed an order before.

-.-.-

The egg hatched into a baby Skarmory, whom Vaikuntha was immediately taken with. Sarika named the small chick Koel. He had received Sarika when she was already two years of age; he was surprised by the fact that the Skarmory chick in front of him was tiny and completely featherless. He was even more surprised by the nest Sarika had built for him. It was made entirely of brambles and thorns and broken pieces of her feathers.

"Are you sure you do not wish for a blanket, or something softer?" he asked her for the umpteenth time, watching, terrified, as the infant Koel whimpered as he rolled over onto another thorn.

"_No_," Sarika replied curtly. She leaned down and nuzzled Koel with the curved side of her beak. "_He will be fine. This is how I was raised, Vai. Have I not turned out favorably?_"

"Yes, but…" But it seemed cruel to force a defenseless chick to stay in such a nest.

It took a full six months of fretting, worrying, and concern from Vaikuntha before Koel's steel feathers completely grew in and hardened. He could tell the chick was a little resentful for the treatment, but Sarika took it in stride. She simply repeated that it was necessary. He took her word for it, and couldn't help but be secretly pleased when Koel turned to him for comfort instead of his own mother. It was tragic and petty, but it made him feel a little vindicated, and it didn't bother her in the least. She simply repeated, again, that it was necessary.

"No, Koel, like this," Vaikuntha explained patiently, with a smile, demonstrating the correct pose. Koel shot him a look and fixed his stance. Vaikuntha found it easier to smile around the small Skarmory, even if he was a little quieter and more difficult than his mother.

Sarika stepped in and nudged his wings out with her beak, then unfolded her own to show him how. Teaching him their bizarre and unique style of fighting was a joint effort, and although Vaikuntha was using an edited and human-tailored version, it was hard to tell who Koel was learning more from. The more time progressed, the more he started to develop his own mix of the two styles. Because it didn't look odd enough when the original creators used it.

He often wondered what had happened to that Dodrio she had been so infatuated with, but Sarika never mentioned him again. Vaikuntha had the tact not to bring it up, but he still wondered.

Koel wasn't even a year old when everything went wrong.

-.-.-

Vaikuntha found her in one of the back rooms, red-hot, crouched over a blackened form. Vaikuntha's heart leapt into his throat. He started forward, but Sarika turned and looked at him, expression hard. The feather on top of her head had melted to the point it was starting to curl to one side; _she_ was _melting_. That was his Pokemon, his starter, and she was melting before his eyes.

"_Help me get Koel out of here!_" Her words caused the chick under her to start shrieking at the top of his lungs, from pain or terror, he couldn't tell. He ran over to them and fell to his knees, noticing with a sob of relief that Koel was merely blackened by soot. So far. The smaller Skarmory turned to him in fear, eyes wide, and immediately jumped at him. Vaikuntha caught him, ignoring the way his hands felt like they had been dunked in ice water and the way his sweater was slowly turning to ash.

Without waiting for further instruction from Sarika, he turned and bolted. With a dull screech of feathers barely heard over the fire, she followed him. He nearly ran into a fallen beam; that had been the way he'd came. He looked around frantically, the ice water feeling against his skin transforming into the heat it actually was. He kept tight hold on Koel, though.

They had to navigate a maze of blazing doorways and fallen walls, and all the while, Vaikuntha had the terrible feeling that he could feel more heat behind him from _Sarika_ than the fire itself. But before he had much more time to dwell on that, he could see a window that had been broken out, directly in front of them. He could see the outside world on the other side.

And then the ceiling overhead came crashing down on them. All he felt was a push on his back.

-.-.-

"My nightmare focused on the fact that I had to watch as Sarika died. If I had been quicker, if I had been less distracted on the status of everything, we could have made it." I couldn't handle hearing Vaikuntha so monotone, so… dead.

What made hearing the story so much worse was the fact that I had been in that situation. During The Tournament, I had been in a burning building. I knew the sheer panic, I knew what it was like. I hadn't had to watch my Pokemon die, though.

I buried my face in my hands and stubbornly blinked back the stinging in my eyes. I had used Des to get out of that; he was part fire type. But Skarmory were part steel type… Sarika had _melted_, and in front of him. It was like Carlita catching on fire—but no, that was quicker, that could be more easily fixed.

"You knew that Koel was not my starter," he continued tonelessly, raising his head for the first time to address the Gym leaders. "You knew the circumstances behind my emigration to Sinnoh. You did not have to force me to retell this in the name of trust. I… just wanted to say that aloud."

No one spoke. Several of the Gym leaders seemed afraid to. I heard a noise behind me, and glanced back to find that Alicia clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle any further sounds. She locked eyes with me for a brief moment, and then looked away again, using her pale hair to shield her face.

"I trust you enough to know of my pain, including the pain that reliving this has caused. I only wish for you to know that," Vaikuntha said humbly, ducking his head once more. He folded his hands in his lap, but I could see them trembling. He threw himself out there to get us to open up, to respond to his confession.

I was going to go next. He had started it, and I could at least confess to the way Nick had made me feel, try to get more people to do it. We would make the Gym leaders feel like horrible people in the process, but at this point, that was just a bonus. I sucked in a breath—and then off to the side, Sela said in a thick voice, "I-I haven't lost my starter, but the night I met Dana, I was ready to put her out of her misery."

-.-.-

"…What are you doing," Sela asked in a whisper, through her fingers. She could see very well she had stumbled onto something that didn't need words; this was just horror.

The man looked up, expression unreadable to her. "What do you care? Move along now."

She continued staring in revulsion at the scene in front of her. She hadn't even heard him. She had heard of Pokemon abuse before, yes, but she had never witnessed it. Not even reading about it in the newspaper and books could have prepared her for this.

"Get out of here!" the man snarled, and for the first time, she looked up at him. He had a Hariyama beside him, eyes narrowed threateningly, but the fact that a fully-evolved fighting Pokemon was out didn't even penetrate her brain.

"That's my Pokemon. Get away from it." She had no idea what had possessed her to claim the bloody, silent, probably dead thing on the ground as hers. It was the only defense she could think of. She was a teenage girl, a thin, shivering, stupid teenage girl who had decided to cut through the forest and got caught in the wrong place and the wrong time. She believed in fate, however. She also believed in justice.

"Oh yeah? If this is yours, then what's the name?" He paused, and then bit out a laugh. "Girl, you don't even know what kind of Pokemon this is, do you? Dumb bimbo."

"It's a Buneary."

"If it's yours, what gender is it?" the man asked with a thin smile.

"Female."

"Name?"

"That's my Pokemon, so give it!" Sela screamed, fueled by fear and anger. She wasn't stupid. She wasn't a trainer, granted, but she wasn't stupid. She knew what a Buneary was, she knew that it was probably female due to the way they were looking at it, and she knew that this was _wrong_.

She was also intensely aware of the fact that she was a teenage girl wearing a skirt and a tight shirt in front of an openly hostile and violent man who had done _that_ to a Buneary.

Sela was a stubborn, defiant girl. She crossed her arms over her chest, tilted her head back, and ground out, "Get your hands off my Pokemon, jackass."

-.-.-

Sela had opted out of training when she was ten because of two reasons. The first was that Pokemon were disgusting. There were snakes and they were gross. There were fish who were useless out of water. There were birds who pooped on cars and statues. There were rats who had fleas. There were dogs who had rabies. There were cats who were just mean. If there was a Pokemon type out there, she could easily come up with a reason to dislike it.

The second reason was that her friends didn't become trainers.

The second reason was the real reason; the first was simply a cover.

She stayed in school, and eventually became one of the pretty girls. She grew her hair out—which already let her stand out due to the color—and started wearing shorter skirts and tighter shirts to attract more attention. She went shopping religiously to keep up-to-date on the trends and fashions of the day. Sela had to keep up with popularity. It wasn't like she had a trainer identity to fall back on.

To finance her needs, she started babysitting. At first, she hated the idea and disliked the kids she babysat on principle, but even that didn't last. She grew fond of them—some of them, not all of them, because she still had standards. But children weren't as bad as Pokemon. At least they weren't liable to start things on fire or move things with their minds.

Unfortunately, a couple of the kids she babysat were near or approaching ten, and that meant that the training craze was hitting them. It was like her own year ten all over again. Hearing about this Pokemon, which starter to choose, where they were going to go, what would go on their dream team, how quickly they'd challenge the Champion… All nonsense and trash, but she was forced to put on a smile and indulge them. It only reinforced the fact that she never wanted to go out on such an inane journey.

"My uncle already taught me how to breathe fire like his Growlithe," one of the boys she babysat announced proudly. Sela knew, oh how she knew. (Pokemon weren't the only things she had to worry about setting things on fire. She'd throttle that uncle of his if she ever met the man.) "And look!" He jumped energetically off the couch and stood on his hands, even walking a couple steps before falling over. She could at least admire that part. She knew cheerleaders who couldn't even do that.

"You could go far with that one," she humored, flipping through her magazine.

"I'm gonna teach my Pokemon that," he replied proudly, jutting out his chest.

"You do that."

"…You don't like Pokemon very much, do you?"

"…Not really." Sela had learned very rapidly that it was better to be upfront about that sort of thing, lest she get some surprises with pets. Next thing she knew, however, she had a small, messy, black-haired child crawling into her lap. "What are you doing?"

"Why don't you like them?" he asked solemnly, eyes large.

"Because I don't. Why don't you like tomatoes?"

"Because they're icky! But that is _not_ the same! Do you like Growlithe? They're like puppies and girls like puppies, don't they?"

"A lot of girls do, but I'm just not a Pokemon person."

"But they're so cool!"

So many of her kids were like that. But then, they left on their journeys and she would pick up another client or two. The hard ones were the ones who started their training craze earlier; she had to suffer through several years of it. After awhile, they started to wear her down, too. She wasn't about to go out and adopt a Glameow or anything, but she didn't mind Pokemon so much. She even babysat for a family who had a pet Chatot.

-.-.-

Sela racked her brain for some sort of weapon. She didn't even have a pen or pencil on her. She had her nails and teeth, but it wasn't like she was a Pokemon. She couldn't fight and expect to win, especially against a larger opponent, with just that. She didn't even have the pepper spray her father told her to carry with her at all times.

"I would've let you leave." The man stood up fully, and she could appreciate how much taller he was. She was tall for her age, too, though. And she had muscle mass thanks to sports. Plus, she could be a downright bitch when she wanted to be and she knew it. Sela realized that she was going to be relying on her attitude and hope against hope that he would be intimidated by the fact that he had a witness to his crime.

"I have a cell phone," she warned, although it was currently off and in her purse. He could easily overpower her before it even powered on. The good news was that it wasn't as if he had a gun or knife or anything. At least not out.

"Why didn't you dial for help when you say this? Fancied yourself a hero?"

"Yeah," she replied with a sharp grin. Her eyes flickered down to the Buneary at his feet. It hadn't moved or made a sound all this time. She could very well be getting into this for a raggedy, bloody, _dead_ thing. "Or maybe I've already dialed 911, you sicko."

"You wouldn't have bothered to confront me then," he replied smoothly. She honestly wasn't used to people fighting back; she was a bit of a queen Vespiquen at school, spoiled at home, and very rarely had to deal with such retaliation. He took a step towards her—she nearly jumped out of her skin and soon found her back up against the nearest tree.

"G-Give me my Pokemon," she repeated. If nothing else, she'd remain stubborn. She shifted her purse to her other hand and tried to stealthily rummage around inside of it. She could turn the phone on now, and then dial afterward.

"What if I told you that it was dead?" the man asked, taking another step towards her. Sela couldn't help but shake, trying to time how long it would take for her phone to switch on completely. Ten seconds? Twenty? Could she hit those three numbers before reacted? Of course, the man hadn't done anything but trade barbs with her and step towards her, but she could sense the aggression in the air. For the first time, she realized that this was going to get _bad_.

"You w-wouldn't still be here if it was dead," she replied, shaking her head, ponytail swinging. His Hariyama chuckled and nudged the Buneary with a foot. It let out a high whine, one that sounded exactly like many of the kids she babysat. Sela flinched and nearly dropped her purse. She knew, then and there, that she couldn't leave it.

-.-.-

Sela had a boyfriend. He was the hottest guy in school, naturally, and he was great. On the basketball team, (usually) made the honor roll, and most everyone liked him. One of the biggest problems was that he was a trainer, though.

He came back to Oreburgh after getting just a couple badges, but he kept his team. The first time she went to his house, she was blindsided. Restraining his rather excited Buizel, he looked at her with a frown. "Are you scared of Pokemon?"

"What? No! Of course not!" She scoffed at the very idea. Fear was a weakness, and this wasn't fear anyway. She just didn't like them very well. Why would she like a bright orange weasel that regularly vomited water?

She considered it a great feat that she didn't break up with him for another month. She tried to give the Pokemon angle a shot, she really did. She had almost gotten used to his Luxio, too. But Sela simply couldn't get used to the fact that he had Pokemon, and so many of them.

"Darling, you don't even have a favorite?" her mother asked her several times, probably fishing for gift ideas.

"No, mom. I have a couple I don't like less than others, but I don't have any favorites," she always replied. She did _not_ want to encourage her parents. She could end up with a Piplup instead of a new phone for her birthday if she wasn't careful.

She was approached by more parents wanting her to babysit for them as she became more well-known. A lot of them had Pokemon as pets, or were ex-trainers themselves; she turned those down. But, making a conscious step forward at her mother's request, she eventually accepted babysitting two little girls and their pet Purugly. The thing hated her off the bat, and she wasn't terribly fond of it, but the girls adored her and they were adorable in return, so it worked out. Sela learned that even if she didn't like Pokemon, she could still stand them. And hey, they paid well. She finally got that MiloStar jacket she'd been saving up for, so all was well with the world.

-.-.-

The rough bark scraped across her cheek and she instinctively put her hands up to brace herself. Her purse slid down on her arm. She tried to get to the phone inside, but her arms were separated by her body. The man exhaled into her ear and she felt a shiver go down her spine. She tried to push back against him, but for all of her supposed muscle mass and trim limbs, all she got was a laugh.

"So why were you out here, pretty young thing?"

"If you so much as say one more word—"

"You'll what?" he snapped, pulling on her hair and forcing her head back. Her chin scraped painfully against the bark in front of her. "I don't think you're in much of a position to do much of anything but go along with it."

"If you do anything—"

"So defiant!" He gave her hair a vicious tug again and she grunted, fingers digging into the tree. She refused to think about what was happening, only that she had to fight back. She had to get to that Buneary. The Buneary mattered. What was happening to her now did not, because it _wasn't_ happening. She just had to get to the Buneary.

He pulled on her hair again, this time grinding his body against hers, and that was it. Sela went with the backwards movement and head butted him in the nose. He immediately staggered away from her and she bolted, holding the back of her head, chest heaving. She instinctively knew that if she concentrated on what she had just stopped she'd freeze up completely.

Sela dove for the Buneary, but the man's Hariyama caught her in midair around the stomach. She screamed and kicked, but her shout was quickly caught off by a squeeze that forced the air out of her lungs. She wheezed weakly and glared up at the man through her mussed hair. He strode over to her, rubbing at his nose, glaring right back. Without saying anything, he punched her in the jaw hard enough to make her world spin. She slumped in the Hariyama's arms, dizzy, feeling incredibly… betrayed. She had never been hit, at least not hard, before. To be in a situation that allowed such injustice…

She spat in the man's face. He hit her again. He then cupped her jaw in his hand, forcing her to look at him. If she wasn't sure blood was that taste in her mouth, she would've spat at him again. "You're not a trainer. You don't look it or act it. You certainly aren't tough enough to be one." That, quite possibly, was the most insulting thing he'd done all night. As he brushed his thumb over her lips, she opened her mouth and chomped down on the offending digit. She bit down as hard as she could, blood immediately flooding her mouth, ignoring the way he yelled.

His Hariyama nearly crushed her in retaliation. She gasped and struggled to breathe, unable to pull oxygen into her lungs. Then, suddenly, she was dropped. Sela hit the ground, not expecting it. The Buneary was in her vision again, laying limply on the ground. Like she was.

Sela staggered to her feet, ignoring the way the her skirt was ripped and how her shirt rode up around her stomach. She didn't give a damn what the man thought of her. All she knew was that she was going to kick his ass if it killed her.

-.-.-

"Are you going to go to college?"

Sela looked up from texting. The question had come out of nowhere.

"Since you don't want to become a trainer, I'm only wondering what you believe your future will hold."

"I don't know," she mumbled, turning back to her phone. She couldn't concentrate on it, though. College? It seemed the logical choice after completing school, but she hadn't ever actually _thought_ about it before. She had rather naively assumed that the answer would just come to her one day and that would be what she did with her life. Go to school, get a degree, get married, have a couple kids. The formula for the standard, perfect life, right?

"When are you going to be home tonight?"

"Mr. Sayre said they'd be back by ten, but I was going to Victoria's afterward, remember?" she said offhandedly. College. What was she going to get a degree for? Where would she go to college? Oreburgh had a couple of good ones, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay at home or go out and see the rest of the country…

"I don't like you walking all that way when it's so dark," her mother sighed.

"I'll get a ride back. Maybe Mr. Sayre will give me a ride over," she replied, although she knew he probably wouldn't. She wouldn't ask, anyway. That would be rude. "Please, mom? You and dad _already_ said yes last week, so you can't just say no now!"

"I won't, honey, but just be careful. Call me when you're on the way, okay?"

"I will, mom," Sela replied, still thinking. She got decent enough grades, so she could probably get into a couple of different schools. She still wasn't sure where she'd want to go. She had always wanted to see Snowpoint, but she wasn't sure she could handle the year-round snow. Sunyshore had beaches, but she wasn't sure her parents would go for the idea of her going to a party college.

She still had time, though. Sela grabbed her purse, shoved her phone into it, and then left.

-.-.-

Sela waited until he was close enough, and then, thanking years of being on the soccer team, kicked him between the legs as hard as she could. The man immediately crumpled with a howl. His Hariyama, either stunned or wincing in sympathy, didn't react before she whirled around and took it in. Where did you attack a Pokemon? She settled for kicking it in the shin, and when it grunted and bent over, leapt at its face. She had nails, after all.

The fighting Pokemon yelped in pain and grabbed her around the waist again, ripping her away. The problem was that she had her nails dug in as deep as possible; she left scratches—including accidentally digging her nail into one of its eye sockets as it dragged her fingers away. She was dropped as soon as the pain caught up and she didn't allow it to recover. She stomped on its foot and then brought her knee into its stomach, only to hit the pure muscle that the thing seemed to be made out of.

Sela shrieked as her ankles were suddenly pulled out from under her. She hit the ground, which knocked the wind out of her, and the man sat on her thighs, holding her arms down before she could recover. "You bitch," he snarled, pulling her arms down so he could kneel on them. She struggled against him, spitting out dirt and blood, only to gasp as his hands found her throat. She tore an arm free and dug her nails into his wrist, gasping for air. He let go of her with a hiss. Sela tried to wiggle out from under him, but he was too heavy. Mind racing, she tried to think of a way out of this. And quick.

He was on her legs, not her butt. She had figured out from years of babysitting that position was key. She pushed herself into an awkward push-up and threw her weight backward, causing him to slide down to her calves. He was already trying to force her back onto the ground, but she sat back against him and elbowed whatever she could reach. She caught his side and yanked her feet out from under him as he reeled away from her.

She could hardly remember what happened next. She flung herself at him and began clawing, kicking, punching, biting whatever she could reach. He fought back, but she could sense that after awhile, he wasn't fighting back so hard.

And then, after a bit longer, he didn't fight back at all.

Sela, when she realized this, stopped and hunched over him, chest heaving. His face looked more like ground meat than anything else, and she could see muscle in his neck and shoulder. She swallowed blood and tried not to throw up. "…If you touch me again, I will kill him," she said lowly to the Hariyama behind her. She meant it, too. She slowly stood up, wobbling on her legs, and tried to concentrate on simply breathing. This had _not_ just happened, after all. The Hariyama was staring at her, one eye shut and bleeding, the other narrowed to a slit. "I don't care if you're a stupid Pokemon, I know you can understand me. Get the hell out of here, and take him with you if you don't want him bleeding to death. I'm taking my Buneary with me."

-.-.-

"And before anyone calls the rape card as the reason why I'm like this now, it's bullshit," Sela said hollowly. "I wasn't raped, and even if I was, I don't give a damn. It's just sex. The reason why I distrust men and have short hair and don't act like a _normal_ woman is because the bastard who nearly killed a defenseless Buneary pressed charges against me and nearly won his goddamn case."

Volkner looked away from her, eyes downcast. I, like the rest of the Gym race trainers, focused instead on Sela. Someone's entire personality and outlook on life could change in just one night, and completely by accident… I recalled the fact that she had mentioned triggers. What she had failed to mention was that hers had already been pulled.

"_That's_ why I have charges of attempted murder and assault on my name that you've been so painstakingly covering up," Sela said with disgust. She curled her lip and clenched and unclenched her fists. "Because he was the one who was beat up more and because I couldn't prove the fact that he did anything to me outside of self defense, because the entire justice system is bullshit, and because of stupid men who wouldn't believe what had happened without hard evidence, because of all that, I had to become a goddamn trainer to take Dana away from that." She laughed harshly and ran a hand through her short hair, looking up at the lights. "…I still hate Hariyama."


	126. Falling Dreams

"My nightmare was sort of like Vai's. I mean, I don't mean to undermine the importance of his and—dear Mew, these are just horrible—and I mean, mine was about Jayden. He-He wasn't my starter, but he was my Pokemon, and I lost him because I am a stupid, stubborn little girl who has to get what she wants." Alicia hunched over and wrapped her arms around herself, voice getting progressively more bitter.

I hadn't expected her volunteering to go next. And to hear that it was another Pokemon death—I wasn't sure how many more of these nightmares I could take. Judging by the Gym leader's expressions, they weren't sure, either.

I wanted to hug her. But I didn't. I sat woodenly in my chair and listened heartlessly to the next in a line of eight nightmares.

-.-.-

Alicia had been six when she decided she liked girls instead of boys. Her parents had nearly gone ballistic from the shock of it. She hadn't even realized at the time how badly that could have turned out; she was raised in a semi-religious suburb in a semi-religious family. It was that semi that probably saved her life. Her parents were forced out of the church, but loved her regardless. After the shock wore off, of course.

Her parents didn't know what to do with her, however. She was the firstborn; they were already lost. She was so young and didn't fit the concept of 'lesbian' they knew. She still wore dresses, she wanted to be a princess, she thought Mareep and Riolu were the cutest Pokemon in existence, and she wanted to be pretty. She still acted like a little girl. They raised her as they'd raise a normal little girl, only instead of complaining about cooties, she complained about the fact that the other little girls only talked about boys.

"Mama, I want a bug," she announced one day.

And that was when things started changing. Alicia, while she still walked around in dresses, wore long sleeves on her arms and tights on her legs. She didn't rely exclusively on pink. She no longer chattered on about Mareep and Riolu. She didn't want to be a princess anymore. She cut her hair straight across her eyes and talked more. She still wanted a bug.

For her tenth birthday, her parents gave her an Anorith.

-.-.-

"_And why do you wish for a Feebas again?_" Saron asked, carefully climbing down behind his trainer. Alicia laughed and leapt lightly onto the next rock. Even if her Armaldo was part rock type, he wasn't very good at climbing steep things.

"It'll evolve into a Milotic!" she replied with a dreamy sigh, clasping her hands and twirling on the spot. "Come _on_, think of how popular I'll be as a trainer if I can get one! And not only that, but _catch_ one myself, not buy one from a breeder!"

"_You only say that because they are expensive_," he replied flatly.

"Oh, shush. So what? They're gorgeous Pokemon, and we could use a good water type, too. I'm tired of having to bait swimmers and other trainers with water Pokemon for rides. I can only flirt so often without feeling like a slut for it," she said with a sardonic smile. "Come on, Saron. They're _pretty_!"

"_I don't care_." He continued climbing stiffly along behind her, twice catching her as she tripped.

They got into steeper territory, and she slowed down. Saron was a little scared of heights and even she was getting nervous at some of the cliffs they were forced to navigate. She let Jayden and Ariala out, too, just in case. All she was doing was heading vaguely downward based on a rumor of Feebas in a dark, forgotten, foggy little lake in Mount Coronet. Still, it would be worth it.

-.-.-

Alicia had wanted to be a trainer right off the bat. She didn't confide it in her parents, but part of this was because she wanted to leave. Not her family—she loved them dearly—but school, her peers, her supposed friends. She wasn't secretive about her sexuality, but she didn't proclaim it to the heavens. It didn't mean everyone was perfectly civil, however. She got detention twice for getting into fights. She couldn't wait to get out of the house and get out on a journey, leave all of them behind.

"Oh, you are the cutest little bug I have ever seen!" she cooed, lifting the tiny Saron into the air. "Thank you mom, thank you dad! I love it!"

"Him. We couldn't find you a girl one—"

"That is _perfect_!" A male starter would work. A female one would be too girly. (And it wasn't as if she was trying to avoid all of the insults she had been getting about what she would do to a female Pokemon.) Either way, she was immediately in love with the little bug. He was perfect.

So Alicia started off not with a dream, but with a desire to leave her life behind. And she had an Anorith named Saron along with her. She worked through the first two Gyms at a leisurely pace, not feeling any rush. She wasn't even sure she wanted to complete the circuit. She was simply glad to be out on her own. She realized she had a natural talent for training, for surviving. She saved up her earnings and bought a translator for Saron, and suddenly, her chatty tendencies had someone who could return them. Although he was a quiet Pokemon anyway. He let her talk and this worked fine with her.

She eventually caught more Pokemon, expanded her team. She received a Cleffa for her eleventh birthday. She secured another badge and continued enjoying her freedom. "You guys are fun to name," she said happily, giving them a lazy grin.

"_You certainly have a knack for it_," Saron mused, looking up from cleaning his claw with his teeth.

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, thank you." He only chuckled and continued cleaning himself.

-.-.-

"_I don't like this_," Jayden said nervously, flapping around her, shedding feathers. "_That's a long way down_."

"Hence why I have you guys out. Plus, look at these boots." She clung to the wall beside her and lifted one foot, showing him. "They have gotten me through a lot worse than a little balancing. I _want_ that damn Feebas, and if I have to go through a couple of scary situations to get it, then so be it. It's what trainers do, right?"

"_At least you can fly_," Ariala added, gesturing to him. Jayden bobbed his head thoughtfully and circled around them, doing lazy tricks through the air while he waited for the ground procession to make their way lower. Alicia wiped a lock of sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes; her heart was going much too fast, she felt a little claustrophobic even with the empty abyss to her left, and they had been climbing for hours already.

"It's worth it," she hissed to herself, shaking her head to clear it.

Her boot slipped on a patch of loose gravel, and suddenly, she was out in that empty abyss.

-.-.-

Like most other trainers, Alicia didn't always travel alone. It was a month after earning her fifth badge that she met Tessa.

Tessa was remarkably different from her. She had dark hair and dyed the bangs even darker, she perpetually had sunglasses on, she wore nothing but dark clothing, and she had a much larger chest. What caught her interest first was her fashion style, however. Most trainers she had run into had long sleeves and jeans; anything to keep warm and protect from minor injuries. Tessa, however, had a tube top and capris or a short skirt, depending on her mood.

After Alicia stomped her into the ground in a random battle all trainers went through, she offered, spur of the moment, to travel with her.

And Tessa, not thinking this was weird in the least, accepted.

Alicia couldn't get over her. She was so _weird_. She had met other gothic trainers, yes, and she had certainly met a fair share who dyed their hair (many accused her of doing the same, but her light hair was natural, she always replied irritably). The combination wasn't even all that odd. It was mostly her attitude, she decided after a week of traveling together.

"Your _eyebrow_ is pierced?" Alicia asked one night, unable to help the shock and, okay, a bit of revulsion. She had nothing against piercings, but they weren't exactly on every other trainer.

Tessa smirked in a very self-depreciating manner. "Yes. It's already been ripped out twice, of course. Hurts like a bitch." She leaned back and rubbed her fingers against the piercing, the chain on her necklace jingling.

It drew Alicia's eye—her chest did _not_—and as always, she had to ask. "What's with the necklace?"

"I made it," she replied with a secretive smile. It was some sort of black collar, but with a chain hanging down the front. There was something on the end, but Alicia hadn't been able to figure out what it was just yet.

"You _made_ it?"

"I make all of my jewelry and clothes."

Alicia had been fighting it since they met, but it was at that point that she was absolutely smitten.

-.-.-

Jayden squawked in alarm and Ariala screamed. Saron dove for her, nearly tumbling over himself. Alicia stared up at them. Falling was a curious sensation. She had always had good balance, so it didn't happen often, although she did have falling dreams occasionally. It was exactly like that, too, she was astonished to find. There was suddenly nothing holding her, and it was the strangest, most lovely feeling in the world.

It happened in slow motion. She saw more than felt her leg scrape against the rock wall just beside her, sending her farther out into the air. Her Armaldo and Clefable were already so far above her. She felt like she was floating, oh so slowly, downward.

But it probably lasted all of two seconds. The force of hitting the wall had sent her slowly tumbling over, and she suddenly saw the ground below her. Time resumed its normal speed. The ground was rushing up to meet her, and she knew immediately that it would not be another falling dream. This would _kill_ her. She finally opened her mouth to scream.

Jayden streaked down and finally caught up with her, tearing at her clothes with his claws. Alicia's scream turned into a squeal as she flipped over again, latching onto him with desperation. She couldn't see the ground anymore, but she knew it was close. Too close. Oh so very close.

"_Hold on_—" He probably hadn't had time to actually say that, but Alicia could have sworn Jayden had. With frantic flaps of his wings, he fought to right them both. She saw him glance downward, however, and that was when he stopped fighting. Instead, he flipped over completely so that he was below her.

Then the ground found them both and it all went black.

-.-.-

"This is Jayden," Tessa said triumphantly, gesturing to a Pidgeotto she had just released. Alicia sighed dreamily, taking him in. She had always admired the Pidgey family; they were beautiful birds. Not that she disliked her own Staraptor, but she had a thing for pink feathers.

"He's beautiful."

As the months passed and they each collected more Pokemon and badges, Alicia's infatuation had turned into a crush—and turned into a proper relationship. She vividly remembered the night Tessa had so casually admitted to being bisexual, whereas Alicia had spent countless nights worrying about such a thing. She had been perfectly convinced that her traveling companion was a hundred percent straight.

She had never had a proper relationship before. She had left home at ten, after all. It felt so _freeing_ to be able to be comfortable with someone else like that. Plus, she was a really good kisser.

For a time, and for the first time, Alicia thought life was perfect.

Then Nick Sayre had to go and ruin everything.

-.-.-

Alicia's eyes opened and took in the clinically white ceiling. Hospital. She was lying on something soft and starched—bed. Hospital bed. Hospital bed meant injuries or sickness. She felt heavy and sore.

She closed her eyes—and immediately felt like she was falling. She bolted upright, chest heaving, making sure she wasn't—only for the pain to kick in. Alicia didn't dare move again, for fear of more pain and for the feeling to return. She was still in bed, sheets tucked around her, hospital gown suffocating tight. She clawed at her neck to loosen it, untying it altogether and letting it pool around her waist, although every movement made her ribcage feel like it was crushing her. She wasn't falling. She was here. Alicia rubbed her eyes as hard as she dared, but the darkness just brought the sensation back.

"Why do I feel like I'm falling?" she whispered through her fingers. She didn't ask why it hurt to breathe.

"Ah! You're awake!"

Alicia squealed a "heifer!" and yanked the gown back up over her chest, turning with wide eyes to the doctor who bustled in, trying her damned best to once again ignore the pain. (It didn't work; she blinked back the tears.) He had his back to her, but even so, she hastily but carefully tied it—loosely—back up. The tight feeling returned, however, so she continued to tug at it nervously. "I'm in a hospital," she deadpanned once she was sure her voice wouldn't betray her.

"You've suffered quite a few injuries, young lady. You would've died had your Pidgeot not saved your life."

"Jayden? Wh-Where is he?"

The doctor looked away from her, pretending to read the chart at the end of her bed. Alicia exhaled shakily, as slowly as she could so her chest wouldn't hurt anymore. "I'm afraid… I'm very sorry. Your Pidgeot didn't make it."

Her chest didn't hurt because of the broken and bruised ribs. Her chest had to hurt because her heart broke.

She was let out of the hospital once she had a cast on her leg, could walk on crutches, and it didn't cause her agony to move. She lied about the last one. Alicia would take any amount of pain if it meant she could get out of that place. She carefully returned to training—if it could even be called that. Saron carried her when she was too stubborn to use her crutches (which was often). She was dead set on healing. She had to. For Jayden.

"_Cheer up_," Saron begged, tilting her chin back with his claw. She tore her head away from him and used her hair as a shield for her eyes.

"I want to get back to training."

"_Not until you're better_." But even after the cast came off and she could walk without a limp and sleep comfortably, Saron kept close to her, making sure she was alright. She wasn't.

She didn't start getting better until months later, when she received a call from Fantina and an invitation.

-.-.-

"I'm taking Rue, you can have Jayden."

"Wait—Tessa—why are you _leaving_?" Alicia cried, all but throwing herself at the older girl. Tessa brushed her off and resumed shoving things into her backpack. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go find out what's going on," she replied through grit teeth.

"But—"

"Alicia, _please_, don't make this any harder for me than it has to be." Tessa turned her back to her once again, chain on her necklace jingling. Alicia took it as an opening and glued herself to her back, wrapping her arms around the bottom of her ribcage. "…Alicia."

"I'm not letting go until I have some answers," she growled into her shoulder.

"I have to—I need to know what Nick Sayre has done."

"You—we—all of Sinnoh knows what he's done!"

"Not to Cynthia or Candice," Tessa admitted, voice losing its edge. "I need to know how far this is going to be taken."

"I don't understand what you're saying, an-and I don't understand why you're not _telling_ me anything!" Alicia repeated stubbornly, pressing her lips against her skin. "Just stay here. Stay with me. We can wait this out."

"Not at this time." She could practically _hear_ the smirk—even if it was fooling no one—in her voice that time. Tessa pried Alicia off and whirled around on her, holding out a pokeball. "I have Rue's pokeball. I'm sorry, but I need a bird big enough to Fly me where I need. You can have Jayden in the meantime. Think of it as a promise, Ali. It means I'll be back."

Tessa left her with a Pidgeotto and a bracelet that perfectly matched her necklace with the chain. It was then that she figured out what the charm was on the end. It was half of a broken heart.

-.-.-

"And because I was stupid and selfish, I managed to kill my friend's Pokemon," Alicia said with a smile and tears. She wiped the latter off of her cheek, chuckling weakly. "It's what my nightmare boiled down to. Selfishness and whining and the feeling of falling. This is all I was hiding—only my biggest mistake and regret. I don't think it was so b-bad to want to hide that." She raised her eyes to meet the Gym leaders in front of us. She wasn't defiant or rebellious; she was only looking at them with those big, tear-filled doe eyes of hers.

I looked down at my lap, her nightmare hitting a little closer than I would've liked to home. She had lost a Pidgeot; I had lost a Pidgey. I sniffed (and was not the only one to) and looked away from her. I didn't want to go next anymore, no matter how cowardly that was of me. I would get too caught up in the most recent of tragedies to even be able to focus on the task at hand. I _really_ hoped the Gym leaders would have their own nightmares tonight based on what they were making a bunch of kids (plus Sela) do.

"You know mine." I wasn't surprised to hear a voice, although I did look up at him. Benjamin, scowling as always, had enough defiance for both himself and Alicia. "You _know_ mine. Every Officer Jenny in Sinnoh knows mine. But you know what, Gym leaders? I'll h-humor you." His voice cracked on 'humor', betraying him. Benjamin hastily ducked his head and scrubbed at his eyes. "My nightmare was about the night I helped destroy the Galactic empire."

-.-.-

Benjamin's earliest memories were of his parents, like most children. They were warm, kind-hearted people, both of them trainers back in the day. He grew up with Pokemon and he grew up happy.

His first distinct memory, however, was of his parents telling him not to answer the door.

"Benji, if anyone ever knocks on the door, you don't answer it, alright?" He nodded furiously, taking his mother's word for it. "It could be bad people on the other side of the door. Even if they say they are the police, do not answer. Let mommy or daddy answer it."

As he entered into the school system, he learned about the state Sinnoh was in. There were bad people out in the world, using Pokemon to terrorize and commit crimes like kidnapping, theft, and even assault and _murder_. The fact that people were using Pokemon to kill appalled him, even at a young age. He didn't understand how the good people let them get away with it; why weren't they simply stopped?

When he turned nine, when he was smart enough to know that tensions were high and what 'incidents' were, Benjamin realized that his parents were part of it. His parents were trying to stop the bad people.

-.-.-

"I-It's okay Ben, it's okay," Benjamin whispered into the darkness, curled around his Budew. Princess was beside him; he was curled around them both, arms and legs around them, using his body as a shield. Behind him, a door slammed and heavy boots stomped on the hardwood floors. He tried to block out the noise and the stinging in his eyes. "It's o-okay, it'll be okay—"

"Ma!" Nolan hissed, clamping his hand over his owner's mouth. Benjamin's yelp came out muffled. The boots got closer, and Nolan gently and silently moved them to a darker, farther away corner of the closet. Benjamin told himself he wasn't shaking. His heart was pounding so fast, so loud, though, it was a miracle they didn't hear it. Bentley whimpered and pressed up against Princess.

"I don't see anyone here!" a man's voice called. It sounded like it was on the other side of the door. They heard some sort of reply, words indistinct, and then the boots stomped away. But not a moment later, "I know he has to be here somewhere!"

Benjamin barely stifled a sob of terror.

-.-.-

"Sweetie, why do you keep that thing? You can have better Pokemon," his mother said worriedly, gesturing to the wilted little Budew he had found in the backyard one day. Benjamin clung to the grass Pokemon and shook his head stubbornly.

"I want this one. I caught him myself, see?" He held it up for inspection.

"Well, you haven't caught it until you have a pokeball, but…" She smiled down at him uncertainly. "I see. Very good, Benji." She kissed him on top of the head, and although she never really accepted the fact that his similarly-named Budew was his first Pokemon.

Still, his parents soon gifted him with a female Marill who was skittish and jumpy. As a child, he didn't question the reasons for it and only accepted the Pokemon happily, although he was a little unsure about it being a _girl_. The next day, he took both Pokemon to school with him proudly—after all, how many of his classmates could say they had not one, but _two_ Pokemon before age ten? What happened after that wasn't what he expected, though.

"Thief!" Benjamin ran headfirst into one of the 'incidents'. He stood and numbly listened to one of his classmates, completely halted by the word. "That's my sister's Marill! That's Princess!" The Marill turned between the two of them, absolutely terrified, squeaking in dismay. "You _stole_ her! Give her back!"

"That's… That's not true! My parents gave me this Marill!" he shot back, admittedly a little slow. The blond boy scooped up both of his Pokemon and turned his back on the girl, even after the teacher had reprimanded them both for fighting and called his parents. Still, the seeds had been sown.

He also realized, soon after that, that the Marill responded to the name Princess.

-.-.-

Nolan knelt beside him, wrapping his arms around his shivering shoulders. Benjamin couldn't help but lean into the friendly embrace. Princess squeaked hoarsely between his legs, and he hastily shushed her. They had to be quiet. They had to escape the bad men. Even if his perception of the phrase was warped now, he knew he couldn't trust the adults anymore. Not like this. Not with his parents—

"He's a _kid_! Check the hiding places!" A cold, female voice called from the hallway just outside his spot. Benjamin could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. She clomped down right past him and added, "Under the beds! In closets! Under the goddamn _sink_ if that's what it takes!"

Considering he was in a closet, and considering how far out of control this situation had gotten, he was half convinced he'd die from sheer _fear_.

"Ma," Nolan murmured, shifting towards the door, stance hardening into a fighting one. Benjamin mutely grabbed his arm and yanked him back. They wouldn't have to fight if they weren't caught.

The boots continued stomping around, sometimes hardly audible, sometimes sounding like they were not inches away.

And then, the closet door's handle turned.

-.-.-

Benjamin hadn't been called a thief again. It didn't help him forget, however. His parents gave him a Machop for his birthday; he spent a week and a half trying to figure out what its name had been _before_. He didn't believe that his parents were giving him stolen Pokemon, of course. And he hadn't had to give Princess back, so how could she have been stolen? Thieves were caught and forced to return their Pokemon. He still had Princess. That was obviously a fluke. Maybe she just thought it was her name in Marill language or something.

After a week and a half of guessing with nothing to show for it, Benjamin happily concluded that the Machop was his and his alone. (So was Princess, but—that gave him an added peace of mind.) He named the male fighter Nolan and thankfully, his growing team got along. Bentley was still a Budew, but he didn't look so wilty anymore—although he was still a little discolored—and Princess wasn't so skittish anymore. She was friendly and played well with the other two. Nolan was a little more reserved, and usually ended up playing peacekeeper, but he seemed fine with that. Benjamin loved them all and couldn't thank his parents enough for the gift.

For a time, he was happy again.

Until he found the Galactic uniforms in his parents' closet while looking for Christmas gifts.

-.-.-

Without waiting for it to even fully open, Nolan flung himself at the door with a battle cry. Benjamin couldn't grab onto him in time to stop him. Scooping up Bentley and hoping that Princess was following him, he scrambled out after his Pokemon and into the hallway. Three adults—one woman, two men, all unknown—stood and were surprised at the sudden addition of a child and his Pokemon. Nolan had already knocked the woman to the floor and had alarmingly managed to cover his knuckles in blood. Benjamin couldn't help but stare at the sight, horrified. He had never seen a broken nose before, but the woman's was _shattered_.

"Buu!" Bentley squeaked, wiggling in his arms. That seemed to break the spell and Benjamin leapt over both woman and Machop, Princess following him after shooting a Water Gun at the two men to their right. Heart pounding in his ears, Benjamin tore down the hall, skidded around the corner, and practically fell down the stairs. Princess bounced down after him, hopping up into his arms next to Bentley with a scared squeal.

"Nolan, come on!" Benjamin screamed up the stairs. On cue, his Machop raced around the corner, hands still covered in scarlet, and took the stairs in two jumps. He landed heavily beside his trainer and glared back up. Shouting was already following them, and Benjamin's heart pushed itself into his throat when he recognized the boot clomps that meant they were being followed.

Benjamin knew his own house better than they did, thankfully, so he easily kept his lead and was out the front door before they were even sure of where he'd vanished to. Of course, he was a young child with three Pokemon—one of them conspicuously bloody—and nothing else. No shoes, no jacket, no money, no cell phone, no home, no parents. He looked up and down both sides of the street, trying to quell the rising panic—and that pause was all the people behind him needed.

The front door banged open, and the woman, blood streaming down her face, held out a pokeball. Nolan sunk back into his fighting stance and Benjamin darted behind him, but what happened next he wasn't expecting. Nolan shot back into the pokeball with a red beam and one stricken look. Benjamin stared at the woman in horror; he had left his pokeballs in the house. She held up another in her other hand, carelessly tossing Nolan's over her should for one of the men to catch. Princess vanished from his arms, despite how he clung to her. "No! You—Give them back!" Benjamin shrieked, caught perfectly between fight and flight.

"Calm down! We're not here to hurt you!" the woman replied harshly, handed another pokeball. Benjamin turned his back on her. He was _not_ going to give up Bentley. "Calm down and come with us, and you'll be given your Pokemon back!"

"Give me my Pokemon _now_!" he snarled. The instinctual battle was over. He'd be fighting. He wouldn't run without two of his three. He wished his parents were there to make the bad people go away.

"You'll get them back!"

"Liar! You're going to take them back!"

"I won't! Just—come with us, and we'll—" His back was to them, so he didn't see the man creep up on him. Next thing he knew, he was hoisted into the air and Bentley was plucked from his grasp. He flailed and kicked and screamed and bit, but to no avail. He was caught.

-.-.-

Benjamin knew that his parents were part of Team Galactic. He had know for some time. He had simply locked that away in his heart and ignored it fiercely. His parents were _not bad people._ They were trying to stop what the world was becoming, trying to fix the way training had so sloppily slid into pain and abuse. His parents loved him and loved their Pokemon. They weren't bad people and he knew that.

He was never supposed to answer the door or answer the phone if his parents weren't home. No matter how old he got, that rule never changed. He had the faint idea that it was in place to protect him, and it was the one rule he never rebelled against.

And then one day, his cartoons were mercilessly interrupted by a news broadcast announcing the fall of the Galactic empire.

Benjamin wordlessly got up, turned off the television, and went to wake up Bentley and Princess from their nap. He let Nolan out of his pokeball on his way up, and the two woke up the smaller ones just as the banging on the front door started. His calm bravado immediately melted and Nolan, as always, immediately caught on. There were tears and hushed voices and shoves into a closet and his house was broken into. The bad people were in his house, because who except the bad ones would break into another human being's home?

His rationalizations continued up until the point of facing down his own parents.

-.-.-

"What are you—doing?" he said in a voice too high to be his own. Benjamin was led none-too-gently down the street by his arm. He received no answer and was left alone with his own panic and fear. Unfortunately, he had an inkling of where they were leading him. Every step and every turn reinforced his inkling. "Let me go! I'll—I'll bite you!" The hand on his arm moved and he was let go. For a brief moment, he considered bolting. But then he looked at Bentley, terrified, in the woman's arms. "...What are you doing. I-I'm just a kid. You're kidnapping me and my Pokemon. This is _illegal_!"

"This is the only way to end this without spilling any more blood," the woman replied wearily. They turned another corner and were joined by another pair of adults with a similarly guarded child between them. Benjamin recognized her; she was a friend of a friend, a couple years older than him, and someone who was in the same boat as he was. The inkling turned back into panic.

They were led towards a large warehouse. Officially, it was used for storing textiles and clothing. Unofficially, everyone knew what it really was. Especially considering it was surrounded by police and pedestrian alike, spotlights were on it, and several windows were broken out. Benjamin was marched up through the crowd and pushed out into the space between it and the building.

"Come on out peacefully! No one else needs to be hurt!"

"Don't do it!" Those nearest her jumped. The friend of a friend had tried to rush forward, only to be held back at the last minute. "Don't let them win! Things will only go back to how they were before!" she shouted at the building.

Benjamin certainly didn't feel her bravado. Frankly, he just wanted his Pokemon back and to head for the hills. Or his parents. Unfortunately, considering he was the bait for his parents, getting reunited with them would probably be a bad thing right about them. He kept silent, the only way he could think of not making the situation worse.

That is, until a gunshot rang out and the man holding him jerked back, blood spurting from a hole in his forehead.

-.-.-

"Mom."

"It's okay, sweetie. It'll be okay."

"Mom, I—"

"Shh, it'll be okay, Benji." Her voice was breaking. His was already. "You're a trainer now, aren't you? You have to be strong for mommy."

"I... I can't, mom. I can't."

"Please be. That's all I want."

"I-I want a lot of things, though! I don't want them to kill you! They've already broken up our family and ruined our lives and—I don't want you to go, mom." With that, he finally broke down and sunk to his knees, pulling his mother along with him. She simply held him as he cried.

Benjamin applied for his official trainer's license the day after he turned ten. He left the same day. A week after that, they executed his mother. He raced through the Gym circuit in almost record time. This earned him a reputation, but unfortunately, so did his attitude. He didn't pander to the Gym leaders' pretend feelings or friendly advances. He didn't travel with anyone else. He had his Pokemon and that was all he needed.

He never visited his father in prison.

He never spoke of his family to anyone, not even his team. He didn't think about them; he didn't _want_ to. So what if they were part of Team Galactic. So what if they had stolen a couple Pokemon here and there. They were his _parents_. They loved him, they protected him, they made him happy. They weren't the ones who held a couple of kids hostage in order to try to break into the last Galactic stronghold in the city.

It wasn't until The Tournament that he realized that everyone was bad. Everyone had the capability of being evil, of being bad, of killing and hurting and betraying. It was what you were fighting for that stood you apart. So he fought for his Pokemon. He followed the rules and didn't draw attention to himself. And then, as The Tournament hero was breaking out of the building with the losers, he and two other winners broke into the television station to make sure the damned crazies were kicked out for good. Switching sides wasn't hard. He was still fighting for his team.

Of course, all they found was another burning building and dead bodies. Bad people were still around. No one could fight them, no one _would_ fight them. He didn't stay in Jubilife and instead left again for training.

He couldn't help one little thought, though.

_At least the Galactics had standards_.

-.-.-

A Steelix burst out of one of the broken windows with a roar. It curled around the hole and sheltered it from the screams and bullets. Benjamin ran for it on instinct, only to turn around and throw himself on the man's body to search for his Pokemon. He could hear more Pokemon coming out all around him, gunshots, screaming, more dead bodies being created. Bentley toddled over to him and Benjamin scooped him up with one arm, pulling out two pokeballs of the man's pocket with his other.

And then he himself was scooped up. He flailed, until he saw who it was. He threw his arms around his father's neck gratefully.

"Benjamin, stay down and stay in the building!" he shouted over the din, ducking behind the Steelix's head and dropping his son off.

"Wait—where's mom?"

"She's—"

Both of them looked up to find her, standing on the Steelix, shouting and screaming and waving her gun as her Magmortar beside her rained down fire mercilessly on the crowd before them.

"Benjamin, _stay here_." With that, his father left. He obeyed and sat down with Bentley in his lap, shivering, listening to his mother rave. But then she too left and he was left alone with a couple of strangers using the Steelix as a hiding spot and a place to snipe from. He ignored them and they ignored him. Benjamin didn't see the girl who had been dragged here with him.

Suddenly, the Steelix roared in pain and reared up, spitting out blue flames at the Arcanine that had used a Flamethrower on it. Benjamin and one other were both out in the open. He threw himself flat on the ground and over Bentley and tried to crawl back to safety. Unfortunately for them both, the chaos was winning more than either side. A Kirlia darted past, followed quickly by a Luxray, both of them bloody. A man staggered out of the building behind him and fired indiscriminately.

Benjamin ran. He didn't know where his parents were anymore, just that they weren't there and he wasn't safe there. He made it as far as the street corner before he tripped. Looking down, he was horrified to see it was another body. What was worse was the fact that it was his friend of a friend, eyes open and glazed over, legs horribly burned and bullet put sloppily through her temple.

He was hauled roughly up by his hair. He snarled and nearly fell over, unable to see his assailant this time, and was more or less literally dragged back in front of the now-burning building. More and more Galactics were pouring out of it every second, most of them with Pokemon, most of them gunned or beaten down by the forces outside.

Somehow, above all of the noise, he heard a click behind him. And then something cold and hard was pressed into the back of his skull. "Alright, _enough_! Galactic Admin Estelle, your Team has _fallen_! There is no use in maintaining these activities or groups! Surrender quietly _now _along with the rest of your men _or else_ goddamnit!"

His mother calmly walked out of her only cover, part of the fallen concrete wall, eyes as cold as ice. "...Congratulations, officer. You have managed to win by threatening to kill a child." Behind her, more grunts were already rallying, but she raised a hand to stop them. "Are you really going to kill another? Are you going to destroy another family?"

"Surrender now. Drop your weapon!" Benjamin was forced down onto his hands and knees, dropping his Budew, as the gun pressed into his skull made him. He wasn't even afraid. He was simply aware of how easily he could die.

And that his mother wouldn't let him. Her gun clattered to the ground. His mother was a good person, after all.

-.-.-

"It's just like today. People are killing and dying for what they think is right," Benjamin said in a low voice, almost a growl. "No one's good anymore. You think yourselves to be, and look what you're forcing us to do. Nick Sayre thought he was, and he ripped apart half your team." He turned his glower on Cynthia, smiling thinly. "If I get the stupid job after this, I'm changing that."

No one dared ask how. I didn't _want_ to know. I heaved a shaky sigh and scrubbed at my eyes. This was terrible, and he was completely right. "...Nick Sayre was my nightmare. You all know that. What you don't know is how it _was_. I wasn't in the Champion's tragedy," I hazarded a glance at Archie, ignoring Cynthia, "But I saw his steps downward into this—monster. He was my best friend. My mentor. He dragged me through half of the Gym circuit. Yeah, he was—ghosts and psychics and warnings and failing, these were my nightmare. They just forced themselves, all of the negatives, into Nick."


	127. Icy End

"Do we have to go through Nick again?" Archie asked in a deadpan, glaring up at the Gym leaders through his bangs. "We've established that he's nightmare material for both of us. I think mine works rather well as an alibi, considering you were _there with me_, Champion."

I didn't like the implication that mine _wasn't_, especially since I had gotten my own version of staring him down as an added bonus. "But of course, you don't trust either of us to take that at face value," I said thinly. I couldn't help but be bitter and resentful towards them, I really couldn't. My eyes stung, my throat was tight, my leg was sore, and I was tired of all of the tragedy. And the last on the list was secondhand. I had a decent imagination, however, and I really wish I didn't. "Dead Skarmory, dead Pidgeot, Pokemon abuse and child abuse. Now we get to trainer abuse and another couple deaths." Not to mention Lola and Archie. Which entailed more death. _Just_ what I wanted to listen to.

Archie suddenly laughed, harsh and terse. He looked at me with a transparent grin that I mimicked for a lack of better response. "Let's match, sunshine. Wouldn't want to deprive our audience." I got what he was getting at. He returned his eyes forward and started, "Once upon a time, there was a trainer named Nick Sayre."

"He had a starter named Chase and a little brother named Matthew. He was a dork and charismatic in his own way. He rose quickly through the ranks, didn't he?" I continued vengefully (and I'll admit, a little blithely). We could only make light of it at this point. I certainly wasn't strong enough to tell my nightmare straight like the others, not now. Not with Vaikuntha losing a starter, not with Sela fighting bloodily for common decency, not with Alicia losing a Pidgeot, and not with Benjamin losing faith in humanity.

"Of course he did. He was a natural. Of course, having a dragon didn't hurt things. You Gym leaders liked him, didn't you." It wasn't a question but a simple remark we all knew was true. Archie spread his hands innocently, as if he was unaware of this. "Along the way, he apparently picked up more than another addition to his Pokemon team."

"He adopted a traveling partner," I said calmly. "And he got to revisit almost all of you through me. Gardenia, he bet me in order to make me face you. Maylene, I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to challenge you that day. Volkner, he was... He was already gone at that point."

"Anyway, he and sunshine had a merry old time. Things were grand before he went rogue, weren't they? They were just _perfect_," Archie spat. Lola snorted and crossed her arms, and for a brief moment, I thought she'd speak. "There were just a couple of small problems. The primary one being a little Abomasnow up north."

"Just a little problem. Understandably not taken care of in the years between its first and second kills."

"And then suddenly, we don't have a rising star anymore." Archie was better at this than I was. He was maintaining a bright tone, even if his smile was slipping into something a little darker. I couldn't help my caustic words and sneer.

"I had a dream that night. You guys don't know this part. See, he had these two Pokemon who had a habit of invading my dreams who _really_, really didn't like each other. They had a fight, in and out of my dream that night. So Nick and I woke up to screaming Pokemon and bad prophecies and things were already going south by that point. And they both... They blamed me for not stopping him." Just like Archie had. But I wasn't going to shove blame on him or anyone at this point. I would take my allotment and prod the rest in the Gym leader's direction and hope they took it themselves. "Nick didn't blame me. His team did, however."

"But you remember who he _did_ blame, don't you, Champion?" Archie asked, icy and cheerful all at once. Cynthia's face was a mask. "I remember that pretty vividly, you know. _Very_ vividly. We were very surprised when he arrived, but not worried. He was liked, he was strong, he was practically next in line for your throne. Even when he started speaking, we weren't listening. We were still surprised. But then... Then came his Pokemon. And do you know how aware I am of the fact that I was there too?" Benjamin and I both turned to him. Archie sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "It still keeps me up at night. If he had come just half an hour sooner, I would've had a conscious team and your Pokemon wouldn't have been hurt. He wouldn't have gotten away with so much if we hadn't battled right before that."

I hadn't ever thought about it from that angle before—but wasn't that how the nightmares had operated? Take advantage of all the little couldas, wouldas, shouldas. I could have stopped him. Archie might have even been able to stop him. Cynthia certainly could have. We simply weren't prepared for how far he would fall so fast.

"Nick Sayre was—"

"Stop it." I looked up at Cynthia. I knew it was her voice, but I was just... surprised. The Gym leaders hadn't said anything once we started talking.

She didn't say anything more, but we were effectively silenced. Which meant that we had won. We had turned the tables and shown them what reliving painful memories could do.

Unfortunately, this had another unexpected effect.

"Bullshit." A couple of us turned to Lola in surprise. Her lip was curled, her eye was narrowed, and her hands were fists in her skirt. "I cannot believe you."

Keith made a discontented sound and looked away from her. Alicia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The Gym leaders stared stonily down at us all.

"The second we start to show you what you're doing to us and you call it quits, Cynthia?" Lola asked. "You're a bigger coward than even _I_ had thought."

"You have no—"

"What, right? Interest? Decency left? Your race has certainly sapped me of that last one!" She paused to snort again, shaking her head. "Congratulations, Gym leaders. You have finished the job of disillusioning me about the world. There's certainly no naivety, no idealism left in this trainer. I'm done with this."

The impact of her words didn't sink in until she stood up and was halfway out the door.

"Wait!" Alicia stood up as well, eyes wide. "Y-You're leaving? Just like that?"

"After everything, you're calling quits _now_?" Benjamin snarled, turned around in his chair as well.

"You are all free to walk out of this at any time—" Gardenia said faintly, but she was quickly drowned out.

"Lola, you're not actually _leaving_, are you? You're letting them win!" Sela barked with an agitated gesture at the Gym leaders.

"I've let them get away with too much already," she replied coldly. She had reached the door and turned around fully to address us one last time. "But, just so I give you the satisfaction of properly chasing me off, and because I don't want you thinking I started those damned nightmares, here's a parting gift. My nightmare was about the first tragedy you failed to avert, Champion."

Cynthia didn't respond.

Maybe it was because I had been there, but I caught on almost immediately. I had met her in Snowpoint. She had lost a friend. The Route had been closed down due to the Abomasnow killing a trainer.

Lola smiled for the first time, faintly, barely visible from across the room. "I didn't start any wars over it, though."

-.-.-

Lola and Abigail had graduated from school together and applied to get their training licenses at the same time. Lola had received a Pichu for a present, and Abigail had received a Poliwag. They trained like fiends and raced each other through the Gyms sometimes literally, much to the amusement and confusion of the other trainers and leaders. Back then, Lola had been different. She had been a dreamer.

"One day, I'm going to become Champion and have the strongest team of electric Pokemon in the world."

"Yeah right. When I grow wings that'll happen. A ground Pokemon will _stomp_ you!"

"Well, I'll have a bird. To Fly and keep the ground Pokemon at bay."

Abigail still didn't believe her, but she supported her. And a certain amount of skepticism was healthy, anyway. Not to say Abigail didn't have her own dreams. "I'm going to become the best trainer ever! But I'm not going to become the Champion. All politics and useless stuff. I'm gonna change training on my own."

"Change it to what?" Lola always asked, but the other's answer always changed.

"Oh, I dunno. Make it better. Maybe by weeding out the weaklings and specialists like you." That was a new one. Lola kept a mental list.

"Whatever. I can still beat you in a fair match."

-.-.-

"_Samael_!" Lola screamed, watching helplessly as her Raichu flew across the snow in front of her. He disappeared into a drift and wasn't quick to climb back out. Behind her, Vina roared and charged at the Abomasnow, only to be halted by an Icy Wind. "Vina, stay back!" Her Nidoqueen would only be weak to its attacks. "Go get Samael and—_Abby_!" The Abomasnow moved through the waist-deep snow like water, tossing her Politoed aside like a rag doll. It loomed over the other girl like the monster it was, before picking her up in one giant paw.

Shree hit its arm with a Faint Attack, forcing it to drop Abigail. It snarled and froze the Absol to the spot, before sloshing over and kicking her into a tree, cracking it. Shree didn't get up again.

"Rai!" Samael, back from the snowdrift, hit the Abomasnow with a Thunder and sent it staggering back. Panting, he ran back towards his trainer, standing protectively in between them.

Abigail hastily returned Shree and Lola began racking her brain for a way out of this. Half of her Pokemon were unusable in this situation. Ato hadn't evolved yet, Reva was only useful in water, and Taraka was still young. Vina had a disadvantage and it was showing, and Samael was tiring, too. On Abigail's side, two of her Pokemon were already unconscious and another was also unevolved.

Things looked grim.

They looked even worse when the Abomasnow splintered the tree next to them and used a broken branch nearly as large as she was as a bat.

-.-.-

"I can't believe you managed to get an Absol for a Haunter," Lola said appreciatively, and a little jealously. She had never traded a Pokemon, but that was also because she had never gotten such a good deal for one.

"Well, she evolved into a Gengar, so it's not like the guy walked away with _just_ a Haunter," Abigail scoffed in reply. "And this is how you build a balanced team."

"Whatever. I have two non-electrics with me, and I think that's plenty."

"Three. You don't have a Thunderstone for Taraka yet."

"_What_ever, Abby."

Training and comparing teams was just another way they competed. Abigail had been right in the fact that Lola had to branch out a _little_ to stay afloat in Sinnoh, but only a little. So she obtained a bird and bought a female Nidoran. Plus, at least the Nidoqueen resulting from that could learn a couple electric attacks. Abigail had one of those annoyingly perfectly balanced teams, always had a response for a Pokemon that took advantage of another's weaknesses. Of course, in double battles, it rocked. But not when Lola was getting her Raichu's tail handed to her in a scrap.

Of course, constantly battling under such circumstances made Lola smart. It made her calculating and a little ruthless. She learned to take advantage of even the smallest weaknesses, learned how to reroute electricity and how to take advantage of the weather. Eventually, as their teams grew and evened out, and as their Pokemon evolved, Lola started winning some battles against Abigail.

She started winning even more battles against other trainers. Of course, getting more badges helped. She started using _herself_ in battles. Psychologically tearing apart both trainer and Pokemon, creating distractions, even channeling an electric current in a couple of extreme instances. (She tried not to make a habit out of that one. It hurt like hell afterward.)

"Six badges already. Are we gonna race through the Elite Four, too?" Abigail joked lightly, holding up her badge case. The badges inside glinted happily in the sunlight.

Lola smirked. "That sounds fun. Why don't we? It'll throw them off."

"You don't _have_ to throw them off to gain the edge."

"It helps." It always helped.

-.-.-

The Abomasnow swung the branch and Lola ducked, although it caught her hair and tossed her forward regardless. Rubbing her head, she got back up out of the snow, searching for Samael and Abigail. She found her Raichu pinned under the same branch the ice monster had just thrown and scrambled over to free him. Behind her, Vina traded roars with it, until she finally went down after one too many ice attacks.

Lola returned her and nearly returned her Raichu as well. He was barely conscious. Abigail practically swam over to her, blood pouring out of a cut on her forehead, hands full of the pokeballs that her ruined backpack couldn't hold anymore. "Run!"

"Where?" They were in the middle of the Route 217 forest with no signal and no compasses. They had lost the path long ago.

Abigail grabbed her hand—Lola grabbed Samael's tail to stop him from staying behind to fight it off—and dragged both of them in a random direction. "We just—have to—get _out_ of here!"

Of course, trying to outrun an ice Pokemon in its natural habit wasn't a terribly bright plan. It caught up with them in no time and separated them effortlessly with a swing of its arms. Lola was thrown into a tree. As she got back to her feet, she found three things. The first was that Samael was bleeding and unconscious and at the Abomasnow's feet. The second was that her shoulder was ripped open and made her arm more or less useless. The third was that Abigail couldn't be seen in the snowy mess.

"Return!" Lola shrieked, saving her Raichu just as the yeti raised its foot to stomp on him. She was officially out of useable Pokemon. She wouldn't let any of the others come out only to be fodder. She waded through the snow, searching for Abigail, trailing red.

Unfortunately, the Abomasnow found her first.

Lola screamed as it picked an unconscious Abigail up by her ankles and swung her around. Lola ducked, barely missing her friend, and was immediately back on her feet, trying to figure a way out of this. The Abomasnow roared and swung the girl back towards her, this time catching her and sending her back into the snow. Lola got back up again, of course, holding her shoulder.

She got up to find the Abomasnow smashing her against the nearest tree. Lola froze completely. She knew of injuries and how serious ones looked. The first blow broke Abigail's legs.

The second broke her back.

The Abomasnow dropped its toy and turned on Lola, eyes practically red. Her only thought was _what have we done._

-.-.-

"Time to head north, right?"

"Right."

"I'm gonna catch an ice Pokemon while we're up there. Sneasel sell for a pretty penny in Sunyshore and Canalave. Weavile even more."

"What are you going to buy with all of this harvesting?" Lola deadpanned, hardly looking up from her book. Abigail usually had some sort of get rich quick scheme, always involving some sort of rare Pokemon. She was shrewd like that. It certainly helped when they were trying to find hotel rooms or restaurants, but sometimes, it was better to ignore it.

"I don't know. Maybe just save up for awhile," she replied mysteriously. Lola looked up at that; she wasn't a private person. Abigail grinned back, cocky as ever. "We could score a _really_ rare Pokemon. I've heard there are Abomasnow in some areas, and even Ursaring. Fully evolved Pokemon, no training needed, quick sell down south."

"Sounds like a plan," she said dryly. "We also need to challenge Candice while we're up there."

"What are _you_ gonna challenge her with?" Abigail asked with a laugh.

Lola glared at her over her book. "Samael is strong enough to put a dent in most of her team. Vina can handle one or two. Taraka will get trained along the way. If her Gym has a water feature, I can use Reva. I'll survive, I think."

"Whatever you say."

"Most ice Pokemon are part water, so I'm going to get lucky somewhere along the line."

"You could catch a sixth Pokemon along the way?" she suggested. Lola shrugged.

"I want another electric Pokemon. I somehow doubt there will be a lot of those on Route 217 or in Mount Coronet."

"Whatever floats your boat. I'm gonna catch me some good Pokemon, though."

She didn't.

-.-.-

"I was terrified out of my mind by the time I made it to Snowpoint. I didn't say a word to the authorities. I didn't want to admit I had run." Lola smiled bitterly and turned back towards the door. "They found her body almost a week later. ...I didn't even go to her funeral." She gave us one last look over her shoulder. "The end. I'm done here."

Lola left as she normally did: quietly, carefully, leaving a bad vibe in the air and making us all feel worse for existing.

Sela turned to Keith. He was the only one who hadn't spoken yet, but I hardly paid attention to that. Lola had lost her friend, yes—but to the _same_ Abomasnow. The one that had attacked Hanna and me, the one that had taken Matthew from Nick. The one that the government didn't do anything about. The one Nick had finally taken care of. Lola had just as much reason to hate Cynthia—and perhaps she did. She was always so snarky and dark and pessimistic. Maybe she had disliked them all from the beginning and was only in it to change things.

The point was, I wouldn't find out now. She was out of the race; a favorite was out of the race.

Keith stood up and cleared his throat. And he managed to completely upstage Lola with three little words.

"Mine came true."

He bowed stiffly at the waist in the Gym leader's direction, and then gave us all a once-over as a goodbye. Alicia bit her lip and looked away. The rest of us watched him march out the door. I had the feeling of knowing more than I should have. The rest of us got abbreviated versions of each other's and that was bad enough. He was put on display for all of Sinnoh. In one way, it was fair that he didn't give us his life story or what his nightmare had contained.

In another way, I felt resentful. And I had more or less skipped out on the details of mine, too.

"Happy now?" I looked up at the Gym leaders, resentment and sadness and frustration and anger bubbling just under the surface. "You've chased off a fourth of us. That'll make your decision easier, won't it?"

"Don't—"

"He's right," Sela said defiantly. "We've come clean. We've done as we're told. And we hate you and ourselves for it. Damn it... I half wish I had the courage to walk out like they had. But I guess I'm still hoping to get the job."

"Now more than ever I want to change things," Benjamin muttered darkly, still loud enough for us to hear.

"It might be a nice change of pace to be a politician," Archie said, voice airy, and bared his teeth up at the Gym leaders. "At least then we're allowed to lie about our faults."

"Are we done now?" I asked flatly. I was tired of this. Emotionally drained but still angry. I couldn't even process the higher chances of getting a job. I hadn't processed losing two more Gym race trainers, either.

"...Dismissed," Volkner said weakly. We left them with their thoughts. And I hoped they were terrible ones.

-.-.-

"Well, a favorite bit the dust. One of you four stand a greater shot of getting a job," Sela told us regally.

"As if we haven't figured that out," Benjamin growled back. She elbowed him in the side and he ducked away from her, face red. "I-I can't believe you're pretending to be friendly with us right now."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Archie asked mildly.

"We just... You might've gotten off lightly because yours was a broadcast, but some of us weren't that lucky!" he replied all too quickly. He crossed his arms and hunched over.

"Please, do not fight over this. You think he is luckier because his nightmare was revealed years ago?" Vaikuntha asked with a furrowed brow and awkward smile.

"Stop playing nice!" Benjamin hissed. "Just because you two are guaranteed spots—"

"Stop it, Benjamin," Alicia broke in. "Behave. We can't compare trauma and bad stories because that'll only get us all more depressed and angry with each other."

"That's right, we have to save that for the Gym leaders." I wasn't sure if he had meant it as a joke or not. It definitely didn't come off as one.

"Come on, smile you brats." Sela planted her fists on her hips and glared us all down. Alicia and I nervously smiled. "...If you can't smile about it now and work past it, it's just gonna haunt you further and that's what we're _all_ trying to avoid. That means whoever did it will have won. Can't let that happen, now can we?"

"She is right!" Vaikuntha said eagerly, nodding.

"Okay, we'll play nice," Alicia agreed with a tired smile.

"Don't agree to this for me," Benjamin snapped, stalking off. We watched him go. He had a rough personality and probably felt cheated that the last four of us had scooted by without going into everything. Or maybe he just felt bad having to relive it all _again_.

"...Well, _someone's_ not getting a spot," Archie said flippantly.

"I'm out of here, too. I'm tired."

"It's still early afternoon—" Alicia started in concern, but I shook my head.

"This was a drain. Don't pretend otherwise. Now I'm going to go take a nap so I don't have to think about any of this," I said tiredly and left them. It'd be nice if we could play nice. And really, I would want to. But I couldn't believe we had just gone through that—and that Lola and Keith had walked out, possibly in stark defiance.

And none of us had been the nightmare creator. Of course it was all for nothing.

I flopped onto the hotel bed, rolled over, and started pulling pokeballs out of my pockets. Des was let carefully out onto the floor beside the bed, Carlita and the rest of them small enough to be released on the bed. "_What's wrong?_" Des asked at once.

"Just tired."

"_This isn't tired. What happened?_" Alice said. I shook my head and closed my eyes. I was asleep and dreaming before I was aware I had drifted off at all.

But unfortunately, I had a ghost. I looked over with a glare at the Duskull suddenly in my happy little dreamscape. "Kostya, get out."

"But I'm worried," he whined, covering his teeth with his paws.

"Out. I'll tell you all—maybe—later. It's unfair of you to learn things first just because you like creeping on me."

"You're angry with me?"

"...No, don't think that. I'm just tired."

"You have not caught the perpetrator, have you," he asked quietly. I shook my head. He finally floated away, out of my dream, and let me sleep in peace. And, to my great relief, there were no nightmares. Just stars overhead, feathers falling like snow, and a meadow full of flowers.


	128. Poor Little Rich Girl

Hanna held up a shirt against her body, trying to figure whether or not it matched her eyes. It didn't. She sighed in a world-weary way and tossed it into the rejected pile, which was rapidly growing much too large for comfort.

Truth was, she was only playing with outfits because she was putting off doing other things.

"This sucks," she said to no one, giving up on procrastinating. She closed her closet doors and flopped back onto her bed, fishing around for wherever she had dropped her phone. Practically everyone she knew was busy. Jude still wasn't back from his business trip, either. She was _bored_ and antsy and irritated at the world.

Suddenly, the Spice Girls were belting out _Stop_. Hanna nearly dropped her phone and, opening it, read 'Jude'.

"Speak of the devil. Hello?"

"Hello love. I'm boarding the plane now, so I'll be back later tonight. Any chance I could take you out for dinner?" Jude asked with a smile in his voice.

Hanna sighed mutely and closed her eyes. "Yeah. I think that'd be a good idea. Give me a call when you land, mmkay?"

"Alright."

She rolled over onto her stomach and looked at the necklace on her nightstand. The minimized pokeball on it glinted in the light from the window. She had things to do; she couldn't afford to sit here and laze about. But it felt so _good_. Hanna sighed again and flipped open her phone. She scrolled down the list of contacts until she came to her favorite little Gym race trainer—but, upon trying to call him, only got his voice mail.

She growled and scrolled back up the list. She viciously punched send and held it up to her ear, only to hear a giddy, "_Allo_?" just moments later.

"Hello Cossette. It's Hanna."

"Ah, yes! Hello!" She paused and laughed, moving the phone around and creating static.

"Uh, are you busy?"

"Maybe—_un peu_, yes? I am babysitter!" Another pause in which Jacques was probably correcting her. "I am a babysitter. I have _les petits Roucool_! Um, I mean, the little Pidgey. I am—a—babysitter for them."

That answered that. So she didn't know where he was, either. "Uh, yeah. Have fun with them. How long are you babysitting for?"

"_Je ne sais pas_." That wasn't very useful. Hanna would have to turn elsewhere for procrastination.

-.-.-

Later that night, she and Jude were seated at the most upscale restaurant in Sunyshore. It would've been terribly romantic, sitting under the stars, sipping the wine that Hanna's reputation acquired. It would've been romantic, if she hadn't just said that she was breaking up with him.

"...What?" Jude asked, eyebrows raised. He looked handsome, even in a rumpled dress shirt he'd flown in. Hanna couldn't help but smile. He was cute and rich and famous and they got along so well together. He was always a gentleman and very bright.

But there was one main problem that couldn't be fixed.

"I can't do this anymore, Jude. I tried. I've tried for so long now," she forced out. She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to make this harder for either of them. She didn't want this to be a bad breakup. "I just can't handle this anymore."

"If it's about the business trips—"

"It's not."

"If it's about the—"

"Jude, it's not anything like that." She shook her head, brown hair flying. She hadn't worn her hairband because he called her prettier without it. "I just... I can't do this."

"Tell me what this is about. I can change."

"No! It's not you—it's me. I know that sounds cheesy and horrible and fake, but it's _not_. I can't do this anymore! Every time I see you or the trainers or even _Cossette—_I can't do this."

There was a long silence following her outburst. Jude surveyed her calmly, green eyes bright in the candlelight. Hanna took a deep breath to try to regain her composure and sat back in her chair, folding her hands primly in her lap. She looked away from him, pretending that hadn't just happened. At least they both knew what she was talking about now. "...You still haven't—"

"This isn't something you can get better from. It's hardly been a year," Hanna replied evenly, sparing him just a glance.

"I know that, but if you don't... If you just curl up into yourself and break down again, you're not going to get better," he said, voice soft and gentle. As if he was talking to a scared Pokemon.

She wrung the napkin in her hands, struggling to resist the urge to throw it at him. "I'm sorry for all of my _breaking down_, Jude."

"I didn't mean it like that, you know I didn't!"

"I didn't _ask_ for this. I wish I could pretend that I'm over it, that I'm happy and carefree and can just sit by and watch you play with your Pokemon. But I can't. I can hardly stand the sight of most of them." She ducked her head low. She felt ready to cry, but her eyes remained dry. She couldn't even manage a sniffle. "I'm going to go home for awhile. I can help daddy with his business and it's about time I stop playing around and learn some business skills, too."

"You're going to run?" Jude asked flatly. She looked up at him, both surprised and hurt. He was looking dispassionately down his nose at her, eyes narrowed, mouth set in a firm line. "The Hanna I know isn't a coward and she wouldn't run like this. She would work her best to fix it. Tell me where that Hanna went."

She smiled weakly at him, appreciating the gesture. "She died, Jude. She died with her team."

His angry mask broke and he was suddenly blinking rapidly, leaning across the table to grasp her hands in his. For once, he wasn't wearing gloves. She tried not to encourage him. "I'm so sorry, love. I didn't know this was hurting you this much. But please, don't do this. Don't leave me."

"Don't apologize, please. It's really not your fault. I just wanted... I don't want to part on bad terms." With that, she felt the lump in her throat and her vision swam in tears. She blinked them back and pulled his hands towards her, hiding her face with them. "In the future, or in another timeline, this could have worked out. I _wanted_ it to work out. I won't ask you to wait for me, but know that it's not like I don't like you anymore."

"I'd wait. You know I would."

Hanna shook her head and looked down at the pokeball hanging around her neck. She usually covered it with shirts or jackets, but it was hard to hide in a dress. It was okay though. She didn't care if he saw it; he was probably the only one who understood anymore.

"Goodbye, Jude."

"Goodbye, Hanna."

That was one less thing she had to do and probably the most painful. She wasn't glad it was over, though.

-.-.-

She wasn't completely sure about going back to her family. It wasn't as if she had many other prospects, however. She couldn't handle traveling on her own, she couldn't deal with any more trainers or breeders or _anything_, and she didn't have any close friends who didn't own Pokemon anymore. She called her dad and informed him that she would be living in one of their summer homes for awhile, although she had little intention of living in a big, empty house by herself. It was a convenient alibi for anyone who asked.

She still had to figure out _what_ to do, however.

She also still had some goodbyes to say.

Hanna idly swung her purse back and forth between her hands, dragging her feet. Her shoes were expensive stilettos, but they could deal. She was half-tempted to take them off.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a mass of black amongst the rest of the passersby. She looked up and was mildly surprised to find that gothic chick. "Lola?" The older girl looked up at the sound of her name.

"...Oh, you're that cheerleader."

"Hanna."

"Yes, Hanna," she replied coolly. Hanna wasn't even sure why she had spoken to her. She'd rather just go back to her hotel room and cry herself into a pint of ice cream and watch _Princess Mononoke_ until her brain was numb. Maybe _Titanic_ too if she felt mad enough at herself.

"What are you doing out? I mean—have they announced the winners yet?" Hanna asked.

For a moment, she looked as if she was going to laugh. Then she paused thoughtfully, and said with the air of admitting it to herself, "I left the Gym race."

"...You _left_ it?" she repeated with a blink.

"I couldn't stand it any longer. Sometimes, you just have to leave the annoying things behind. Why torture yourself for something that puts you through so much pain?"

"Sometimes it's worth it," Hanna mumbled.

Lola chuckled dryly. "Sometimes," she allowed. "Not this time. What about yourself, miss priss?"

"What about me?" She wasn't terribly fond of the moniker, but she wasn't going to start an argument.

"They're going to announce the new Gym leaders tomorrow. Going to congratulate your pet?"

"You mean—he got in?" she couldn't help but exclaim.

"I don't know. Maybe. His chances are certainly bolstered. Either way, he's going to need a shoulder to lean on. Tell him... Tell him congrats from me if he wins. If he doesn't, well, I don't care. I'm out of here tonight. Nice seeing you again, cheerleader."

"Hanna!" she called after her, a little angrily.

Lola only waved in dismissal.

Hanna huffed and set about unhooking the buckles on her shoes. So she'd have to stick around a little bit longer, maybe another day or two. In the same city as all of the Gym leaders, half of the training population, and her new ex-boyfriend.

"Great."

At least triple chocolate ice cream and hopelessly romantic movies made the night easier.

-.-.-

After getting woken up by a text telling her to come to a press release later, Hanna rolled out of bed and decided to face the day. It would only be downhill from there, after all; may as well put on a smile while she still could. Hanna decided to try out her most fabulous outfit, one she usually only used while on the prowl for guys or _really _needed to cheer herself up. This was definitely the latter.

After pulling on her boots, fixing her hair, and tucking her necklace into her cleavage, she felt ready to take on the day.

And then things went bad.

She tripped heading out the front door. The coffee place messed up her order. She chipped a nail. Someone bumped into her and she accidentally spilled coffee on a poor girl. The poor girl turned out to be the most obnoxious person in the world and took up _literally_ seven and a half minutes apologizing for something that actually wasn't her fault. Her favorite store didn't have any sales going on (so much for retail therapy). Her phone died.

When she headed back to her room to recharge her phone, her favorite TV show, "Garrett and Mr. V", was canceled due to the press conference she was supposed to be at and had completely forgotten about. On cue, behind her, her phone-with-charge started blaring the Spice Girls again.

"Outfit, you have _let me down_!" she growled. Hanna groaned and took a brief, wonderful moment to scream into her pillow. Eventually, she left her phone and stomped back out of the hotel to the stadium, all the way across town and in massive crowds of people and Pokemon alike. Just what she wanted to deal with.

She couldn't get into the main arena itself where they were situated, so she had to stand outside and watch the giant television that was broadcasting it live. A small part of her hoped she wouldn't be missed during the ceremony, but mostly, she was mad at the world. She wasn't sure she could pretend to be happy after a day like that.

The thing hadn't even started yet, so she was forced to stand, sweaty, annoyed, and tired in a mass of people. She was pushed and prodded and even groped once (but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and that man wouldn't be doing _that_ again anytime soon) for what felt like an eternity. "...Okay, that is _it_. I'm so out of here!" she screeched after one too many pushes and a small child pulled on her hair. Hanna whirled around, and after giving the mother and child a glare that could peel paint, she began stomping her way out of there. She could watch this far more comfortably back in her hotel room.

And then, her day got miraculously better.

As she tripped again and nearly collided with a person, she looked up to find that her almost-victim was none other than Mr. V himself. Hanna blanched and only stared at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me."

He politely pushed past her, but even brushing elbows with one of her favorite celebrities was enough to brighten her day, just enough so she didn't want to kill something. She had gotten to see the mysterious talk show personality _up close_ and _in person_ and she had been close enough to smell his cologne. Okay, so she shouldn't be going down the fangirl road when she had just broken up with Jude and the man in question was a _Pokemon_ expert, but it didn't mean she couldn't have a bit of escapism in her life. She had to make room for small miracles sometimes.

Of course, her day went back to going downhill after that, but at least she had one little bright spot in it.

She really needed more bright spots in her life.


	129. We Are Golden

I was roused by knocking on my door. I pushed Carlita out of bed to go answer it, and a couple moments later, she came back with a sleepy, "_Is the electric one_." For a brief moment, I thought she meant Lola. But of course, rolling over and opening my eyes, I only found Volkner.

"What do you want?" I asked, not rudely but tiredly, which I figured was pretty magnanimous of me.

"We think we have a lead on the creator of the nightmares. I've also come to... apologize." I ignored his so-called apology and instead sat up at the lead. Volkner sat on the edge of my bed, eying Des warily, and continued, "We're also getting back together soon for dinner and the private announcement of the Gym leader positions."

Food sounded good. Socializing did not. "...Who is going to be there?"

"The remaining Gym leaders and the remaining Gym race trainers. Cynthia left. We haven't been able to track down Lola or Keith."

"Why would you want to? They walked out," I replied dully, narrowing my eyes at him.

"To apologize."

"You say that, but I still haven't heard a sorry." Maybe I was just being bratty by this point, but he had distrusted all of us, forced us to come clean about our darkest memories, hadn't caught the _real_ perpetrator yet, and just woke me from my nap.

Volkner bowed his head. "I am... truly sorry that this had to happen at all."

"...I'm not gonna say I forgive you, but I'll come to the dinner." That was surprisingly less gratifying than I had imagined. His words hadn't done anything, after all. They were just words. They didn't change Nick, or Sarika, or Jayden, or the Abomasnow. I rubbed at my eyes and covered it with a pretty fake-sounding yawn. "Are Pokemon allowed?" I asked, half-joking, trying to lighten the mood.

Volkner took one look at Des and said, "No."

"_That's not fair_," Carlita humphed, crossing her arms. I laughed and pulled her over against my side. "_It's not!_"

"If you get one of the jobs, you'll realize how much it costs to not be able to live off the land and feed a large team. Ask Crasher Wake about feeding his Gyarados sometime." I didn't plan on it, but I could imagine. Of course, courtesy of Hanna, I could feed my team for free.

"...I'll come."

"Good."

-.-.-

I left the Pidgey chicks with Cossette for babysitting, since she seemed very keen on them. The logical side of my brain told me to just give them to her. Then the emotional and maternal side took back over and reminded me that it was going to be hard enough giving them to Jude in a couple days' time. And that was with visiting rights.

The dinner certainly wasn't formal. Alicia showed up in her pajamas, Archie was already drunk, Sela broke dress code again and even Gardenia had changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. (I hadn't even recognized Fantina without her ballgown, either.) I wasn't the only surprised one when they simply told us they were ordering Chinese food. The surprise morphed into the pleasant kind when we turned out to be eating on a couple of couches, a loveseat, and the floor. The overly casual air about the entire thing and the free food was probably the best apology we'd received yet.

That said, it wasn't completely friendly or easy. No one mentioned Lola or Keith or Cynthia's absence. We made smalltalk and accepted formal apologies and the like, but that was about it.

We were almost done—a calculated move on their part, since we were nearly full and pretty happy about that, but still had enough food to let us stuff our mouths and keep us busy for a few more minutes—when Volkner set down his empty take-out container and announced, "We're going to brief you on tomorrow now."

"You mean... Tell us who made it?" Alicia asked hesitantly.

"That and more. There will be interviews and foreign dignitaries tomorrow as well. The foreign Gym leaders won't be there, but a representative of each of the regions will be there to formally congratulate the new Gym leaders. I also want to make it clear that _none_ of this will be leaked before tomorrow's press conference. No calling family, no texting friends. We will take your phones away if we feel it's necessary."

"Fostering trust again, hmm?" Sela asked mildly, hardly looking up from her chow mein.

"Sela, please—?" Gardenia started, but Sela waved her off.

"I'm kidding." She clearly wasn't. "I don't think anyone's about to go shout it at the night sky or whatever. We'll behave. Just keep the media away."

"You'll be doing interviews," Crasher Wake reminded us.

"With _Monsieur_ V," Fantina added with a happy sigh.

"Oh my gosh, really?" Alicia burst out. Vaikuntha and I shared a look. I had no idea who that was.

"He's a trainer and a Pokemon expert, so we figured it would be better for you all to talk to him instead of an actual reporter. It's a little safer for all involved that way."

"We can _not_ do an interview, right?" I squeaked. The very thought of one made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Win or lose, I wanted to be _done_ with the media and all it had done.

"Of course. Just know that you'll be hounded for it," Gardenia said sympathetically. I'd take that. Either I could run into the wilderness to escape or slam the Gym doors in their collective face.

"Are you gonna tell us who made the cut yet?" Archie slurred, draping himself across the arm of the couch. Fantina delicately scooted away from him.

"Will you explode of suspense if we don't tell you?" Maylene asked him with a grin and a poke.

He swatted her hand away and shook his head. "Not yet. But don't push us."

"Will the Gyms be assigned to us?" Vaikuntha asked, breaking in as politely as humanly possible. "Or will we have the option to choose?"

"...No, they're assigned," Volkner said, brow furrowed. "Did you all believe you'd be picking?"

"Well... kinda," I admitted.

"No. We do still hold a _little_ power, you know. And there are a couple factors you are all not aware of that we have to take into consideration."

"Like what?"

"...Like the Snowpoint Temple," Fantina said after a pause. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I hadn't known Snowpoint had a temple, or that it was an apparent factor.

"What's that?" Alicia asked. I was a little glad to know I wasn't the only clueless one.

"The details will be discussed with the new Gym leader of Snowpoint, and at a later date, the other three will be filled in as well," Gardenia cut in curtly, giving Fantina a look. "Please, _all_ of you, remember that being a Gym leader isn't just about being a strong trainer or occasionally throwing a match." Boy, those badges seemed cheaper and cheaper. "You're in charge of a city and area, you have to work with the politicians, you have to guard over the trainers, and you have to help keep Sinnoh safe and under control. _Especially_ in today's training climate."

"Because we need more reminders that trainers are terrible people," Benjamin snapped, chewing on his chopsticks.

"That's not what I was getting at—"

"We know. But you have to admit, it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the sides in light of recent revelations," Sela said with a charming smile.

Volkner put up his hands and growled, "Okay, we _get it_. You don't like us. I feel like I have to remind you all that _we_ didn't like doing that, either. And for those of you who will becoming Gym leaders tomorrow, you'll just have to deal with it and get along with us."

For awhile, there was a stony silence.

Then Vaikuntha broke it with a nervous smile. "Um... May we please find out who the new Gym leaders will be now?"

"You." Vaikuntha reeled back in surprise, blinking. I looked between him and Volkner in just as much shock. I had thought this would be a big deal, some big ceremony, that they would drag out the suspense and play with us a bit longer. Instead, Volkner just shrugged lazily and asked, "What did you expect, Vaikuntha? You're talented, you're likeable, and I feel like we can actually trust you to Oreburgh and the newbies."

"I... am becoming a Gym leader?" he asked, eyes impossibly huge, smile gone from sheer surprise.

"Officially, tomorrow. Of Oreburgh."

"I... Um... Thank you." He ducked his head, bangs shielding his eyes from view, but a smile back on his face. "Thank you so much!" He brought his head up again with the widest grin I had ever seen from him.

"Touching, but—"

"Who else got the spot?"

Maylene laughed uneasily. Now that we'd had one named, we were clamoring for the rest. "A-Are we having some sort of method to this, or are we just telling them?" she asked the others.

"Go in circuit order."

"Next is Canalave then." The rest of us leaned forward, holding our breaths. The last two months boiled down to the next couple minutes. Make it or break it. All or nothing. It almost seemed silly, how anticlimactic this all was. Not that I was complaining; only a sadist would draw this out longer than necessary. "I am proud to say that I am not the youngest Gym leader anymore. Benjamin, you got it."

He stared at her, jaw slack, looking like a Stantler in the headlights. Just seeing him like that made this all the more real; two spots left to go, a favorite still in the running, and the youngest Gym race trainer placed in charge of our western port. The bad feelings were swept away by the eagerness and surprise and even joy. Sela burst out laughing and clapped him perhaps a little too hard on the back, nearly sending him into the carpet. "H-Hey!"

"Good job, squirt," she chuckled, ruffling his hair. He glared at her and blushed, before breaking out into a rather evil grin.

"You can't call me that anymore. I outrank you. I'm a _Gym leader_," he told her.

"Abuse of power already, huh?" Volkner deadpanned.

"Besides, you don't outrank her. She's in charge of Snowpoint." You could've dropped a pin and it'd be deafening. Of course, that didn't last long.

"_Ha_! I knew even _you_, Volkner, couldn't cut me out of this because of my ovaries! So what's the Snowpoint Temple, huh?" she asked excitedly, leaning over the couch arm to get closer.

"_Later_, Sela. We still have another Gym leader to get through," he sighed. "We have to reveal who'll be taking over _my_ Gym."

"...Oh." Sela backed off, frowning thoughtfully. I could practically see the gears turning, and I was caught between wondering what her next outburst would be and wanting this to just be _over_ and announced already, thank you. "...I have Candice's Gym and the brat has Byron's. The saint has Roark's. These Gyms are already all decked out, aren't they? I don't want a skating rink for a Gym."

She did raise a good point, but I was still stuck. The three who already had their fates decided, of course, couldn't grasp how the three of us left behind viewed this distraction. "I-I don't want that maze of a Gym. I can change it, right?" Benjamin asked nervously, tugging at the bottom hem of his shirt.

"Yes, you can all do what you want with the buildings themselves, short of tearing them down. But—"

"We can do _whatever_ we want?" Sela asked at once.

"Within reason!" Gardenia replied just as quickly, shutting her down. "All tricks and traps have to be put through the proper channels. Paperwork. You have to get everything approved, so don't get too happy about this."

"Are we allowed Gym trainers?" Vaikuntha asked curiously.

"Yes, but they have to be submitted for approval, too."

"How many can we have? I remember Byron had at least a dozen."

"As many as you can afford to pay."

"..._We_ have to pay them?"

"How did you think they worked? You'll have an allowance for them based on your track record and a couple other factors, but a lot of how the Gyms operate are based on personal discretion."

"Guys."

"When are we going to have time to revamp the buildings?"

"You'll be given some time before the circuit officially reopens."

"_Hey_, we—"

"How long?"

"We're still deciding. It depends on how much you all want to change things."

"_Are you stupid heifers forgetting about something_," Alicia interrupted with a snarl, pulling Sela completely off the couch, kicking Benjamin away, and crawling over Archie's lap to give Gardenia a death glare.

"We still have a city left, in case you wonderful Gym leaders forgot about us lowly trainers," Archie said, delicately pushing Alicia's feet off of him.

"Seriously, tell us who got Sunyshore already!" I agreed emphatically. "Or do one of us have to start foaming at the mouth before we get some attention again?"

"That _would_ be amusing," Sela mused idly, only to get smacked by Gardenia. "Ow, hey!"

"Someone had to do it, and if it was one of the men, you'd throw a hissy fit."

"Don't get distracted again!" Alicia all but shrieked. "Tell us before I die of a heart attack!"

Since I wasn't partial to that idea and felt more or less in the same boat, I again agreed with a, "Come _on_! Otherwise we're liable to start another riot!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely—ow, okay, okay." I felt a little bit better after kicking Volkner in the shin, but the fact of the matter was that we still didn't know. "It's you, okay? Now stop kicking me."

"...Me?" I repeated, a little dumbly. I had somehow thought Alicia would have gotten the position. Wasn't that how it usually went in movies and books? The one who demanded things the loudest got them.

"Yes, you. Who else?"

I was to become the next Gym leader of Sunyshore. Tomorrow. This was going to be _my_ city.

A saint, a brat, a feminist, and me. It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.

...Not that I was complaining.

-.-.-

They actually did have to take our phones from us, only because once the shock wore off, we were all pretty excited. Mostly for it to be over, but also because hey, our lives just changed. They even cut the telephone lines to our rooms. Still, I could wait to tell everyone else I knew. I was just excited telling my team. (Well, part of my team. Fantina didn't believe me when I said I had to go out and pick up my Pidgey babies from Cossette.)

"_You're a Gym leader! Gym leader!_" Carlita cheered, bouncing on the bed with me. Konstantin pretended to jump with us, mostly just moving up and down through the air, but I was too excited to care.

"I'm a _Gym leader_!" I crowed, grabbing Alice out of the air beside me and swinging her around. She shrieked and laughed and nervously wiggled out of my grasp. "You guys are Gym Pokemon now. We're gonna get badges to give away. We get to be in a _Gym_, can you believe it?"

"_Congratulations, now get off the bed before you fall off and break your neck or hurt your leg even worse_," Des said, grabbing a mouthful of my shirt to drag me back down to saner territory. And the ground.

"_Does this step forward mean you are finally going to do something about that dark-haired monster that has been haunting trainers?_" Ike asked airily, bringing me down even lower.

"Well... Yeah. That's why I agreed to this."

"_Are you sure?_" he pressed.

"_Stop it. Behave for once_," Des snorted, and the Luxray backed down. I smiled helplessly between the two, rubbing my leg. It didn't feel _too_ bad, just a little sore and tingly, probably in revenge for the movement. Besides, I was too busy being a Gym leader to care.

The night passed agonizingly slowly. I couldn't sleep—too excited—and instead continued to bounce around the room, although Des followed me in aggravation to stop me from hurting myself. Which I ended up doing, of course. Then he was completely justified on putting me on bed rest; I didn't have much choice in the matter since my leg wouldn't allow me to move much after tripping over a footstool. I eventually ended up turning on the TV for _something_ to do and we watched a series of laughably bad horror movies that were made funnier by the joy in my system.

At some point, I must've fallen asleep, because I went from zombies with bad blood effects to sun shining in my window and Carlita draped across my stomach. I tried moving my legs. The keyword being _tried_. Alice and Zarek were nestled up so tightly against one I couldn't move it, and my hurt one, well, _hurt_ quite fiercely. I couldn't help groaning as I lifted it as carefully as possible. The sound woke up Alice, who gave me a sleepy glare for it, and then tweeted. She promptly went back to sleep on my other leg.

"I'm going to need that, you know..." I whispered, pulling it out from under her before she got too attached.

I sat up on the edge of the bed, ran a hand through my hair as a comb, and yawned as quietly as I could. I absently ran my fingers over the stitches in my leg; I could feel them even through my pants. It hadn't hurt this bad since it had gotten infected... And I was supposed to be up and about today. I heaved as great a sigh as I could and tried to stand. Only to fall over.

I tried again once I had located my crutches. I didn't like how I was so dependent on them again; just yesterday I had gotten around almost by walking on my own.

"_That's what you get for jumping on the bed_," Des said suddenly. I jumped and wobbled.

"Sorry for waking you."

"_It's alright. Are you?_"

"Yeah. Just a little sore. You can give me the I told you so routine after I soak in a hot bath for the next week."

"_Shirking your duties already_," he sighed, but then nudged me towards the bathroom. I chuckled and hobbled off. I would willingly admit that I had brought this one on myself. Not that I regretted it too much (yet).

Predictably, things didn't go as planned. The bath had turned into a swimming competition not five minutes in. "Zarek, stop encouraging her!" He snickered and blew a couple bubbles in my direction. Carlita laughed and continued trying to catch him, which apparently involved splashing just about everything in the room. "_Fine_, you guys can have the bath. Kostya, I need a new towel!" The one I had planned on using was conspicuously soggy thanks to a certain member of the team.

He floated in with another and handed it to me cheerfully. "_Are you ready for the day?_"

I looked back at the war zone of a bathtub. Carlita dove at Zarek and tried to dunk him, but he skated out of the way with his Surf and blew some more bubbles in laughter. "...Am I ever?"

"_Good point_," he granted. Des snorted and sounded suspiciously amused. "_There is a note taped to your door, comrade._"

"Huh?"

"_A note, a written letter?_"

"I know what a—nevermind. Could you please bring it here?" I didn't want to walk anymore than I had to and made it to the bed before collapsing. Des waddled over and started licking my hair dry, although whether he was trying to be kind or annoying, I couldn't tell. Konstantin came back with a crumpled piece of paper and a cell phone. I sat back up excitedly and swiped it from him, immediately setting about to texting Hanna. I wouldn't give away the secret yet, but I could make sure she came to the press conference, right?

"_You aren't going to read your note?_" Alice asked curiously. She picked it up in her beak and held it out to me again, huffing. "_Read it! I'm curious._"

"Is it _your_ note?"

"_It is if you don't read it!_"

"Fine." I scanned over it, heart dropping. "Oh, it's... It's a list of things to get done before the announcement. I have to..." I had to do a lot of things, apparently, and bathing was one of them. Check. Bathing my team, on the other hand, would be a bit of a problem. Alice and Ike didn't like water, and Des was, well, Des. Water issues abound. I had to dress nicely, I had to be on my best behavior, I had to have myself and my team checked out again by the Nurse Joy, I _still_ couldn't tell anyone about the decisions, and there were donuts in the lounge if I wanted some. Still trying to suck back up to us, I saw. Even so, more free food.

"_Does that say we have to be clean too?_" Des asked in alarm, ears going up. I pressed the note against my chest and glared at him in betrayal.

"Since when can you read?"

"_I know Pokemon and I know repetition. What else would they want you to do as well as us?_" he asked, ears pinning back. I looked around in dismay; Alice was already fluffing up and was no longer beside me, Konstantin was giggling darkly, and Ike had all but vanished. At least Carlita and Zarek would be easy...

"Feed us?" I guessed, giving it a shot. He didn't say anything else but I could see in his eyes that he didn't trust my intentions. How _would_ I go about washing a Camerupt, anyway? ...He was clean enough, wasn't he? "Why do I even have to do that part," I grumbled, ripping the paper in half. It wasn't like they would be appearing on TV—would they? Or was this for interviews later? No—I would be turning those down. Maybe we could just do a little primping and no one would notice. "Okay guys, yes, you have to get clean. Kostya, I'll give you a bath with the other two. Alice, I'm _trusting_ you to get yourself clean, okay?"

"_Of course!_" she chirped, looking offended. She immediately craned her head back and begun running her beak over her cloudy feathers. She was already a bit of a neat freak, so I could trust her. Ike, on the other hand, would probably ignore me to spite me.

"Ike, where are you?" I looked around. He had fallen asleep in the corner, and had mysteriously disappeared once Des had ruined my element of surprise. He wasn't on either side of the bed, he definitely wasn't in the bathroom, and he wasn't behind any of the chairs. I finally leaned over and looked under the bed. All I saw were two golden eyes glaring back at me. "...How did you even _fit_ under there?"

"_You are not going to bathe me like some sick kitten of yours_," he hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"You can lick yourself clean if you promise to. Otherwise, Carlita and I are pushing you in the bath," I warned. She peeked her head out of the bathroom at the sound of her name. Zarek soon scuttled out after her, leaving a wet trail all the way over to the bed, where Alice picked him up and started running her beak over him as well.

He didn't answer me, but slithered out from under the bed and shot me a reproachful glare. I glared right back at him. After a long moment, he sat down and started licking his paw, running it over his ears, looking perfectly prim. I was getting the hang of keeping my Pokemon in line. Too bad it was about four years, eight badges, ten—nine—well, eleven if you count the Electabuzz too—Pokemon, and a Gym position too late...

After I was sure Alice and Ike were up to par, Carlita and Zarek helped me wash Konstantin, and Des got a scrub down with a damp cloth for as long as he'd let me, I ducked out to the lounge and stole a couple donuts. I may as well get some food in my stomach before the press conference and ensuing chaos.

I was right in the fact that it was the last bit of quiet time I got for a long, long time. Especially considering what happened so soon afterwards.


	130. Rather Than Love, Than Money, Than Fame

I still had no idea who this person was supposed to be. Alicia and even Archie admitted to watching his show, but I had never heard of him _or_ his show. Not that I had much time to watch TV, last night aside, but still. Hanna usually kept me abreast of most trends. Then again, since the race had started, I hadn't spoken to her much, either...

I smiled—only some of it was forced—and tried not to look around at the others for reassurance. I was a Gym leader now (I couldn't get over that) and I had to start being independent again.

Volkner had arrived earlier and dragged us all off by the ears to get dressed up. Alicia was covered by her penchant for dresses and Vaikuntha had apparently gotten the memo ahead of time; the rest of us were yelled at and had to go back to change. The best I had in my closet was a button-up top and some nice jeans, which was at least better than what Benjamin came up with. The poor boy was soon dragged off by Fantina and Gardenia after that. I didn't get to see him again until we were all backstage.

The thing seemed more like a television show than a press conference. Then again, I think the old Gym leaders were doing that on purpose. They wanted this to be exciting and new and happy. Not another boring, sad, tragic report to the press. That, and they wanted to prove to us and possibly themselves that the media weren't _all_ bad. So they got the hottest thing in Sinnoh and invited him to help.

That's what Archie told me, anyway.

So I just smiled, nodded, shook hands with the man called Mr. V. He hosted a Pokemon talk show, he was an ex-trainer or something like that, and he wasn't an _official_ member of the press but was more popular than any actual ones. Part of his charm was his mystery. Alicia batted her eyes and asked, "So, if I turn out to be one of the new Gym leaders, will I be able to find out what your name is?"

All of Sinnoh was still in the dark as to who the next Gym leaders were. We were all present and were told to act as if any of us could have the job. Alicia and Archie were doing a marvelous job of it, and I guess Vaikuntha was covered because he smiled constantly, but the rest of us were probably going to give the game away eventually. I _might_ be covered by the fact that I was happily seated between Vaikuntha and Alicia, but Benjamin was renown for his temperament and Sela was speaking to a man with a grin. That alone probably was going to tip off a couple people. Then again, she _was_ a favorite...

I was so deep in my worrying I hadn't heard Mr. V ask me a question.

Alicia elbowed me and I snapped back to attention with a blink and bright smile. "Huh?"

"Sister has started a game to try to guess his name," Vaikuntha said quietly.

"Uh..." Oh boy, Sinnoh was probably ripping its collective hair out, with us stalling so blatantly. "I don't know. V is such an uncommon letter." Said the one who was sitting next to Vaikuntha.

The man chuckled good-naturedly and leaned back in his chair. I slunk by so far, but I had better pay attention from now on. "So then, trainers. We've been through some ups and downs these past two months, have we not? What do you think was the most stressful part?"

All six smiles became a little more strained. Vaikuntha, as per usual, came to our rescue. "It was most likely the last race. We were not very well prepared."

"Yes, I can see that," Mr. V replied with a nod to his cast. Vaikuntha ducked his head sheepishly. "Still, that was a brave thing you did, saving your Skarmory like that."

"I had to. He is my Pokemon."

"And an admirable response. Of course, you all had your heroic acts during the course of the race." Mr. V gestured to the large screen behind us. It was set up so the crowd in front of us could see what was going on easier, but now, it switched to a montage of the last race. I squinted at it, really wondering what I did that could be counted as 'heroic'.

We got a recap of the Gym race. Since I hadn't had the time to watch it on the news, a lot of this was new to me or elaboration on what I had heard secondhand. I got to watch Vaikuntha pry a Machoke away from Koel, sacrificing his arm in the process, and then whirl around with a feather almost out of nowhere to slash at it right across the chest. I also got to watch Sela beat a Pinsir into unconsciousness with her bare hands after Dana broke her leg.

I watched myself feed three tiny little Pidgey chicks Berries and coo and sing to them until they fell asleep. I blushed and sunk low into my seat, but thankfully, everyone seemed to be watching the screen. I was relieved when it switched over to Lola running to Vaikuntha and pulling him to his feet, mouthing something that her worried expression was undoubtedly at odds with.

Keith jumping through the trees and laughingly racing his Scyther and Beedrill, Lola falling asleep in the arms of her Electabuzz, a very surprised Benjamin getting carried by his Drifblim, Vaikuntha falling over in shock as Pollyanna came out of his shadow beside him, Alicia kissing a Clefable and Arbok goodnight, Archie and Charlotte literally running into a camera in the sky and then swooping back down to make sure it was alright with laughs and concern in equal doses, and then finally, Sela and I talking in the forest, her carrying Dana, me riding Des. I recognized the scene immediately. That was when we had been discussing Nick and Matthew. I looked over at her and she looked back at me; neither of us had been aware that that conversation had been caught on camera. I wondered how much they actually broadcast.

The montage, more than anything else, drove home the fact that the race was _over_. And I was glad for it.

"It's been a long challenge for you all, hasn't it?" Mr. V asked sympathetically.

"To say the least," Archie replied wryly. "It feels a lot longer than it has been."

"It's over now. And for four of you, this is only the beginning. Am I to understand that you all are already aware of the Gym leader decision?" Ah, now we were getting to it. Alicia stifled a nervous giggle. Mr. V leaned in with a conspiratorial grin. "I'll take that as a yes. And no doubt all of Sinnoh—possibly the world—is wondering who made it and who didn't. Judging on the fact that Lola Gram and Keith Baxter aren't here with us today, I'm guessing they already left of their own accord."

"...Yes," Sela said, since the rest of us weren't answering. "They left yesterday. For personal reasons."

Since Keith's was common knowledge, Mr. V didn't ask about either of them. "So four of you are in, and two of you are not. And no one knows who is who." He was dragging it out, but it was sort of fun, too. After all, I was in on the joke. "What do you all think of the end of this? Are you looking forward to your duties and playing politician? Some opponents of this process has said that none of you have any formal training in politics."

"Gym leaders were originally just strong trainers. Maybe we're just getting back to our roots," Sela replied with a sharp smile. Mr. V nodded appreciatively.

"Well then, are you all ready to announce to Sinnoh who the next Gym leaders are for half the region?" he asked with a wink.

Sela rolled her eyes, but Vaikuntha nodded all too eagerly. "Why keep Sinnoh in the dark any longer?"

I pulled at my collar anxiously. We were told to go with whatever Mr. V had cooked up as an unveiling. We didn't know how he'd go about it, either. "First, let's see the results of the viewer poll the website had been running." I didn't know there was one, but I looked up at the screen anyway. I sorta wanted to know what the population at large thought of us (when they weren't rioting in the streets, of course). "Of course, since we only found out about miss Gram and mister Baxter's absences today, they're in the results as well."

And I was entirely unsurprised to find that Lola had the lead, the little green bar by her name and picture reading out seventeen percent.

Following that, somewhat unnervingly and with fifteen percent, was the option that the Gym race would be canceled. I had no idea how long ago this poll had been started. Before or after the riot?

Vaikuntha was next on the list with thirteen percent, followed by Sela at ten. Keith and I were tied at eight percent. Archie came in at five percent, and Alicia and Benjamin tied at three. I glanced over at the others for their reactions. Benjamin was glaring daggers, Alicia was trying not to laugh again, Archie looked grumpy, Sela was glaring at Vaikuntha, and he was only staring up at Lola's name with surprise. I was simply glad not to be last. But the fact that Benjamin had ranked that low...

"Of course, since miss Lola is out of the race and since we're all sitting here now, the race has been completed, a nice little third of the population is amusingly incorrect," Mr. V said warmly, gesturing up at the screen. The cameras panned back down to us and a couple of us hastily worked their faces back into more passive expressions. "Of course, things were hectic there for awhile. With her strength and with the rash of distrust amidst the race, no one can blame either of those choices."

"A little faith would've been nice, though," Archie lamented.

"You could still prove them all wrong and admit your Gym leader position," Mr. V replied. Archie shrugged noncommittally. "Ah, fine then. We'll do this a different way. Let's not torture our poor viewers any longer. I'll list off the towns in traditional circuit order, and if you're the Gym leader, stand up. Simple, right?"

More showing off. I _still_ couldn't help the excitement though. The crowd before us, the cameras watching our every movements, they didn't seem threatening now. They only added to it. I had finally won something in my life and now all of Sinnoh got to celebrate with me.

"First off, Oreburgh. Any takers?" Vaikuntha was out of his seat almost before he'd finished speaking. The audience immediately burst into applause and screams of support. Vaikuntha beamed at them all and bowed at the waist, shouting out a thank you that no one could hear over the roar. Mr. V smiled and covered his ears jokingly. You practically had to.

It took a bit for the crowd to settle down again. It was a pleasant change of pace to have them screaming for us instead of at us. Mr. V handed the microphone to a very surprised Vaikuntha, who cast about for a moment, before saying hesitantly, "Thank you, everyone, so much. For your support and for accepting me as the new Oreburgh Gym leader. I will do my best in the position."

Mr. V once again had to calm the audience down. Alicia and I exchanged an exasperated smile. I was glad she didn't seem too down about not getting a spot, or at least didn't seem it. I made a mental note to talk to her about this after everything calmed down. "Wow, such a positive reaction! Let's hope this continues. Will the next Canalave Gym leader please stand up?"

There was a beat in which Benjamin did nothing. Then, slowly and reluctantly, he stood up and looked about ready to cry or start snarling at someone. He had gotten last in the polls—but the audience reaction might've even been bigger than Vaikuntha's. He jumped in surprise as the people threw themselves into raucous applause and more screaming. This time, Mr. V really did have to cover his ears. Benjamin looked out over the crowd for a couple stunned moments, then slowly, broke into the widest smile I had ever seen from him. I joined in the clapping as well and he gave me a look for it, but couldn't help the grin.

He sat back down with a blush and continued smiling, while Mr. V calmed everyone again. I sensed that this would continue. True enough, the applause didn't even fully die down as he announced, "Now for the new Snowpoint City Gym leader—"

Sela jumped to her feet and pumped her fists in the air. The audience went wild from such a zealous reaction and she twirled, flexing, grinning, and posing for the cameras. I was just feet from her, and I could hardly hear her over the noise. "Yeah, you better believe I made it! Hell to the yeah!" I clapped for her, too, and couldn't help the chill that went down my spine; I was next. _I_ was next. I would get to stand up and have thousands of people cheer senselessly for me. And this would be my city.

"Last but certainly not least, would _our_ next Gym leader stand for us?" Mr. V asked grandly. I hadn't thought about that angle; he would be stationed here. I could be a guest on his show. _I_ would be stationed here.

Alicia elbowed me in the side and I hastily got to my feet. I couldn't hear myself think with the cacophony that followed. I couldn't help but grin stupidly and wave a little shyly, unsure of what exactly to do. And the Sunyshore crowd loved me regardless. I could get used to being liked by the masses.

It took what felt like forever for everyone to settle down again. Mr. V waited patiently and we exchanged smiles with each other. It was infectious. Once we could hear ourselves again, he cleared his throat and crossed his ankles in front of him. "That was certainly a gracious response. So then, now the mystery has been lifted. Aside from the fact that we still know nothing about any of you except what you've chosen to disclose during previous interviews and during the race. Miss Bisett, what do you plan on doing now that the race has concluded?"

Alicia smiled and looked away. "I haven't quite decided yet, Mr. V. The Gym leaders asked me to help one of our new ones adjust." I hadn't heard about that. I secretly hoped it was me, even if it was silly. "Of course, I may just return to training for awhile. I could still become the new Champion, right?"

"Oh yes, there's always that possibility," he chuckled with a nod. He then turned to Archie and held out the microphone. "What about yourself, mister Owen? Any big plans?"

"I may putter around Sunyshore for awhile and see how sunshine here is doing in his new job. Otherwise, I'm going to return to training my team. I was a contender for the Championship, too, I feel like reminding others," he replied primly.

"So it sounds like you two have nothing concrete just yet. Ah, the life of a trainer. Sometimes, I almost miss it," Mr. V said with a dramatic sigh. "Of course, being a Gym leader is an enviable position as well. With that, I feel like my viewers want to know about who just became four of the most powerful trainers in Sinnoh and opened the Gym circuit back up for everyone else to enjoy. But that may have to wait for another day." He checked his watch and glanced out at the audience. Already, cries of protest were springing up. "I'm sure Garrett and I will be able to snag an interview or two for our show, and you could always challenge the new Gym leaders yourselves, you know!"

We made more small talk as they used up the last dwindling minutes of the press conference. Mr. V managed to extract promises for interviews from Vaikuntha (before he left), Alicia, and somehow, Volkner, and hesitant maybes from the rest of us. The crowd got rowdy, though, and I got to see a familiar face as they called in guards to get us out safely.

"Nathan!" I exclaimed in surprise, although it was certainly a pleasant one. He grinned, an unlit cigarette clenched between his teeth, and put an arm around my shoulders.

"Okay, we can chat after you get out of here in one piece. This time, no running off, 'kay?" he said, glancing out the doors. The path was roped off—not that that stopped a lot of the people. My guard faithfully kept the people away, though, and led me out of the throng and into one of the cars that were waiting for us. We managed to snag one, and I dragged him after me when he tried to duck out.

"Nathan, I haven't seen you since—" Since the riot in Sunyshore when I had ditched him. "...How have you been?"

"Oh, you know. Keeping the peace. And now, apparently, upgraded to Gym leader bodyguard." He raised an eyebrow with a roguish grin. "Congrats. Now you can pretend that pawning me off on a young girl as date fodder was all part of your devious plan."

"...Aha," I said nervously. "Sorry about that, again."

"No harm, no foul. Although I do believe you owe me a favor now, mister Gym leader." I shrugged helplessly in agreement. I couldn't turn him down after using him like that, and he _had_ been an awesome guard. He had helped me through a lot. "I want a change of jobs. It hasn't been the same since the riot, especially since I got in trouble for discharging my firearm in public—but I digress. I'd like to apply for the job of one of your Gym trainers."

-.-.-

"So."

"So."

"So... What do you plan on doing with my Gym?"

We had all been paired off with Gym leaders to have talks about our new positions. Well, the four of us who had just gotten upgraded. It felt so weird, suddenly separated from Alicia and Archie so obviously and painfully. We weren't the Gym race trainers anymore. I realized now, too late, that I had enjoyed that camaraderie and mistrust of the unknown we all shared. Now it was lost—even amongst the four winners. Vaikuntha was leaving tomorrow afternoon, since once the first Gym opened again, they could restart the Gym circuit properly for the trainers who had started most recently. I very suddenly didn't want _any_ of us leaving, especially not my ex-roommate. He was my friend, my brother. And now we'd be a region apart.

"Are you listening to me?" Volkner asked.

I shook my head, not bothering to lie to him.

He sighed. "Of course not. Do you have any plans or ideas for the Gym?"

"I... I kinda just want something simple." Maybe that came from annoyance at going through so many puzzles and traps back in the day. Maybe I _did_ just want something simple in my life. "I can always change it later, right?"

"Yes, and it is a more practical choice while things calm down," he admitted. We exited the elevator and he led me over to another stairwell; evidently, we were headed to the roof. Once the door was shut behind us, he said, "This is going to be a big responsibility, and I'm not sure you know that."

"Probably not. But I'll learn quickly."

He opened the door to the roof and I immediately looked up at the night sky. The stars were hardly visible with the light of Sunyshore. I'd miss them, too. "Don't let the politicians run rampant. Don't be afraid to get rough, both with them and the trainers who come through. Remember, you're the last one on their way to the Elite Four; challenge them. Unlike Vaikuntha, you won't be throwing many battles. ...Play nice with the media and try to keep on the public's good side. It'll do wonders for you."

"What about you? What's going to change with the move to the Elite Four?" I asked curiously.

Volkner shrugged and looked out over the lights of the city. Previously his city. Now mine. I couldn't get over that; I probably wouldn't be able to for awhile. "I'll deal with it. It won't be as big of a change as what you're going to go through."

"...I already have a Gym trainer," I offered.

"That's good. Great, actually. You'll need all the support you can get until you get used to this."

"Is it going to be that hard?"

"No, but you'll think it is," he replied with a small smile. He took a breath and erased it, and then continued with his list of advice. "Remodel as fast as you can; help if you can, and hold battles if you can. You're going to be busy the first couple weeks. Take volunteers, in the name of Arceus, because you will need all the help you can get if you want to revamp what I left you."

"I'm thinking I'll just have rooms. Beat a trainer, go on to the next room. W-Would that work?"

"It all depends on how isolated you want to be." I didn't like the word isolated. "Things like that, they're your decision to make now."

"You're really just going to toss me to the Sharpedo and let me fend for myself?" I asked frantically, wringing the bottom of my shirt.

Volkner laughed and clapped me on the back. "Isn't that what I've done since day one?" When I didn't reply, he added in a more subdued voice, "You'll do fine, kid."

"...What about Nick." There, I said it. I brought it up.

"What about him?"

"I want to stop him. I've wanted that for a long time. It's why I even joined the race," I told him plainly, figuring it was better to lay all my cards on the table. I had to know what I could and couldn't do, especially in regards to him.

Volkner avoided looking at me and instead turned back to the city lights twinkling below. "...I'd wait a little while. If he has been after you, he'll stick around. If he was after the Gym leaders, he'll leave or still come after you. You should concentrate on getting the Gym going again and adjusting to your new lifestyle."

"What if he starts killing trainers again?" I asked lowly.

"If you have a magical way of stopping him that we're unaware of, by all means, please use it. But unless you have something like that, you can't just run off and leave the Gym. I'm afraid you have other responsibilities now, and while that includes keeping trainers safe, it also includes giving them badges and keeping up appearances," Volkner said in an equally low tone. I glared at him and he ignored me, so I huffed and looked back up at the muted stars. "Hey, you get to play politician now. You're just going to have to deal with it."

"Well I don't like it."

"None of us do. You have to grit your teeth and bear it."

The next day, Vaikuntha charmed audiences around Sinnoh on his spot on "Garrett and Mr. V", Volkner left without much hubbub for the Elite Four, and we were officially congratulated by representatives from the other regions. I finally caught up with Hanna, too, and she simply gave me a big hug. I got my Pidgey chicks back (finally) from Cossette and she gushed over me, and in a fit of emotion, I told Jude that I was keeping them and they could be my pets at the Gym. I figured now that I was a Gym leader, I could bend the rules a _tiny_ bit. And really, they _were_ pets.

"I know you!" Hanna exclaimed, pointing at one of the representatives.

The girl in question blushed fiercely and stammered out, "I-I'm sorry!"

Hanna tugged me over and hissed in my ear, "She's obnoxious. She apologizes for _everything_."

"How do you know her?"

"I bumped into her and I barely escaped within the hour."

I doubted she was that bad, so I just smiled at the poor girl. "You don't have to apologize for—"

"N-No, it's fine! I'm sorry—I mean—it's just a habit," she said, bowing her head in defeat. Sela laughed but managed to turn it into a cough at the last moment.

"So then, thanks for the congrats? Is there any more ceremony to this or are we just supposed to meet you all and say hi?" Benjamin asked, also looking at Hanna and clearly trying to inquire as to why she was there with us. I shook my head at him in response.

"We bring gifts!" a teenaged boy from Hoenn said excitedly, taking off his shoulder bag and rummaging around in it. That brightened our day. It turned out there was a nice little ceremony accompanying it; the other trainers went in order of region who had established contact with Sinnoh, they congratulated us on our positions, gave us a little gift, and then said something like they hoped we would continue to bring honor to our region and the Pokemon world. It sounded so heavy, phrased like that.

Mostly the gifts were foreign pokeballs and Berries, but they were still cool. And since I was already in Sunyshore, I simply walked over to the Gym later and planted my Berries on the sunny side of the building. Hanna and Cossette helped me water them. "I still don't like them. They're too smug."

"About what?" I asked calmly, making sure Cossette didn't drown them.

"I don't know. That one guy seemed pretty glad that two kids—no offense—were made into leaders," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just... don't like them much."

"They're only staying the rest of the week, so it'll be easy to avoid them. Okay Cossette, that's enough water for that one."

"Ah, yes," she said brightly, handing me the watering can back with a warm smile and shy blush.

"So... You live here now, huh?" Hanna said idly, kicking a rock by her boot.

"I... I guess I do." I hadn't thought about it that way, even when Volkner had given me a tour of the Gym and showed me where the bedroom was. It was sort of like an overly large hotel room, but it was mine now. The Gym would be my home.

"Don't your parents live in Jubilife?"

"Outside it, yeah..." I hadn't approached them yet on the topic of moving. I wasn't sure I wanted to. On one hand, it'd be nice to see them on a semi-regular basis. On the other, they'd probably find more excuses to worry about me. I hadn't counted on how many changes this would actually bring to my life. My home was no longer my parents' house; the Gym and Sunyshore were. I had a job, I had a place to live, and I had a Gym trainer. I had responsibilities I couldn't even fathom.

"This is some change," she said with a note of finality. I could only nod.


	131. Change Is The Constant

"So... You're leaving then."

"I am."

Vaikuntha and I stared at each other. He was smiling, naturally, but I couldn't muster up the cover. We had been through a lot together, both as friends and as Gym race trainers. And now he was moving across the country. I wasn't going to cry, but it was still so _sad_. He was the first of our group—Lola and Keith aside—to leave.

"We will see each other again, brother! We are both Gym leaders, are we not?" he said, pulling me into a hug. I awkwardly sniffled into his shoulder and then wrapped my arms around him.

"Y-You do good in Oreburgh. Be good to the little kids."

"And you too, brother," Vaikuntha replied softly, prying me off of him with a sad smile. "You will be great! I will come visit when I have the time, yes?"

Vaikuntha left my life as he entered—friendly, warm, and smiling.

For the rest of the day, I wandered around inconsolably. I didn't want any more Gym race trainers—or leaders—to leave. But they were regardless. Crasher Wake was back in Pastoria after telling me good luck, and Gardenia left later that evening. When I woke up the next morning, Maylene was gone and Benjamin was packed.

"So... Bye then."

He looked so uneasy, hands jammed into his pockets, cheeks red, glaring at the ground. I couldn't help but stifle a laugh and pull him into a hug. I was feeling huggy, so sue me. "Bye, Benjamin."

The real farewell was between Bentley and Carlita, however. His Roserade all but hung off his trainer with frantic demands to stay just a little bit longer, and this bewildered Carlita utterly. At least, until he stumbled over to her, blushing as madly as his trainer, and held out his flowers as a bouquet again. Carlita caught on and plucked a purple petal from him, surprising him. She held it up with a smile and then threw her arms around him, shocking him even more and sending them both into the grass below.

I had to pull them apart lest Bentley combust from embarrassment. Carlita eagerly waved them off, using the oversized petal as a sort of handkerchief. Benjamin left with his shiny Roserade for Canalave.

I was walking back to the Gym when I got ambushed by Alicia. She tackled me from behind, nearly pushing me completely off balance, but I caught myself at the last moment. "A-Alicia—?"

"Don't move," she replied from behind me, although I continued wiggling in her grip. "I'm saying goodbye." I froze; I wasn't prepared for this goodbye. "I'm heading to Canalave with Benjamin to help him with Byron's Gym."

That was unfair. "I-I know that it got awkward between us, but I don't want it to end like this," I said quietly, unable to help the embarrassment. Now I knew a little how Bentley must have felt. I managed to turn around in her arms and she let go of me, letting them drop limply to her sides. I frowned at her. "I'm sorry for... asking you out."

"It's okay! It completely is—you couldn't have known—"

"I'm still sorry. We could've been friends if I hadn't made it weird," I interrupted clearly. Alicia looked at me for a long moment, and then nodded.

"Alright. I've forgiven you, although you still didn't do much wrong."

"I... I hope you are okay after all of this," I said, seriousness dropping in favor of more awkwardness. I rubbed my arm and looked away, casting about for something else to say to her. I didn't want her to leave just like this. I wasn't a hundred percent sure what my feelings towards her were anymore (except confused), but I didn't want it to end like this. "Stop by, okay? Um, don't be afraid to visit, I mean."

She broke into a smile and patted my head. I burned in further embarrassment. "I will, don't worry. You think I'm gonna let any of you have a moment's peace? After I'm done renovating the Canalave Gym, I'll go bug priestess Sela, and then I'll come back south for you, okay?" She pulled me into a hug again, and I wiggled again, until she held me out at arm's length and kissed me on the cheek. I froze, unable to really process that, at least until she let go and said, "Since Archie plans on getting a kiss goodbye as well, the least I could do was balance it for you. But you had better keep in mind that that's the _only_ kiss I am ever giving you, and I'll kick you between the legs if you try to come onto me anymore because of it."

I nodded dumbly and watched her leave. So Alicia managed to leave with the same mixture of attitude and awe from me that she came in with. She was down the street and out of my sight by the time I placed a hand against my cheek and smiled.

Later that night, Sela caught up with me. I was expecting more goodbyes, but instead, she pulled me into a dark little alleyway and asked, "What happened to the fourth Pidgey chick?"

The question came out of nowhere and I could only stare at her, stunned by it.

She pushed me, a little too roughly, against the brick wall and leaned down until she was eye-level with me. "You've skated by on some good graces and good luck." That shouldn't be that funny. The look in her eyes and the fact that she had me physically pinned against the wall didn't allow even a mental giggle, however. "But you and I both know that things aren't all rainbows and sparkles that they seem right now. I got briefed on the Snowpoint Temple, and Fantina told me that the only reason they didn't put you up there was because they didn't want you anywhere near it or the Route that started all of this. _They're_ even aware of how bad you could go."

"Wh-What?" I asked, completely clueless.

Sela rolled her eyes and growled something under her breath. "You are a _risk_ and I've seen how you acted in circumstances that no one else has. I've let you keep your Pidgey chicks a secret because you seem stable enough and... Frankly, I didn't think you stood a chance of getting a Gym. Then Lola left."

"How am I a risk?" I spluttered, offended and still really confused. And intimidated. "Sela, _what_ are you—"

"_What_ happened to the Pidgey chick?" she snarled.

I reeled back, as far as I could while against a brick wall, and stared at her. I still had no idea what was going on, but it was better to go along with it than get stabbed again in this dark alleyway. "...She died."

"_How_?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business!" I snapped.

"It _is_, you little brat." Sela searched my defiant gaze, and apparently came to some conclusion about me, because she let go of me. She ran a hand through her hair and put her back to me. "...Stop and look at it through a normal person's view. Young, talented trainer with lots of promise. Managed to successfully put a stop to The Tournament but neither save Byron nor capture Nick. You have a Luxray with _issues_ and a ghost that creeps me the hell out. You were _best friends_ with Nick. Mostly harmless, but there's still that inkling of doubt. What if, what if... What if he turned?"

"You... You can't believe that, Sela." Suddenly, it all made sense. She had been so keen to travel with me and was so interested in things. She commented on the fact that I didn't view Nick as a monster. She saw me as a threat—not to her, but to all of Sinnoh. "I-I'm going to _stop_ him, not run to his side!"

She looked at me over her shoulder. "I think I believe you on that."

"Then why are you still so suspicious of me?" I demanded, hands forming fists.

"Because of the triggers. I'm not stupid, kid, and I think I've been around the block once or twice. I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you've changed. Your Pidgey is gone. Dead. _How_?"

"K-Killed by... bad luck."

"That's not going to cut it!" she burst out, looking like she was about to hit me for a moment. She relaxed, her shoulders sagged, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "How. There's a difference between old age and becoming someone's lunch. And considering those things were still balls of fluff at the time."

"A wild Ariados attacked us—me—and she fell out of the backpack when I was up in a tree." I was sorely tempted to add an angry 'happy now', but decided against it. I didn't want to make her any angrier, even if this felt like a major betrayal. I'd thought we were past that stage.

"Ariados, hmm?" Sela looked me up and down, and I nodded furiously. "What did you do to it?"

"I..."

"Goddamnit, _tell me what you did_," she cried in frustration. I knew she had a short temper, but I didn't understand the urgency in her voice. "I need to know what you did."

"Why?" I all but begged.

"Because look what Nick did when Matthew was killed! Look what _I_ did when I found Dana! I'm not going to turn you in or anything, I just need to know whether or not I can _trust_ you."

"You obviously can't!" I spat. "No more than the Gym leaders with the nightmares! Why do you have to know whether or not you can trust me? The Gym leaders do now!"

"They only think you found three Pidgey chicks. What did you do to the Ariados? Did you kill it?"

I stared up at her, angry and sad and wishing this had just been another farewell. "Yes, I did."

Sela sighed heavily and placed an arm over my shoulders. "...Can't say I blame you or that I would do anything different in your place."

She never said an actual goodbye to me before she left for Snowpoint. She only told me that if I would've snapped, it would've been then. Evidently I was 'safe' now. She was satisfied, but I just felt sick. A baby Pidgey would've been my trigger? Yes and no—hindsight and experience made me believe that now. If I would have snapped like Nick, it would've been _with_ Nick. The loss of Woonu was an entirely different trigger for a completely and arbitrarily aimed gun.

Fantina was the last to leave of the old Gym leaders. Archie, true to his word, stuck around in Sunyshore for the time being. Although it was eating away at me, I didn't mention it to him or Hanna or anyone else. Not even my team. I simply opened the Gym up for renovations—tearing out all of the insane things Volkner had put in—and accepted helpful citizens and trainers. The first day was for clearing things out, and with several dozen human volunteers and _many_ more Pokemon than that, we did pretty well. There was workable space, at any rate. Even if Ike had managed to completely destroy any semblance of circuiting and we didn't have power.

"Okay guys, we're just about done for today!" I called, cupping my hands around my mouth to be heard over everyone. There were a couple protests, but nothing major. "I've already called the electricians tomorrow, and uh, well, I guess I'll be opening this first room up tomorrow for actual battles!"

There was a smattering of applause and some excited cheering.

"So I guess the first batch of you guys only get a single Gym trainer to get through." Man, I wasn't really very good at the whole leadership thing. I waved the people out of my Gym, and since Nathan had his own apartment, I was left alone in the big, empty, dark building.

"See ya tomorrow bright and early, sunshine!" Archie called over his shoulder. "You forgot to set an opening time, so have fun with that!"

"Aha, yay," I called back in my most unenthusiastic voice possible.

"I would say watch out for ghosts, but it seems your little Duskull already has that covered." Konstantin floated over, a flashlight in his paws. He chuckled and pointed it up underneath his mask, lighting it ominously. "Just watch out for marble hornets, then. Sleep tight and don't let the monsters bite!"

I felt sorry for any monsters who might sneak in. They'd have Ike to contend with, who was perfectly happy in the dark. There was also Konstantin; if all else, he could Shadow Sneak them out, I supposed. I trudged over to the main door and made sure it was locked, and had Carlita make sure the side door was locked as well, all while wondering what a marble hornet was supposed to be.

The first night in the Gym was admittedly not the most dignified night of my life. I was used to spending nights on my own with my team, but never in a building alone. There was always Nick or Hanna or Vaikuntha or Nurse Joy or random trainers around and then their Pokemon to boot. But now, I was alone in a big, dark building. Ike and Konstantin were off prowling, Alice and Carlita slept like the dead, and the Pidgey chicks were prone to flapping their wings randomly in their sleep, creating a very scary sound that I always seemed to hear _just_ as I was drifting off and that always successfully managed to rouse me again.

I didn't get much sleep that night, at one point screamed very shrilly when Konstantin peeked in on me via a Shadow Sneak on the pillow next to me, and woke up curled up in Des' shaggy fur. Not my bravest night.

The enormity of what had just happened—bad night aside—hit me when I woke up and took in the Gym, a soft orange in the dawn light. This was my building, my home, my Gym. I'd have to man up at some point, but hopefully, having power again would help that.

When I opened the Gym doors, there was already a line of trainers long enough to cross the street in front. I stared at them all, first wondering _why_ they were challenging a Gym so early, and then remembering that the Sunyshore Gym had been closed for the last two months. Everyone caught in between badges had been halted in their quest for the Championship.

And standing in front of the line, batting her eyes up at me, was Sonya. "I'm here to trounce you again, Mr. Gym leader. Where's Nathan?"

I couldn't help but laugh and gesture her and the others vaguely forward. It seemed like all of the trainers waiting to challenge me were a lot more awake than I was. "The first couple trainers _really_ luck out, because my Gym trainer isn't here yet. Early bird and all that. That said, the rest of you get to work." There were a couple groans, but I glared them down. "If I don't get my healing machine working, you guys get to wait while I walk to the Center and back between matches. Actually, power in general would be nice. This half light is killing my eyes."

The third trainer in line, a man probably in his late twenties, turned out to have an engineering degree. Which was a lot better than the rest of us (a bunch of teenagers with partially completed school careers), although a little off. Sonya and I managed to sweet talk him into working on the machine before she officially challenged me.

"You don't win a date this time, you know," I said dubiously, after making sure the college educated man had my undying affection. Sonya gave me an arrogant grin in response.

"I'll snag Nathan later. I'll be fine with just a badge today, though."

I considered telling her about the fact that I threw the match last time. I decided not to, however. The illusion for me as a trainer hadn't been shattered until the Gym race; I would allow the same for my trainers. "Okay, well, we'll see about that." This would be my first battle as a Gym leader. My _first_. And it was to the girl I had been forced to throw a match to. The irony left a coppery taste in my mouth. I still wasn't sure if I should throw another to her or not. It'd be nice giving out a badge—even if they were just leftover ones of Volkner's and I had yet to design my own—on my first try, but I didn't want to _lose_. Too many years of training still made losing a sour prospect.

"What're the rules of your Gym?" she asked brightly.

I stifled a yawn and used the time to think. What should my rules be? I couldn't even remember what Volkner had done. ...I could always change it later, right? Would anyone blame me for having quick battles in the first week or so to catch up? Volkner said to hurry through them, so... "Uh... Double battle. Two Pokemon?" I guessed after receiving no help from my team.

"Alright!" That seemed socially acceptable. I passed the first test. Sonya eagerly released a Charizard and an Electivire that immediately set me into a sneezing fit. It wasn't as bad as an Electabuzz, but I pointed at it, gesturing for her to return it while I tried to recover.

"O-Okay, new rule! No Electabuzz, Electivire, or the little things that evolve into them!" I replied around a tingly nose, before running off to the bathroom to blow my nose and wash my eyes out. Such a great start I was off to. Thankfully, Sonya was more than gracious (and since the others now had warning, they couldn't complain) about it and had switched it out for a Zangoose. "Ike, leave the man alone and get over here and battle!" I called over, making our favorite makeshift electrician jump violently as he noticed the large feline beside him, judging his wiring. "And, uh..." I didn't want to use Carlita because she was part grass, or Zarek because he was still so young and weak. I also didn't want to put Alice in with Ike. "Des, come on over."

He waddled over and Ike gave me a look for picking the ground type, but I just shrugged.

"Challenger goes first!" Sonya decided and immediately her Charizard was in the air. Ike had leapt forward a moment too late, and with an angry snarl and no direction from me, started raining Thunderbolts down on it. Des looked surprised at the rushing and lazily turned towards the Zangoose—who, in turn, seemed offended at being the second choice and charged forward at him, claws drawn back for a strike.

He halted the strike with a Flamethrower that it was forced to dodge, and calmly kept the Zangoose away from him fairly easy with his range of fire attacks. "Des, keep it away! Ike, see if you can get the Charizard out of the sky!" The battle already seemed all about range; get the Charizard closer and keep the Zangoose away.

"Ugh, sorry Char," Sonya growled, then called over to her Zangoose, "Rain Dance!"

Both fire Pokemon gave her equally betrayed looks as her Zangoose raised its arms and hopped around in a bizarre circle. A downpour started almost immediately. Des whined and backed up, ears pinned back, volcanoes rumbling in unhappiness. The Zangoose flew at him again, claws back in a Shadow Claw, and it was easily able to break through his Flamethrower with minimal injuries and score a direct hit on him. He used a Lava Plume to get it to back off, but only barely. It seemed perfectly willing to take damage if it meant it could get in close.

Either Sonya hadn't known it or had figured her Charizard could take it. I didn't even need to tell Ike. He only bared his teeth in a grin and laughed before calling down a Thunder on the dragon. It managed to make its landing more of an actual landing instead of a crash, but obviously, it hadn't done too well. It crouched down as low as possible, wingtips and tail pressed against the ground, and let loose a weakened Flamethrower in Ike's direction. He leapt out of the way, although it caught his hind feet and tail, but didn't let that stop him. Another Thunder came down on the Charizard.

The battle went back and forth, Sonya and I trying to cover our heads with our shirts and the rest of the trainers in the Gym complaining loudly about the bath. Thankfully, the rain eventually stopped. By that point, the Charizard was barely standing and Des was bleeding from several gashes on his body, all of which made me nervous. He and the Charizard both shook the water off gratefully, steaming as they dried themselves. Ike even paused to lick off his feet and shake his head.

I debated the merits of using an Earthquake. It was one of the strongest moves in Des' arsenal, but it would undoubtedly take out Ike, and I wasn't sure how it would affect the Charizard. If it didn't get into the air in time, it would go down. "You know," a voice broke into our battle, making both of us trainers jump as we turned to our makeshift electrician, "I was making progress until you decided to soak everything."

"Sorry!" Sonya called pitifully while wringing out her shirt.

"Can you still make it work again?" I asked, worried.

"I don't know. I was mostly guessing to begin with. When is the actual electrician supposed to be here?"

"Uh... I don't know. An hour?" I turned back to the battle as the Zangoose used the opportunity to stealthily use a Dig and come up under Des, actually making him fall over. He flailed a bit with his short legs, while the Zangoose gleefully slashed away. "Hey! Wait a second, that's not fair!"

"You didn't pause the battle, and it's not like I was calling out attacks," Sonya replied, crossing her arms. Her Zangoose leapt over Des' legs as he tried to kick it.

Of course, that just placed it in front of his volcanoes. "Eruption!"

Ike yowled and jumped out of the way of the lava suddenly flooding the arena. The Zangoose took the attack at close-range and was knocked across the arena and into the far wall. It staggered back to its feet, the fur on its chest badly scorched, giving Des a glare that could rival one of Ike's fiercest, and raised its claws. It drew all of the puddles from the rain in front of it, and then used it as a Water Pulse. Des fainted immediately.

I returned him with a grimace. Ike wasted no time in noticing he was outnumbered and used a Thunderbolt on the grounded Charizard. It didn't faint, although I was fairly certain it couldn't fly at all now. My Luxray growled and sparked, backing up as the Zangoose approached. He used a Discharge that made both Sonya and my hair stand on end. She squawked in embarrassment and started petting it back down, making me laugh. "D-Don't laugh!" she snarled, and with that, her Zangoose and Charizard both burrowed into the ground.

Ike looked around in a panic, unsure of where to go. Needless to say, two consecutive Dig attacks did the trick and I managed to lose my first Gym battle.

Sonya seemed a little disappointed that it was one of Volkner's, but it wasn't as if I had any of my own just yet. Unfortunately, thanks to our rather wet battle, the healing machine was all but fried and our engineering friend couldn't help us anymore. I had the rest of the trainers wait in the Gym while I traipsed over to the Pokemon Center to heal Des and Ike, although with the cuts Des had gotten, I wasn't sure I'd be using him again soon. By the time I got back to the Gym, the crowd had basically doubled.

I put the waiting trainers to work clearing out the rest of the remains of the traps, and although the electrician still didn't show up, I did manage to get another guest.

Interrupting my battle with the engineer and distracting Carlita long enough for his Crobat to score a hit, a girl walked in, bag on her shoulder, skirt swishing around her knees. She walked right past the little line next to the arena and ignored the workers and broken healing machine (I had already gotten the bad habit of looking up whenever someone new walked in, expecting the electrician). In fact, she walked right up to me, looked me up and down with a critical eye, and then announced with a cheery smile, "Okay, this isn't as bad as I'd thought. Hello. My name is Arianna, and I'll be your designer."


	132. Give Me Truth

"My—what?" I asked with a blink. In the arena, Carlita shrieked as she was dive bombed again. "Carlita, get it out of the air!" I shouted, turning back without waiting for an answer. The battle had to come first. I had lost my first battle and won my second; my reputation as an easy or hard Gym leader would be made today. I'd rather be a hard one.

Carlita tried to throw a Seed Bomb at it, but it swooped out of the way with a high-pitched laugh. She tried to catch it with an Iron Tail, but it was too fast for that, too. Eventually she got so frustrated that she danced over to the nearest window and sat down in the morning light, practically daring the Crobat to follow her.

At least, that's what I thought until she unleashed a Solarbeam.

"Woah," Arianna said in surprise. I nodded dumbly, although for an entirely different reason. I'd thought she had forgotten the move. She said she had when Nick taught her Iron Tail.

Such a trivial little happy memory. I bit my lip and turned away from the girl, mentally growling at the thought. I had to concentrate on distancing myself from Nick. Especially if Sela—and possibly the other Gym leaders—still held doubt about me. "So, uh, I guess I win," I told my challenger, gesturing to the unconscious Crobat Carlita was dancing circles around. "Carlita, stop it. Get back over here." She limped over, a big grin on her face. My record was now two wins and a loss. I'd have to talk to her about the Solarbeam thing later.

"Nice battle," Arianna said, although there was something in her tone that made me think she didn't mean it. She dropped her bag between us and surveyed the place.

"Designer?" I prompted expectantly.

"Well, yeah. Sort of... a stylist. I'll be in charge of creating your official battling outfit, designing your badge, and helping with any other design things you want me to," she chirped.

"What?"

"Oh, come on. You've seen the other Gym leaders. You think they just roll out of bed with those awesome outfits?" She put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. "I can work with you. Do you have any ideas yet, or do I get to have free reign?" She sounded as if that was her life's dream. I shook my head.

"Uh, I'm kinda busy right now." I gestured at the crowd of trainers who were (somewhat) patiently waiting their turn.

Arianna took my arm in hers and started pulling me out the door. "You have to heal your Pokemon between matches, so we can talk on the way."

"Wait—I actually need my _Pokemon_, you know!" She looked back at Carlita and Ike. I jerked my arm out of her grasp—still unaware of what to make of this weird girl—and returned both of them. Arianna hardly waited for that before dragging me off. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll design the outfit first, since I can do a quick sketch of that while you battle. That shouldn't interrupt your busy schedule too much, should it?" she asked sarcastically, trying to take my arm again. I continued to keep it away from her, although my leg wasn't fond of being forced to walk at this pace. I slowed down and let her go ahead of me, glaring at the back of her head until she turned and waited for me. "We can work on the badge design later when you're not so swamped. That won't take as long to make, either. Have you given any thought to your badge yet?"

"Uh, no."

She sighed in a long-suffering way. "Have you given _anything_ any thought?"

"I've switched back to single battles," I replied with a shrug. She groaned and smacked my shoulder. "Hey! That's assaulting a figure of the government, you know."

"Ask me if I care."

"Do you?"

"Not in the least. Right now, kid, the only thing I care about is making you as awesome as possible in the least amount of time. You're an icon now, and I get to design you." She gave me a sharp smile, and I suddenly knew why she was so jarring. She was like Hanna when we first met, only more attitude and less spoiled. The bossiness and determination were the same, though.

Speaking of which, I had an idea that might be able to buy me some time to get a couple more battles out of the way. "You'll have to talk to my personal stylist."

"Huh?"

I flipped open the phone with a smirk. "I'll call her over, and you two can design my wardrobe as you see fit." I wasn't particularly fond of some of Hanna's clothing choices for me, but I trusted her judgment far more than I trusted this stranger's. Plus, wouldn't Hanna love to design clothing?

In the end, however, this backfired. Not the Hanna part—she gushed for the rest of the day about how Arianna was apparently pretty high in the fashion world, how she loved her line, how she would _oh my gosh love_ to conspire with her to design my outfit. Arianna was at first skeptical, but welcomed her with open arms once she let her in on how she'd been basically dressing me for years and had her own knack for fashion.

What backfired was that I completely overbooked myself. I had to constantly answer questions (even getting measurements taken mid-battle) every couple minutes. Arianna gave me the homework of mentally figuring out my badge. Add that in with keeping Ike away from the electrician, directing the last of the cleanup of Volkner's stuff, _and_, of course, battling several trainers and running back and forth to the Center in between on a leg that was progressively getting more annoyed with the entire endeavor. Then there was the fact that I had to babysit half the trainers and stop them from battling amongst themselves, as well as make sure Ike left _them_ alone, too, and that Konstantin didn't scare anyone too badly. I also had to keep in mind that I was battling indoors, which led to its own host of problems.

The healing machine turned out to be completely fried and had to be replaced, so I was condemned to several more hours of running back and forth to the Center. The upside to this is that trainers had big hearts. By the seventh battle, one of the trainers offered to run off with my Pokemon to heal them (I sent Konstantin along after him to make sure it was legit), and by the eighth, Nathan had arrived. This was good and bad. I had a tiny bit of a break while he battled and he managed to take a couple of the trainers out of my long line of challengers, but as the day wore on, only more trainers were pouring in. They took turns running my Pokemon to the Center, and when I had time I accompanied them just because they were _mine_ to begin with, but that was almost as stressful as doing it myself constantly.

We had electricity by two in the afternoon, and it was about then that I managed to break off the incessant battling for food. I hadn't noticed it during all of the chaos, but apparently, the Pidgey chicks weren't being ignored, either. I had set them in a nest of blankets down to watch the battles, hoping they'd learn a bit by osmosis or that Alice would take pity on them and begin to teach them how to fly. Instead, most of the trainers did.

"Well, look at that," Nathan said conversationally.

I nodded wonderingly, although more at the fact that Archie's Pelipper was the main teacher. He hadn't even come to say hi to me yet; when had he arrived? A couple of the female trainers were cooing over them, although mostly, it genuinely seemed like a joint effort to teach them. A Staraptor nudged the Pelipper out of the way and flapped its wings a couple times, hovering in the air, and all three chicks excitedly flapped in response.

"At least they have something to entertain themselves with, since most of the manual labor is done," he said, pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

"First—no smoking in my Gym. Second, I'm sorry for taking all of five minutes to make sure I don't pass out from an empty stomach." Nathan only laughed at me, although he did put the cigarettes back in his pocket.

"Welcome to the life of a leader."

"As if you knew ahead of time what this would be like!" I huffed angrily. I was doing the best I could. It wasn't my fault that it was so hard to multitask on this sort of scale. I shoved the rest of the sandwich in my mouth and stood up—only to get accosted by Arianna and Hanna again. "Mmph?"

"Think of any ideas for your badge yet?"

I shook my head, trying to finish chewing so I could talk properly.

"Do you _have_ to have another hooded thing for your outfit?" Hanna asked critically. I nodded. "See how stubborn he is?"

"I want a hoodie. Something with long sleeves and a hood," I told them.

"Get a jacket then," Arianna replied. I glared at her, but she glared right back. "You're supposed to be an icon, remember? Not another forgettable teenager going nowhere."

"Uh, excuse me! I'm a Gym leader? I wouldn't call that going nowhere!"

"Exactly!"

"Hoodie."

"I'll give in to the long sleeves, and _maybe_ the hood if you stop pissing me off."

"I have to go battle again, but you know where I stand on the issue." I limped off—only to be intercepted by the electrician.

"It looks like everything's back in working order, although I'd suggest stopping your Luxray from discharging too much electricity so close to the wiring again," he informed me. I nodded wearily. "The new healing machine will be brought over in an hour or two, and I'll be back to install it then."

"Thank you so much."

"Heh, no problem. Good luck, kid. Looks like you'll need it." We both looked at the ever-growing crowd. He clapped me on the back and left, probably glad he didn't have to stay longer than necessary. At least I'd cut out the walks to the Center in a couple hours.

And so I returned to endless battling. I was still winning over half of my battles, although in the last couple, my team and I were beginning to slip. There were injuries that a trip to the Center couldn't magically heal, and we were all pretty much exhausted. It didn't help that I couldn't use Zarek, either. (Well, okay, admittedly it wasn't the fact that I _couldn't_ use him. I just didn't want to put him up against Pokemon of this level.)

Eventually, as the afternoon wore on, my leg gave out completely. Being on my feet almost all yesterday and most of today was getting to me. I sat and directed battles, until Archie was kind enough to bring me one of my own chairs. Although I was less than gracious when he insisted that I sit on his lap. "When do I get to battle you?" he asked cheerfully.

"No alcohol in my Gym, and you already have your badges."

"I have _Volkner's_ badge—"

"I'm still giving out Volkner's badge," I deadpanned, shutting down his argument.

Changing tactics, he tried blithely, "So how'd you spend your night?"

"Fine."

"Not afraid of Slenderman coming to get you?"

"Uh... What?" I had to sit down on the floor next to him, rubbing my leg to try to get it to stop yelling at me.

Archie snorted and stood up, letting me have the chair. I gratefully stole it before he could change his mind. "You didn't watch the video? I'm heartbroken. I was hoping your curiosity would compel you to at least check it out..."

"I didn't have power last night," I reminded him, waving the next challenger over. We continued chatting idly—or rather, we tried to. It was sort of hard to battle and talk at the same time, and even more surprisingly, it was hard to battle sitting down. There was just too much adrenaline to sit still, especially for someone who, pre-leg-injury, would run around and shout and gesture along with his Pokemon.

The final straw came two battles later. I had lost the last four battles, mostly due to the fact that my Pokemon were exhausted. So it was that, mixed in with the fact that as I was relishing a tiny break in between battles, clapping and a couple whoops broke out from the crowd around my Pidgey chicks. And between the bodies and just over the heads of the various birds helping, I spotted one of them flap up into the air and glide back down over a Yanmega.

I scrambled to my feet and limped as fast as I could over to them with a rather undignified squeal of, "Oh my gosh!" A couple of the trainers chuckled as I made my way over and scooped up Oonu and Vi, Voonu hopping out of the way with a whistle. On the second try, I managed to get him, too—although they only reminded me how sharp their claws and beaks were. All three of them gracefully fluttered out of my hands as I shook my hands, trying to get rid of the pain and only managing to flick blood at a couple of the nearer trainers.

My babies were _flying_.

Well, sort of. A little. They were _learning_, at least, and all of these random strangers were doing far more for them than Alice had.

"They're cuties," one of the trainers said with a smile, casually wiping the blood off of his jacket.

"You got them during the race, right?" another asked eagerly.

"What're their names again?"

"These two are flapping around better than the little one—why is that?"

I looked down at the three chicks, who, while not content to be squished in my arms, were looking up at me and all too happy to show off their fluttering skills. My leg reminded me that it didn't like movement so I knelt down in front of them, and suddenly I had all three of them in my lap. "This one's Voonu, this one's Oonu. And the little girl is Vi. She can't... She can't fly as well as the others because her wing was broken," I said haltingly. Vi whistled in encouragement, nuzzling into my hand. "Well aren't you sweet when you want to be," I told her, only to get pecked on the same hand.

A couple of the girl trainers knelt down beside me, physically and visibly restraining themselves from picking the Pidgey out of my lap. "They're so cute!"

"Are they the Gym pets?"

"Oh, are they mascots?"

"How much younger than your Krabby are they?"

I looked up at them, a little surprised at the knowledge. And the concept of mascots. I looked down at the triplets again, absently scratching Voonu under the beak. He snapped at me and I scratched his stomach instead. Okay, I couldn't pet them the same way I petted the others. I tried to think of where Alice liked to be scratched, and hesitantly scratched the front of his throat. Voonu tilted his head back with a happy sound. "Uh, they were very small when I got them. Zarek's probably only a month, a month and a half older than they are."

"When are you going to use it in battle?"

"You could battle more trainers if you had six Pokemon to work with..."

"Hey, I know that," I said flatly, trying to pick out the trainer who'd said that. It was impossible in the densely packed Pidgey fan club. "When I get some actual _free time_, I'll work on training him and getting these little chickies to fly. ...Thanks, you guys, for teaching them."

"We had to do something to occupy ourselves."

"Oh, shush. They're so cute! It was fun!"

"And your Altaria wouldn't let us near the Krabby."

"Okay guys, you can stop crowding the Gym leader." Nathan, either due to very refined instincts or training, came over and started physically breaking up the people. There were immediately cries of objection. Luckily for my fatigue and for Nathan's attempt at keeping control, Hanna and Arianna came back over and managed to beat back the rest in their effort to get to me.

"You! I need a your badge ideas!" Arianna crowed, pulling me to my feet. Well, tried to.

"And you have to come see what Mr. V just announced as tomorrow's episode!" Hanna added and grabbed my other arm. So I was literally dragged to the bedroom by two girls. Life just liked to laugh at me sometimes. They tossed me on the bed just as the credits faded to black and the preview for the next episode come on.

I flailed around—only to freeze completely as Lola waved uninterestedly at the camera. "Tomorrow's guest star is the illustrious Lola Gram, one of the strongest trainers in all of Sinnoh!" the narrator said excitedly.

I could not picture Lola willingly going on a talk show, especially after walking out like she did.

...Unless it was because of that. I couldn't see Lola betraying our nightmares or the Gym leaders, no matter how angry she was. She wasn't that petty. Maybe spiteful, but not petty. I couldn't see any other reason why she'd want to talk with Mr. V, though. "...Did it say why she's gonna be on there?"

"No, just that she is." I made a mental note to watch it tomorrow. If she did decide to reveal the reasons behind her defection, well, wasn't it going to fall to me to... do whatever? I would have to do some sort of damage control. Hopefully someone else would step in to at least help; I couldn't _imagine_ having to give a press conference about that on my _own_. What would I say? Whose side would I take? No, I'd _have_ to take the Gym leaders... since I was kinda one now.

"Badge designs!" Arianna pulled me from my worrying with a firm yank on my arm. She set me up as if I were a doll, even going so far as to position my shoulders and hands in my lap. "Good little toy soldier, now tell me what you're thinking for your badge. I need a direction to go in," she said, patting me on the head.

I scowled at her. "I haven't thought of anything yet. Weren't you supposed to give me more time while you two played with clothes?"

"Oh yeah!" Hanna chirped, bouncing to her feet.

Arianna dove for her bag and pulled out a sketchbook, scattering paints and pencils as she did so, and flipped through to the end. She held it out for me with a proud grin. I studied the drawings and sketches, firstly taken by how good she was. I was far from an artist myself, so maybe I was easily impressed, but the sketches were really good. It was odd, looking at doodles of my profile and various expressions in the margins, although the outfit took my interest soon enough.

"...I assume the color scheme will be blue?" I asked, surprised at the detail she had managed to put in. Even down to pockets and changes in fabric.

"Do you _love_ it?" Hanna gushed. "Arianna's a genius, and we both agreed that this is the best of the concept outfits."

"It doesn't have a hood."

"No, see, we even though of that! Show him." She flapped her hands in excitement and Arianna flipped back a couple pages. In the bottom corner was a rough sketch of a jacket. I couldn't help but look at the rest of the page, though; it was drawings of my team and I. Most of them were tiny, but very recognizable. Two of Des, one of them of him licking the back of my head. Several of Carlita in various dance moves. One of Ike curled up and another of him ripping into a Rapidash. Konstantin was scattered around the page, most of them with him covering his skull mask with his paws. She seemed to like drawing Alice, too, judging on the portion she took up. Flying, preening, singing, sitting with Zarek in her fluff.

"You... drew my Pokemon?" I asked. Not that I was insulted or anything—far from it. They were very good. I was just surprised, having thought that the girls spent the day in my room talking about fashion.

Arianna shut the sketchbook, almost catching my finger in it. I jumped at the snapping sound. "So what do you think of the outfit?" she asked in a cold, businesslike tone.

"It's, uh, good." What was _that_ reaction about?

"Badge ideas?"

"I... don't have any yet."

"...Have some for me tomorrow, okay? I can't imagine you have many left of Volkner's and you have to get on this. I'll amuse myself tonight with getting more detailed drawings for you and Hanna, but I really need to have your ideas," Arianna said, voice warming up again. I smiled weakly at her and nodded.

"I'll sleep on it. Promise." Although with Lola becoming social, Arianna stealth sketching my Pokemon, and my Pidgey chicks learning to fly, I wasn't sure how many ideas I'd come up with.

Nathan and Archie managed to get rid of all of the stragglers, and Carlita and Konstantin herded the Pidgey chicks in my direction so I didn't have to walk (or crawl) across the Gym again. Nathan bade me goodnight after that. Archie stuck around a little longer, mentioned those weird marble hornets again, and then held me still so he could get a goodnight kiss. It was on the cheek and since Alicia had given me a freebie I figured I could let it slide, but I warned him that he wasn't getting one later.

He only took it as a challenge, depressingly enough.

After everyone was gone, I made sure all of my team members made it into my room. Ike, naturally, slunk off after a cursory check-in, and Konstantin floated off after him. Alice yawned and dragged Zarek off to bed, but Carlita was still awake, bouncy and energized from a day of fighting. While exhausted, I wasn't exactly tired myself.

"Come on, fly!" I tried, clapping my hands. The triplets looked up at me with equally flat expressions. "Come on, you were doing it earlier! Flap! Like this!" Des snorted a laugh as I flapped my arms, probably looking like an idiot in the process.

Vi yawned, and the boys hastily mimicked her. The three of them curled up together and closed their eyes. I looked over at Alice, who was trying hard not to smile. Birds went to sleep early, I knew that, but now that I was alone, I couldn't even get my babies to fly a _little_ for me? It was unfair.

"_I'm bored_," Carlita said, bouncing on her toes.

"Do you want to watch TV?" I asked. I wasn't up for anything physical.

"_No! I wanna watch a movie!_" she cried, still bouncing. I didn't bother correcting her, but I was surprised when she added, "_I wanna Slenderman! The water trainer told me about him!_"

My second night passed, even with electricity, with much less dignity. _Marble Hornets_ turned out to be a horror series, something I somehow had not realized. We weren't even a half hour in when I shut down the computer, closed all the blinds, and had Konstantin check all of the locks in the building again. Des laughed at me again, but I was too far past caring.

"_I don't want a Slenderman anymore! I don't want him to come!_" Carlita squealed, buried in my chest.

"I don't want one either! Des, shut the door!" That had been terrible. Carlita crawled into bed with me, until we decided that Des was probably a safer bed. He humored us—until he fell asleep. I felt further betrayed when Carlita managed to fall asleep with no apparent problem, occasionally kicking in her sleep. After one too many to my back and one very painful one to my leg, I had to move. I tried rolling her away from Des, but she was dense and fought me unconsciously. I had to move to my bed. Alone.

I ended up taking out my phone and calling Hanna. I woke her up, since it was going on three in the morning, but agreed to come over when I explained to her what sort of monster was stalking my mind. Her hair was down and she was missing makeup and jewelry and had only kicked on boots and a coat over her pajamas, but I had never been so glad to see her.

Of course, my dignity didn't last long when she saw how scared I was. I knew I was a Gym leader, I knew I was almost fifteen, I know I was supposed to be an adult now. But I was still alone with my traitorous sleeping Pokemon. Hanna pulled it back up on the computer—but the result of that was that we were _both_ hiding underneath the blankets. "I'm too creeped out to be a gentleman, and this is _my_ bed—"

"Ohh, _no_ way! I'm not getting out from underneath these covers!" she hissed at me, digging her nails into my arm. I winced and detached her. "I'll be a gracious guest and let you _share_ the bed. Just so long as you don't try anything."

I gave her a look. She was my friend, and she was going out with Jude. Making a move was the last thing on my mind. It was forgotten entirely when the door opened with a terrifying creak. Hanna and I both screamed—I'm not sure who more shrilly—and clutched each other.

Konstantin covered his teeth with both paws. "_I am so—haha—sorry, comrade. I truly am. It was too much for me to resist._"

Hanna did have a moment of bravery, not long after that. When I jumped at a Pidgey chick shifting, she only frowned at me. "...You know, there are more important things to be afraid of than this," she whispered. I looked away from her, perfectly aware of that. I nodded guiltily. Of course, both of our seriousness and bravado disappeared when Carlita kicked the bed, moving it a good couple inches, and we both shrieked like little girls.

Ike did the same thing as Konstantin just as we were drifting off, only with less apology, of course. I eventually passed out just because I was so _tired_. It had been a hectic and full day, and the constant surges of adrenaline were only wrecking my body more.

When I woke up in the morning, Hanna was already gone. I felt a little bad about that, but figured I would apologize when she stopped by later. And so began the third day, in which everything went wrong.

I took a shower—and got invaded by an ecstatic Breloom, singing Pidgey chicks, bubbling Krabby, and clingy Duskull. I ate breakfast—and had most of it stolen by a bottomless pit of a Camerupt, a very stealthy Luxray, a cheerful Breloom, still singing Pidgey chicks, and a very sassy Altaria. I opened the Gym doors to the public once more—only to find Sonya waiting at the front of the line again.

"Uh, you already got my badge."

She pushed out her bottom lip and batted her eyes at me. "...I still need to train for the Elite Four. They're too tough. ...Can I be a Gym trainer for a little while with Nathan?" I was too glad to have more distractions for my guests to even think about turning her away. Nathan was earlier than he was yesterday, too, which meant that I actually had a little bit of a buffer of time between challenges. Two trainers worth of a buffer, anyway.

And that time was rapidly eaten up by harassment from Arianna, watching the chicks flutter around the Gym, and actually getting to know some of the challengers. I'd freely admit that that last part was actually pretty nice. "So you're just, like, taking any trainers who want to be Gym trainers?" a girl asked curiously, gesturing to Sonya's Charizard.

"Uh, sort of. Nathan is officially my trainer. Sonya is just training here for the Elite Four." That was a pretty sound excuse. I chuckled as Oonu tackled a very surprised Konstantin out of the air. "Kostya, play nice with them! They're still learning!"

He saluted, although he still seemed unsure about them. Then again, we were all getting used to the prospect of flying chicks. They'd be even more of a handful. If only I still had four...

"Your badge ideas?" Arianna broke in, seizing my shoulders and shaking me out of my thoughts.

"I-I don't know! I don't have any themes as a trainer! Aside from bad luck..." Wow, that last part had come out a lot more bitterly than I had meant.

She growled and let go of me. "Luck badge. Give me the okay, and I can work with it."

I blinked, torn between two choices. Getting Arianna off my back about this would be _very_ nice, and it would also be _very_ nice to have a badge of my own. Especially considering the fact that I had only four of Volkner's badges left. But I probably shouldn't make such important decisions just because I wanted them to be made.

Voonu knocked over a chair, scattering my cell phone, the last four badges, keys and water bottle. The last burst open and spilled water—over the brand new healing machine. It sparked once, and all of the lights in the Gym went out.

"Yeah, let's go with Luck badge," I told her, turning back to her with a bright smile. Arianna laughed, for the first time genuinely, and went back to her little nest of art supplies near the wall. "Do I have an electrician among any of you?" I called out hopefully, only to be met with shakes of many heads. I limped off to get the business card from my room. A phone call, an apology, several reprimands, and a battle with a challenger later, I was done with Center runs (again).

A little knot of trainers shouted a thank you to the electrician. I bowed to him and apologized again. You'd think an electric Gym would've had better wiring... Well, no, that wasn't fair. It _had_ had good wiring until me and my lackeys had gotten our hands on it.

"Hey, how're these ideas for a badge?" Arianna asked, holding out another sketch page.

"Des, Flamethrower! Try to get the—no, see if you can cut it off!" Trying to get a Ninjask out of the air was very hard. At least the Shedinja accompanying it had been easy to take down. I absently turned to my designer, only giving it a brief look over. "Uh, yeah, those look okay—Des, Lava Plume followed by a Flamethrower! Try to corner it!"

"You didn't even look."

"I'm kinda busy here. I only have four badges left to give out and—Des, just _bite_ it if if comes that close again!"

"_I don't see you out here trying to catch it in your teeth!_" he called back heatedly.

"Just so long as you catch it!" My attention was forcefully taken when Arianna put the sketchbook in front of my face. "Hey—!"

"You only have four badges left! If you okay a design today, you could have an order of badges here by tomorrow!" she snapped.

"Okay, _fine_. Just—after this one battle, okay? After that, you'll have my full attention!" I promised, gently pushing the sketchbook out of my immediate range of sight.

It took another twenty minutes of the Ninjask gleefully dodging everything Des threw at it. It didn't help in the least that it seemed to get faster with every passing moment. I forfeited the match when Des actually exhausted his fire sac trying to beat it; I cut my losses and handed over a badge instead of wasting more of everyone's time and energy. Three badges left.

Thankfully, having two Gym trainers really helped. Sonya and Nathan managed to defeat the next three would-be challengers, which allowed me the time to look over Arianna's designs. In the margins of the paper, again, there were sketches of my Pokemon. Arianna caught me looking at them. "Hanna had jokingly suggested that I style your outfit after one of your Pokemon. That's why I keep drawing them. Speaking of which, where is she? It's almost two."

"Uh, I dunno."

"We were gonna watch 'Garrett and Mr. V' together. With you, if you got the time off, since isn't your friend the guest?"

"We can wheel the TV in the bedroom out here, and I can work while I watch. Out of these designs... I like this one the best." I pointed to the middle one. She nodded seriously and took it back from me, making a little star next to it. "Is that all there is to it?"

"I'll make a couple tweaks on the design and I'll need a final okay, but otherwise, yes." She glanced around the Gym, tucking a lock of her black hair behind her ear. "Since you're still swamped here, I'll fill out the paperwork. You'd only need to sign a couple things."

"Thank you." I needed all the help I could get. I wasn't very good at managing time, or endless battles. Without my Gym trainers and Arianna helping with the design stuff, I would've been completely lost and probably would've gone crazy from it all on day two.

We took a quick break to eat, ordering pizza—which just turned into a monster of an order when the trainers waiting for battles decided to chip in and get more pizzas for everyone. Still, at least I didn't have to leave the Gym or cook. And it was _definitely_ nice to have the breathing room when just about everyone sat down and ate together, putting battles and planning on hold.

Arianna called everyone over and we sat in a huge semi-circle around the TV for the show, munching on pizza. Many of the Pokemon who were released decided to take naps, although a couple wandered over in curiosity and watched with us.

The anxiety I felt soon came back, however. Lola could be vindictive and there went the nice, playful media and positive attention. And I would be the one to do damage control. I ran through ways I could think of to do that—and came up with very little. How could I repair the Gym leaders' reputation if everything came to light? I couldn't discredit Lola and I wouldn't lie for anyone if I didn't have to.

I watched the beginning part of the show halfheartedly. It wasn't until Mr. V and Garrett stood up and welcomed Lola onto the set that I concentrated on it, heart leaping into my throat. She didn't look angry (then again, she didn't ever look anything) and she only waved politely at the cameras. "Well then, I have to say, I was surprised that you accepted our invitation onto the show," Mr. V said with a charming smile.

Lola snorted and shrugged. "Perhaps I got too used to the spotlight in my run as a Gym race trainer." I caught the look she gave Garrett, the other host, though. Did she _blush_? "Although, with the way the media had treated us..."

"You plan on changing that?" Garrett asked. Yeah, that was a definite blush. Mouth agape, I had no idea even Lola could fall to the lows of wanting to meet a cute guy. Judging on the others' reactions, however, I supposed I was the only one who caught it. I knew her the best, after all, and even those sorts of reactions were incredibly subtle from her.

"I plan on challenging the Elite Four again after a little more training. If I become Champion, Sinnoh is getting an overhaul. I'm sure the other Gym race trainers would support me."

They continued to make smalltalk and the hosts made a couple jokes, until Mr. V asked, "Having spent the better part of the last two months with someone named Vaikuntha, what would you think my name is?"

"...I haven't the faintest," Lola said, frowning in thought. "I had spent a lot of this morning trying to think of a witty answer for you, but honestly, I cannot think of anything that hasn't already been guessed."

"Well, how about we do a little trade?" He leaned in, and while Lola didn't look it, I could tell he had her attention. "I'll tell you my name if you tell me why you left the Gym race."

"Only if you tell it to the viewers at home, because I'm sure you'd want my response televised."

All around me, there were gasps and hasty phone calls, many of them girls, all of them calling and telling their friends to turn on the television to hear Mr. V's name. I didn't get what the big deal was, although I remembered that he had wanted me to guess his name, too. Was it that big of a deal?

I was more worried about Lola's half of the deal.

"Why so tense?" Nathan asked, elbowing me in the side. I must've jumped a foot in the air. I also dropped my pizza, although Konstantin hastily appeared and carried it off with a cackle. "Woah, why so jumpy?"

"N-No reason." That, of course, only made me the center of attention. I focused on the TV, only for Garrett to announce a commercial break. "Hey, where's Archie? Has he come in yet today?"

"He said something about sleeping off a hangover in the Center this morning," one of the challengers replied. It was better than dealing with him here, so I let it slide. Although it was strange to not have Hanna and Archie there. I had to get used to that, however. They'd both leave soon enough.

"Liar, I saw him sneaking off to the television station on my way over here," a boy just behind me said. "He's probably off to figure out Mr. V's name."

Or he had the same worries I'd had about Lola. I swallowed and fidgeted nervously. It'd come off as less condescending if he, another loser (why did that sound so bitter in my mind) was the one to call off her potential attack than me, a winner. Then again, I just didn't like this situation. And I couldn't even figure out _why_ I felt so nervous. Surely Lola wouldn't do anything stupid. She wouldn't screw us all over just to hear some guy's supposedly real name. She had much more interest in Garrett, anyway.

Just as I made my mind to stand up and see if I could find them both, the show resumed. "During the break, these two have decided who's going to go first," Garrett said with a conspiratorial smile. "And Mr. V lost the coin toss!"

Several of the girls around me—including Arianna and Sonya—stifled gasps and leaned in.

"Of course, I'm not just going to announce my name. I feel like a little talk is in order first," the man replied, folding his hands over his knee. Lola arched an eyebrow. He chuckled and added, "What can I say? I appreciate grand reveals."

"To say the least," Garrett quipped.

"When I first heard of the Gym race, I had to admit, I thought the idea was entirely foolish. But as it wore on, as the public got to know more and more about the contestants, even as the riot broke out in our very streets, I warmed to the idea and the trainers involved. Of course, we had a large spectrum of trainers from all parts of the region and the world. And then, we found some true diamonds in the rough.

"With all of the fear surrounding Nicholas Sayre, it was astonishing to find his friend amongst the trainers vying for positions. It was even more surprising to find the very trainer in the room with he and Cynthia during the tragedy that started it. Of course, allegations and accusations flew every which way. No one wanted a Sayre follower in a position of power, but they all persevered. Of course, trainers were dying regardless, because Sayre was coming to Sunyshore."

Lola opened her mouth, but Mr. V continued. I couldn't tear myself away from the TV screen, even if my heart rate was through the roof and I knew this was going to end very, very badly.

I just didn't know how badly.

"Of course, what everyone failed to realize was that they had already infiltrated positions of power. The police force, the media. Sara Grace Kellner, for example. Still, the Gym race marched on. Miss Gram was a favorite, even. That said, for all of her black and dispassionate tendencies, no one was screaming follower. And that, I'm afraid, is too bad."

I stood up without realizing I had. On the television, everyone seemed to be moving at once. Mr. V stood up and had a gun trained on Lola, and she was behind the chair, pokeballs in each hand. It seemed like forever that they simply stared at each other, but it could have only been a moment, because someone shouted and broke the spell.

"My dear viewers, you can call me Vaporeon," Mr. V said calmly and pulled the trigger.

Lola fell back and hit the floor with a thump. We didn't get to see her, as the camera hastily swung around to reveal Archie just off stage, pulling an ultra ball from his belt. A young woman came up behind him and tackled him, and the ultra ball rolled away as they both hit the floor. The camera was dropped and we could finally see Lola, on her side in a puddle of blood, her legs obscured by Archie wrestling with the girl.

Just as he threw her off, Mr. V marched into view and placed the gun to his temple. He froze—but the man pulled the trigger anyway. Archie's bloody body collapsed on the floor, and for a brief instant, we could see both his and Lola's bodies in the same frame again. Then the camera was quickly picked back up and went black.


	133. Makes For Harshness

My body moved on its own. My mind was busy shrieking to the sky over what I had just seen. The tiny little part of me, the responsible, Gym leader part, was telling me _damage control, damage control now_. I didn't turn off the television since it was black, and instead marched stiffly over and grabbed my cell phone.

I nearly dropped it when the Gym doors slid open and several people ran in. "It—What's going on? There are people with guns out there!" I recognized two challengers from yesterday and the representatives from Hoenn and Unova.

"Get in an-and lock the door," I said shakily, then turned back to my phone. I scrolled down the list and hit Hanna's name. She picked up after the second ring. "Hanna? Where are you?"

"I'm not in Sunyshore anymore. Why?"

"Have you been watching TV?"

"No, I've been out all day. Why do you sound so nervous?"

"Do you have Jude and Cossette with you?" I asked—no, begged.

"...No, I don't. What's going on?"

"Can you get them?"

"I'm already out of Sunyshore. I-I'm not going back; I'm leaving for my dad's place. _What_ is going on?"

"Just stay out of Sunyshore! There are—things are going to get bad. Stay out of the city, please." I didn't want her getting hurt again. And if they were the same as last time, the same as Nick, then Jude and Cossette were going to be targets as well. I hung up and scrolled down to Jude's name, but I only got his answering machine. Cossette's went straight to it, which meant that her phone was off. My parents were already back in Jubilife.

A couple more people ran by outside, but none of them tried to get into the Gym. I walked back over to the knot of trainers who were in here with me; they were my responsibility. All of Sunyshore was, but these were directly my responsibility. I took a breath and tried to keep calm. Even if my voice cracked on the first syllable. "O-Okay, I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to figure it out. Sonya and Arianna are in charge of the Gym. Keep it locked down and don't let anyone in. Nathan, we're going out."

I was going to go straight for the source this time. No more anxiety or late decisions. No more death.

Unfortunately, as I started returning my Pokemon and headed towards the doors, I passed the trainers. I heard a click and felt something press into the back of my skull. "Not so fast," the Hoenn representative said lightly. "I think you've underestimated how it's gonna go this time."

-.-.-

We were kept in the Gym under lock down. No one was tied up or gagged or beaten. All Pokemon were returned and the pokeballs, great balls and ultra balls were kept away from the trainers. The cell phones were taken away. The Hoenn representative had been on their side the entire time, although the Unovan one was apparently just as shocked and lost as we were. Of course, he had help. Soon after making sure I was subdued and no one was going to attack as long as he had a gun pressed to my head, he called in a couple more armed trainers and secured the Gym completely.

And then the television broadcast resumed.

Mr. V—Vaporeon—reclined behind a table usually reserved for the news. Which meant that he probably had control of the entire station already. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to reassure you that our earlier show today was the bloodiest this will get. In fact, I had not planned on killing Archie, since he could have been a great ally. I will also inform you all that it was only shown in Sunyshore. No other city has knowledge of what's going on here."

With the internet and cell phones of today's age, I couldn't help but snort in disbelief. This was going to get leaked. It had to.

"My people and I have control of the airwaves, the Gym, and the Pokemon Center. We have hostages, although we don't want to use them in any situation. We have subdued the trainers of Sunyshore. This is going to work out smoothly and with no more death, just so long as no one else tries anything. Lola's death was a message. We will kill those in power and only those in power, and only if they do not agree with us.

"As such," he continued, putting his fingers in a steeple, "The old Gym leaders will be killed. The leaders of Oreburgh and Sunyshore are safe. Canalave will be given a choice, but Snowpoint's leader will fall as well."

"Why are you and Vaikuntha safe?" Sonya hissed from beside me.

"I have no idea." Maybe they were keeping me alive out of some sort of deference to Nick. But Vaikuntha was about as anti-Nick as you could get, not to mention the fact that he would never go along with something like this. They were giving Benjamin a chance, but they were going to take out Sela? "...They won't get that far. This had to have gotten out. And no one's going to go down that easily."

"A number of viewers may be asking about these seemingly arbitrary decisions. Since we are perfectly willing to be honest with our plans, I will share, just so I can make what we're doing perfectly clear," Mr. V continued, as if reading our minds. I glared at him even if he couldn't see it. "For several months now, all of Nicholas Sayre's followers have been divided. There were the insane girls responsible for The Tournament. And then there are us. Please do not confuse us; we will not kill indiscriminately or force trainers to fight each other for their lives. That is cruel and worse than what's already going on.

"While we will be adopting Pokemon code names for our own protection, that is as far as our similarities go. We are simply going to take over Sinnoh and prove to the government once and for all that the real power lies with the trainers. The trainers who are virtuous and work with their Pokemon. We will gently weed out undeserving trainers through preemptive measures once the government has fallen to us. We will appoint new Gym leaders and officials and release the region to go ahead with its collective life. We do not plan on causing chaos, but rather, install a safer and more human peace.

"But I digress. For months, we have been able to identify fellow followers through our teams. Of course, circumstances and statistics tell us that this is not a foolproof method, but it was a start, and it allowed us to gain greater numbers. Garchomp is practically a symbol of Nick. Houndoom and Stantler, while we did not agree with their ideals, were icons regardless and we use their namesakes. We use the lesser-known leaders of The Tournament as well—Flygon and Espeon. We use the team Nick used to challenge Cynthia—Magmar, Medicham, Aerodactyl, Mothim, and Smeargle. One of these Pokemon on a team is enough to pique interest. Two is a quiet affirmative. Three is all but proclaiming it."

Oh no. I felt like a bucket of ice water had just been poured down my neck. I could see the logic behind that, I could, but I know where they were going with it.

"Sunyshore's leader will be left alive so that Nick may speak with him. Oreburgh's leader has two of these Pokemon—a Flygon and a Houndoom, publicly and throughout the Gym race."

"No! That's a lie!" I burst out, standing up. I immediately had guns trained on me, but I glared at them. "Vai is _not_ one of your teammates, he would never!"

"Sit back down," the Hoenn representative snapped.

I did, although not without wanting to fight back. Vaikuntha couldn't be a follower. He simply couldn't; he wasn't cut out for it. It wasn't a matter of refusing to believe it. It was that he _wasn't_. "You're trying to turn us against each other," I hissed. "So what would his codename be?" I asked, a little more loudly. "Why would he give out his real name to participate in the race?"

"Mr. V is also a public figure. They're both willing to be out in the open so they can communicate with the masses."

"...What's _your_ codename?" Nathan asked before I could speak again. He held an arm out to keep me in place and looked up at the trainer holding the gun as if they were chatting about the weather.

"I don't see how it matters."

"You could better induce Stockholm Syndrome so we don't turn on you and rip your throat out," he replied mildly.

He rolled his eyes and shifted his gun. "You may call me Salamance, she's Charizard, and he's Aggron."

"Why do you go with Pokemon names, anyway?"

"Anonymity. They protected the people in charge of The Tournament from ever being identified."

The minutes ticked by into hours. There was nothing we could do. A couple of the trainers tried to chat amongst themselves, but the atmosphere was too heavy to allow much of it. Eventually, as darkness was starting to set, I called, "Let them go. You already have the Gym leader. Let the trainers go."

"Tomorrow, perhaps. We're still locking down the city and making sure it belongs to us. Tonight, you all get to have a sleepover," the short girl called Charizard said, grinning sharply.

"We're sleeping in the Gym?"

"I won't be getting much sleep..."

"Can we at least get some pillows and blankets in here?"

I don't know if they were actually kinder and gentler than the psychotic girls in charge of The Tournament, or if they were just tired of us whining, because they allowed two of the trainers to go into the bedroom and take the covers and pillows from my bed. It was far from enough, but at least it was something. Dark fell slowly. I almost wished I was still scared of that stupid video instead of what was going on now.

They turned off the lights in the Gym once it was fully dark. A couple people screamed from the suddenness of it. "Shut up! It's only the dark." Our three guards clicked powerful flashlights on, running them over us. "No one's going to be able to see in here. If any of you try _anything_ at all, well, you'll regret it."

Fear was probably their biggest weapon, and they were using it pretty effectively. We were unarmed and without our Pokemon; we weren't going to take on three people with guns. In the dark. In a relatively unknown environment.

From the faint light of the moving flashlights, I could see most of the trainers settling in for some semblance of sleep. Arianna had taken off her jacket and offered it to another trainer as a pillow. Most of us were left with our arms, however.

Somehow, I managed to drift off to sleep.

Only to be woken with a hand clapped over my mouth and Sonya leaning over into my vision. "Shh," she hissed and released me. I propped myself up on my elbows, just to be pulled over into Arianna's lap.

"Hold still," she breathed.

"What are you doing?"

"I still have my art supplies. We're getting you out of here."

"What are you talking about?" I whispered, squirming in her grip. She pressed something into my hair, dragging it out along the locks like a paintbrush. "Are you _painting_ my hair?"

"No, it's white-out." That was even worse. "Hold still! I don't have much of this as it is."

"What's going _on_?"

Nathan put his hand over my mouth again and I glowered up at him. "Two things. One, they said they're releasing the trainers tomorrow. Two, they said that you have to speak with Sayre, which means that he's in the city or close, probably running this entire debacle."

"They'll realize that there's no Gym leader if I just waltz out and no one's left," I said after prying his hand off of my mouth.

"We're already talked to the other trainers. Enough of us are going to stay behind to mask it. You and Sonya are going to switch places."

I stared up at him, completely unimpressed with the stupid idea. "That has no chance in hell of working."

"Do you see any other short brunettes here? We're doing the best we can!" Arianna hissed, pulling viciously on my hair. "We're gonna color your bangs with white-out and color hers with charcoal. It's not as if they've had time to study us, so the change of hair color should be enough."

"Hers is longer than mine!"

"I'm cutting mine, and you haven't had a haircut for awhile. We're hoping that helps," Sonya whispered. I turned my glare on her. She frowned and took off her glasses, shoving them on my face. Everything became a little blurrier. "Look, we know it's weak. We _know_ and we don't need you reminding us. But you _have_ to get out of the Gym. It won't give them a chance to use a Gym leader as a hostage, and you can stop Nick."

"_How_?" I asked desperately, still not liking this plan. "I don't know where he is—and I'm not sure if I can even take him down."

"_Talk_ him down then! If they're keeping you around for him, then obviously he's looking for you. You have more of a chance than any of us!" Nathan bit out.

"...They're going to find out. This won't last very long."

"If it can get you out the door and you can make a break for it, that's all we need," Arianna told me. "Done! Congrats, you have dyed hair now."

She sat me up. I squinted at her past the glasses. "Sonya, aren't you going to need these?"

"My eyes are good enough. Things just get a little blurry up close," she replied with a smile I could barely make out.

"This is a bad idea," I repeated. I stood by the statement even more when Nathan began pulling my shirt over my head. I bit back a yelp, remembering the silence we had to keep if we wanted this to have even the _slightest_ chance of making it, but renewed my glare for him once he successfully got my shirt off. He handed it to Sonya, who turned around before stripping her shirt off, too. Hers fit me—albeit a little tightly—and mine fit her well enough.

"Pants off."

"_No_."

"They'll notice the difference," Nathan warned.

"First off, they'll have to deal. Second, she's wearing a _skirt_. If _nothing_ else, they'll notice the fact that I haven't shaved my legs lately." I wasn't about to mention the fact that I had crossdressed to get out of the country before. That would only encourage them, and I had no hope for this, anyway. I knew I had to get out of the Gym, yes. But I would have preferred to take it back first.

"Don't worry, I have a pocketknife."

"Don't you even dare."

"Would you rather be a pawn in all of this? Sit on the sidelines?" Arianna whispered lowly, narrowing her eyes. I shook my head. That was the farthest thing I wanted. The problem with this wasn't that it'd put me in danger, but _them_. Sonya in particular. "Don't worry. They won't start killing soon; they'll want to make sure they don't completely turn you away from them. It sounds like they have a bit of hope they'll be able to pressure you into joining. They'll keep us alive, even if it's to hold against you." She completed the wholly depressing statement with a bright smile.

"...I'm not sure I can do this," I said quietly. I couldn't help but look at the pocketknife Nathan had out. "But if it's the only shot we have..."

"Good. Now hold still."

By the time dawn rolled around, I was tired. Tired of arguing, tired of the skirt that didn't quite fit right, tired of licking my finger and wiping off the blood on my legs. Still, it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. My hair was shorter than hers had been, but she cut hers shorter than mine to compensate. My clothes were baggy on her and hers were a little tight on me, but miracle of miracles, somehow I managed to fit in a girl's clothes. My eyes had gotten used to looking through her glasses, although I already had a headache from it.

"Just be lucky she's flat chested," Nathan said seriously. Sonya hit him (hard) on the leg for the remark, although I was a little glad. Arianna covered her mouth to stifle the laughter. "Now, Arianna and I are both going to stay back with her. So will a few of the trainers—we managed to get about half to stay. Half will leave with you. Unless they start _really_ inspecting you, you should get outside. Take back ways and get to the television station. Check in on the Center if you can. Find Nick, and _stop him_."

"What about his followers? In... In The Tournament, they weren't following his orders. He's the one who killed them. What if they keep going without him?" I asked in a small voice.

"Then stop them, too," Nathan replied firmly.

"Also, try not to talk. You can't pass as a girl that way," Arianna deadpanned. I frowned but nodded. "Keep your head down and don't look at anyone. If it comes down to it, just run. Even if they try to stop you, _run_."

"If they open fire, I'm staying. I'm not going to allow anyone to get shot," I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest. "No one else is dying under my watch."

"All the more reason for you to stop them."

By the time the sun was fully up, everyone was awake and staring balefully at our guards. They had said they'd release the trainers today. It wasn't a promise and they could do what they wanted, really, but we were expecting it anyway. We were _counting_ on it.

Finally, Charizard got up and walked over to our little group. "We'll be letting the trainers go today. Provided they don't cause any trouble once outside."

No one said anything.

She sighed and hung her head. "Play silent. Your stomachs are talking plenty. Don't worry, mister Gym leader. Once we get the unnecessary trainers out of the Gym, we'll feed you and your guard."

"If we want, can we stay?" Arianna asked clearly, tilting her head back haughtily.

The other girl surveyed her for a long moment. "...Well, we're not going to force anyone. You can stay or you can go. But this is the only chance you will get until this is entirely taken care of."

"Until _what_ is taken care of?" Arianna asked.

"Our takeover."

None of the guards paid much attention to us as we stood up and stretched and stayed in a group together. Then, they had us separate into those who wanted to go and who wanted to stay. We were perfectly split down the middle. After making sure Nathan and my proxy Gym leader were in the staying group, they all but pushed us towards the entrance.

"Wait—our Pokemon!"

"What about our Pokemon!"

"I'm not leaving without my team!"

"Do you think we're stupid?" Salamance snarled, lowering his gun. We backed up and I positioned myself at the back of the group and kept my head down. "We're making _sure_ you aren't tempted to cause any trouble. Tomorrow or the next day, when we have secured the rest of the region, you'll be given them back."

"Out!" Aggron growled, practically poking one of the trainers with the barrel of his gun. The guy being poked yelped and jumped back; it was all I could do to not step in.

Instead, I was pushed out with half a dozen other trainers.

And then I was in Sunyshore and out of the Gym. Albeit in a skirt, but that was the least of my worries. That had been too easy. I walked quickly away from the Gym, towards the Center, and expected them to come out with every step. Or that I would hear gunfire from within it. So I had _somehow_ managed to get out, but without my team or cell phone. Or clothes. I didn't have any money on me. Hanna and my parents were out of the city, but Jude and Cossette were still here somewhere. Too bad I didn't know either of their numbers off the top of my head.

Instead, I resolved to just go with it. I didn't have my Pokemon, but I could still find Nick. I could still check on the Center, too. I managed to get within a block of it, but it was just like The Tournament in Jubilife all over again. There were two guards outside, one of them conspicuously holding some sort of rifle.

I jogged to the television station and found the same predicament. I was tempted to reveal myself and hope they brought me to Nick and that I could somehow talk some sense into him, but that would only work against us all. I needed to either face Nick alone (or in a battle).

I started meandering my way back to the Gym, trying to come up with _something_ as a plan. If I could find Jude or Cossette. Jacques could help, and Jude had plenty of strong Pokemon, right? If all else—I didn't want to admit it to myself, though—they were friendly faces. I _needed_ one right then. I felt so alone and so helpless.

I checked the hotel we had stayed at during the Gym race, but they weren't there. They weren't at the Gym. I could only hope they weren't in the Pokemon Center. I didn't have the faintest idea where else they might be (hopefully together, though), or if they were even still in the city. I amended my wishes—I wanted them _out_ of Sunyshore. Mr. V didn't seem quite as bloodthirsty as the girls from The Tournament, but I didn't want a breeder and a young girl with pets caught in the middle of this.

That put me back... nowhere. I had thought that I'd have my team with me. I checked on the Gym, but it still wasn't guarded from the outside. I didn't want to peek inside. If only I had psychic powers to Teleport in...

Or knew a Pokemon who had a psychic lock on me who could bring me straight to Nick.

"Who!" I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Who, come get me! Bring me to your trainer!" I waved my arms in the air, as if expecting the Hypno to appear. Well, _hoping _he would appear. But he didn't.

Instead, the last person I expected to see jumped down from the nearest roof. "Who are you shouting at?" Keith asked, pushing me into the shadow of the closest building.

I stared at him, jaw slack. Another Gym race trainer. Another strong trainer. Someone who wasn't cities away or already restrained. I couldn't help but throw my arms around him, all too relieved and aware of how stupid I was acting. But after seeing Lola and Archie murdered, I allowed it.

"Woah, get off of me!" He carefully pulled me away and held me at arm's length. "You're in a skirt and you're hugging me like your life depended on it. You had better have a damn good reason for both."

"Don't you know what's going on?" I asked, far past embarrassment.

"No, I just got back into the city last night. It looks like a ghost town out here, so I've been on the defensive."

"Why are you back in Sunyshore then?"

"Lola texted me," he replied in confusion. "She mentioned going on television, so I figured something was up. It's not something she would do lightly."

_Lola_ had called him here? _Had_ she planned something then, or had she had some sort of inkling as to the danger she could've been in? "Keith... Lola's dead. Lola and Archie both."

He simply stared at me. "...What? No, I just talked to her yesterday."

"Sh-She was killed yesterday. By Mr. V—Vaporeon—he's one of Nick's followers." My voice was rapidly failing me. I sniffed and swallowed, trying to keep it at bay. I kept pushing their deaths back in my mind, ignoring it. I couldn't break down now when there was so much to do. "Archie too."

"She couldn't have," Keith repeated. "Lola isn't that stupid. Neither is Archie, but... Lola was a mastermind. She would've known if a celebrity was evil or—"

"Keith, I saw it happen. I saw her get _shot_ and then—then he put a gun to Archie's head and—" I couldn't keep up the facade anymore. I swallowed again, past the growing lump in my throat, and ran my wrist over my eyes. I pushed Sonya's glasses up onto my hair to press my hands into my eyes when that didn't work. "Damn it, Keith, they're both dead. He took over my Gym and the Center and the airwaves. It sounded like he's a-aiming for all of Sinnoh and I _don't know what to do_. I had to get into a freaking skirt to let a little girl take my place in the Gym, and I don't know when they're going to get caught and what'll happen if they do."

"Calm down, calm down." He sounded far from it himself. "You're the Gym leader here—"

"I'm not cut out for it! I'm on day five and look what's happened!" I hadn't meant to have a breakdown in front of Keith—or at all—but I was fighting against it with all my might. I bit the inside of my cheek and kept blinking to keep the tears away, and looked up at him again. Plans could change. If Who wasn't going to pick me up and whisk me away to Nick, then I had to get back into my Gym and get my team. "You're a ninja, right?"

"Well, yeah. Trained under Koga himself." He sensed where I was taking this and looked at the Gym building down the street.

"Could you help me retake the Gym?"

"I'll help you retake the whole city. If this guy killed two Gym race trainers, I don't care if I walked out or not." He looked angrily away, scowling. "I mean... I'm still a trainer. I'm not going to let Nick Sayre ruin things any more than he has. He's not going to take any more Pokemon or trainers away."

"Thanks. Thank you so much."

"Do you have to wear the skirt though?"

"I actually _really_ want to get out of it. Words cannot describe how much I'd like to get out of it right now."


	134. The Quality Of Mercy Is Not Strained

"Before we do this, I need to know if I have to kill or incapacitate." The question came out of nowhere. I looked at Keith, bewildered, and belatedly tried to figure out what the correct answer will be.

"...Incapacitate them if you can. Otherwise, kill them. Just take them out."

"And there's only three of them, right?"

"Three, but they're all armed. I don't know if they have Pokemon with them or not."

"They won't get the chance." I know it was bad of me to think, but I couldn't help but be amazed at how dire and awful this had gotten. I was apparently giving out permission to kill, and that didn't bother me as much as it ought to. Possibly worse than that was that Keith was ready and willing to kill, too. Not to mention capable.

Then again, they had killed Lola and Archie. Fair was fair.

I tried to keep that in mind as we headed towards the Gym. Our plan was pretty crude, but if he was as much of a ninja as he claimed, then hopefully I wouldn't end up getting shot. Especially because my part of the plan entailed me walking through the front doors, spreading my arms wide, and shouting, "Hey, terrorists. Missing someone?"

For a brief moment, all three of the guards looked at me. My eyes flickered over to where two groups of trainers were huddled—all of them tied up. They had noticed my absence then.

Then the throwing knife buried itself in Salamance's neck.

He went down with a gurgle and Charizard screamed. Aggron turned to the body, eyes wide in horror, only to be landed on by Keith. While the last guard was busy watching them, shocked and gun held loosely in her hands, I took a running start and tackled her. The gun skidded away several feet; I could deal with this now. I didn't care if I had no fighting experience, I was against a girl.

Too late, I remembered how Maylene had handed my butt to me and the girl called Charizard soon did the same thing. She shoved me off and pinned me, although I kicked her off of me before she could completely immobilize me. I dove at her again, kicking her in the stomach as she rolled away from me. She snarled and leapt for her gun. I started after her—only for her to catch it, whirl around, and point it at my face.

That hadn't gone as planned.

"Let him go." I looked at Keith out of the corner of my eye. He was looking pissed and held Aggron up by the hair, the point of another one of his knives pressed into the guy's neck. "The Gym leader is your only major bargaining chip with anyone and you know it. You're not going to shoot him."

"He—We're killing others, so he can die, too. We'll just replace him," she hissed, baring her teeth. She looked at Keith, just for the smallest second. I threw myself to the ground and quick as lightning, he dropped Aggron and threw the knife, hitting the gun out of her hand. I reached forward and yanked her legs out from under her; her head hit the cement floor with a nasty crack and she wasn't quick to get back up.

And with one dead body, an unconscious girl, and the help of a ninja, I took back the Gym.

-.-.-

We untied the trainers and tied up Charizard and Aggron. Keith kept an eye on the Unovan representative, since we were still unsure about her, while I apologized profusely to my Gym trainers and Arianna. Nathan had a split lip and a black eye, and Sonya had the signs of a bloody nose. "Nathan said it was his idea, even though it wasn't. It was mine," Arianna confessed, helping him to his feet. "They didn't lay a hand on me and they nearly shot him when he yelled at them for hitting Sonya."

"They were planning on shooting me anyway," Sonya muttered, taking her glasses back from me gratefully. "They had plans to shoot us when you reappeared. Where'd my clothes go?"

"Uh, I'll buy you new clothes," I lied. I turned to Nathan, hardly daring to meet his eyes. "...Thank you. For keeping them safe. I-I'm so sorry—"

"It's okay. I think I can take a punch better than anyone here, so it wasn't any big deal. This looks worse than it feels," he dismissed. I wasn't convinced, but I did feel a little better about it. And the important thing was that no one had died.

Well, aside from the Hoenn representative.

"You're going to have to get rid of the body," Keith said archly, gesturing to it.

"How?"

"How should I know?"

"You... did it, so you should take care of it." Only because I really had no idea what I was doing. I was pretty much lost with all of this, but having a corpse in the Gym didn't help things.

Nathan once again earned our group's favor by walking over as we were arguing, picking it up, and throwing the body over his shoulder. He calmly walked outside with it. We stared numbly after him. After a few minutes, he came back empty-handed.

"...This is so illegal," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "Please tell me he didn't wind up in a dumpster."

"He was holding us hostage. You don't owe him anything," Arianna snapped.

"Still! He's dead now; he can't hurt us anymore! We should at least... I don't know."

"Bury him in the backyard like a dead pet?" she deadpanned. I shook my head, made the most exasperated sound possible, and stalked over to the chest where they kept everyone's Pokemon.

Of course, a few of the trainers present (myself included) didn't mark their pokeballs, so we had to release everyone and then have the trainers pick out theirs. The ones left over had to have belonged to the trainers who'd left, so I could only return them and put them back in the chest for now. I didn't know what to do with another person's Pokemon.

I did, however, feel tremendously safer and more prepared with my team beside me.

"Okay then. Nathan, you're in charge of the Gym. I'm going to go out and—"

"And _what_?" Keith immediately challenged.

"Probably go save the Pokemon Center," I replied, cowed.

"How are you going to do that?"

"Storm in?"

"And that'll only get people shot. You're going to have to think things through a little better," he said and crossed his arms over his chest.

I mimicked the action and asked, "Okay, so what do _you_ propose we do?"

"This isn't a battle with Pokemon. They proved that when sending armed trainers in," Nathan remarked, gesturing to the two tied up against the wall.

"I'm not using a gun. I don't know _how_ to use a gun," I said, quickly shutting down his idea. I wasn't going to sink to their level. I was ignoring the fact that we had a bloodstain on the Gym floors, but it didn't mean I wanted more death on my hands.

"Which makes you useless."

"Hey!"

"I agree with your trainer. You can't shoot and you can't throw knives. Your Pokemon are your only ranged attack," Keith said critically.

"_I've_ never had to fight before!" I shot back.

"Well you do now!" Arianna burst in. "Look, you're a Gym leader now, and you get to fight, regardless of whether or not you're prepared. You have trainers to take care of and bad guys to fight. First, let's figure out what to do with the Gym. They're going to send more idiots like those two back here once they figure out what's happened, and even if they're idiots, they have guns."

"Then... What about the police? Are they involved yet?" I asked.

"If they are, they haven't come here. I imagine they have their hands full just keeping people in their homes and safe."

"We can call them and alert them to the fact that the Gym is ours again."

"With what phone? They cut all cell reception earlier; the idiots were complaining about not being able to contact their allies very easily."

"I don't know what to do, okay? Since all of my plans are so bad, why don't _you_ guys just tell me what to do!" I exclaimed in defeat. They all looked to me as if I had some sort of brilliant plan, which I didn't. I didn't have one for The Tournament, and I didn't have one now.

Arianna grinned evilly. "I thought you'd never ask." Apparently, she did, though.

I exchanged a glance with Keith; neither of us had been expecting that. Arianna first directed us to inform the trainers in the Gym that they'd have to stay there for their own protection for the time being. We could only hope the other trainers came back for their Pokemon soon. We'd have to figure out what to do with the Unovan representative, too. When we questioned her, she only apologized incessantly, claimed she wasn't with them, but that the rep from Kanto _was_. She didn't know about the Johto one, either.

After searching her and finding no weapons and only three Pokemon, we decided we could untie her, although we weren't letting her out of the Gym.

"These guys are obviously pretty smart. But their underlings aren't; I'm guessing they're just regular trainers. We can use that against them," Arianna said as she flipped on the computer. "Phones and the like are down, which means that most people won't be calling anywhere or accessing the internet now. So their only source of information will be the television, where I'm sure that bastard is still broadcasting. He'll keep the public out of this through sheer fear, which we can also use against them."

She ran through a couple things, and then held out her hand expectantly. We looked at her blankly.

"Pokedex! I need one. So hand it over."

"I... don't have one." I hadn't had one for years.

Keith rubbed his arm awkwardly. "I lost mine awhile ago, too..."

We looked out the bedroom door, where, predictably, most of the trainers were huddled and watching. A couple of them shrugged, but we got two offers of Sinnoh-made Pokedexes.

"See, the standard Pokedex can connect to the internet if you know how, although usually it's just for updates and stuff. But the important part is that it runs on its own system and satellite network. So if we just hook it up here... _Voila_! Congratulations, we have internet access again." Arianna beamed at the screen with a proud nod.

"That helps us how?" Nathan asked, unimpressed.

"They can't knock out the internet, duh," Sonya replied, smacking him on the arm. "So if anyone still has a working computer in the city, we can contact them."

"Well, that too. Most older trainers should be able to figure this trick out, so we'll have their attention. But guess who else probably has internet access?" Arianna asked. She had her evil smile back in place.

"The television station," I said and she nodded. "Anything we post or do will be immediately caught by them—but no. He has television, we have the internet. We can communicate with him without finding him."

"From the Gym website, which you better believe he'd be watching like a Fearow. Especially if we start recording video messages to put on it."

So that's how I wound up sitting in front of my web cam, smiling with a confidence I certainly didn't feel, hood pulled up over my head to hide the white-out in my hair (which wasn't coming out). I waited for the light to come on, and then started, with a smug little smirk, "Hey, Mr. V, Sunyshore. This little broadcast is to let everyone know that I've taken my Gym back. He tried to take it over with a couple of morons, but it'll take a _little_ more than that to beat me. Any trainers stuck in the city are welcome here as a safe house. But be warned—no one carrying any firearms will be allowed into the Gym. You can try to take back the Gym again, _Vaporeon_, or try to turn me against the other Gym leaders, even. It won't work. Vaikuntha isn't on your side, and you're not going to be able to take out Sela Schaffer. Good luck with Benjamin, too; he'd never join you. The old Gym leaders aren't going to stand for this either. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're going down. _Hard_." I didn't have to force the snarl at the end, thinking of Lola and Archie.

Arianna cut the video and put it on the website. "Now we turn on the television and wait for his reply."

"Why can't I go save the Center in that time?"

"Because first we're going to draw attention away from it. If he's concentrating on taking the Gym back, we can trim down his numbers as they come and then go rescue the Center. Unless he starts using the hostages in there, we can let them sit," Arianna said matter-of-factly. Nathan made a disagreeable sound but didn't say anything. She glared at him regardless.

"You're going to have to keep up the brave facade for any future broadcasts, too," Sonya reminded me. "You have to act confident. No one can see how scared you are."

"I'm not scared," I lied pathetically. "It's more... I don't know what to _do_. I'm just a kid with some Pokemon."

"And that's what _they_ are, too," Arianna broke in cheerfully. We both turned to her. "That is both their biggest strength and biggest weakness."

"_What_?" Sonya asked, eyebrows meeting her hairline in confusion.

Arianna sighed and leaned against the door frame, nodding out to the smattering of trainers in the Gym. "What they're doing at face value is putting the power in the hands of the trainers. Which is all well and good. The problem is that they're elitist about it. But that's beside this point—trainers, even if they _do_ have all of the power and the average teenager with six badges can give most of the police force a run for its money, they're just _kids_. They're not trained for this. They can't use guns, they're unused to bossing others around, and deep down, I'm guessing they don't _really_ want to hurt anyone else. They don't know how the world really works, they don't understand the politics of keeping the training population in check. It's why you don't know what to do."

"But I _have_ to. I'm a Gym leader," I replied, running a hand through my hair. The white-out made my bangs stiff and bits of it flaked off in my fingers. I played with it in annoyance. "I have to figure out what to do here, because apparently, I'm in charge unless the Elite Four come down here."

"Right," she nodded. "But. The difference is that while you agree with their values, you're not going to join the nearest icon for deserving trainers."

"What do you mean I agree?" I asked, affronted. The _last_ thing I needed was more suspicion right now.

"Plenty of trainers shouldn't be trainers. They'll either end up hurting themselves or their Pokemon. And then there are the monsters who use Pokemon for their own gain. The training population _does_ need weeding out, and if nothing else, they've accomplished that."

"Along with half of the rest of us!" I couldn't argue with her logic, though. These weren't homicidal maniacs we were dealing with anymore. Murderous and cruel, yes, but they were smart and much more subdued. They weren't going to kill half the training population on a whim. "...But I see what you're getting at," I added quietly.

"They're more rational than the last batch and that's dangerous. They're going to swing people in the middle to their side. But it'll be just more trainers. More stupid kids with super-powered animals thinking they can rule the world," she snorted.

"You seem pretty knowledgeable," Nathan said suddenly. I looked at him, surprised to find him staring hard at her. She looked back up at him defiantly.

"Just because I'm not a trainer doesn't mean I can't keep abreast of current events."

"You have pretty intimate knowledge, regardless. You seem to know a lot about trainers, _especially_ since you evidently aren't one. One of the points you're getting at is how we're going to have to be careful in who we trust the next couple days, so..." The end of the sentence hung in the air between them like a noose. Sonya and I took steps backward and let them glare at each other.

"...I'm smart. So what? I have degrees in psychology and anthropology. Just because I'm a designer doesn't mean I have to be an airhead. _And_, just so you know, my sister is a trainer. He actually saved her life in The Tournament," she spat, jerking her thumb towards me. "She went and got her ass handed to her, and if he hadn't busted out of the building, she would've been toast. Literally. So excuse me if I pay attention to the Sayre followers a _little_ closely after that."

Arianna could've been a Nick, I realized. In a way, she was. She was crusading against his followers because of secondhand tragedy. I was simply glad she was on my side. She turned and blatantly ignored Nathan, nodding to Sonya and I as she brushed past us.

"Did you have to be so paranoid?" Sonya snapped.

"Excuse me if we were just held hostage and beaten by foreign representatives!" he retorted.

"Guys, break it up. We can afford to be a little critical of the other trainers, but don't fight each other. We have to—"

I never got to finish that statement, because at that moment there was an excited squeal (followed by a hasty apology) from out in the main Gym. The Unovan rep pointed at the TV screen, and I could hear the man before I saw him on it again.

Mr. V stared flatly out at us, seated behind the news desk again. "It's a pity this hasn't gone as smoothly as hoped. Dear viewers, I regret to inform you that a siege of the Gym will have to start. Please, stay indoors and out of the way. No one wants casualties." At least he had that right. I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to my uninjured leg, reminded again of how reasonable he pretended to be. "Mister Gym leader, it truly is a pity it had to come to this. But I'm afraid I need the Gym—and Nick has all but demanded your presence."

Before, he'd been hinting at Nick's involvement. But now he was definitely saying Nick was involved. I didn't want to believe he'd fallen so far as to use his followers for something like this. I had thought he'd said he'd _stop_ killing. I didn't want to believe it a hundred percent, but that was a pretty strong remark and not a bluff someone would make lightly, follower or not.

"I hope you meet you again in person soon, with as little bloodshed as possible. Don't do anything stupid in the meantime."

Before the screen went back to black, the young woman who'd fought with Archie came into view, saying something in low tones to him. He glanced at the screen and nodded. It went to black.

"...Oh, damn," Keith said softly.

"What?" The man had said nothing that was news for us. We already knew this would turn into a siege of the Gym.

"That woman."

"What about her? Do you know her?"

"You don't recognize her from the description?" he asked in surprise, giving me a dark look. I shrugged and shook my head. "...Alicia's nightmare was about losing her friend's Pidgeot. She described her friend as having brown hair with the bangs dyed black and a lot of facial piercings."

I looked back at the TV, even if the screen was blank, mouth pressed together in a firm line. "With sunglasses and homemade jewelry... Crap, that was her. Tessa."

So Alicia's best friend and girlfriend (that sounded awkward, even in my head) was very likely a large part of this. We'd have to stop her, naturally, regardless of whose friend she was. But did Alicia know? What would Alicia think if she saw her best friend help in the murder of two Gym race trainers?

I figured it would be something akin to rewatching Nick face Cynthia.

"That doesn't matter for the moment. We only have to stop them. We can deal with her and Alicia later." It was horrible of me, but I couldn't help but think that if she never found out, it would be better for everyone involved. I could tell by looking that Keith was thinking something along the same lines.

It wasn't long before a couple more trainers trickled in. Nathan and I searched them, but since none of them had weapons and they were all very terrified and one of them was from before, we let them in. "We're going to have to get food at some point. Not to mention more pillows and blankets if this lasts too much longer," I sighed, looking at my growing crowd. I was glad to be offering shelter and could protect any number of them, since now that I was better prepared and had control back I wasn't going to let them get into danger if my life depended on it. But this could take awhile. I hadn't had time to really stock the Gym for food or things like that, and now I was regretting it.

"My apartment is just a couple blocks over. I can bring some blankets and stuff, and what I have for food. It's not much, but it'll help," Nathan said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Take your Pokemon with you."

"...I've been meaning to ask if I could take more than that," he said, dropping his voice. I furrowed my brow, unsure where he was going. "The guns they had are locked in the safe, right?"

"You're asking for a _gun_?"

"First off, don't say it in that tone. I am ex-police and ex-military and I still hold a valid weapons license. I am probably the only one who knows more than 'point and shoot' that you're going to find." He frowned down at me and gestured to the motley crew scattered about the Gym. "If you don't want me to, I won't shoot to kill, but I don't think it's about that, is it?"

"I don't like guns."

"I don't like being pistol-whipped either, but we can't all have our dreams come true. I'd rather be able to defend myself and others than have to rely exclusively on fist fighting and Pokemon."

"...Go to your apartment. I'll think about it. I'll have Kostya or Ike follow you for protection if you're that worried right now," I told him tiredly. He nodded with a scowl and left. I released Konstantin and asked, "Could you follow Nathan and keep him safe? Shadow Sneak him out of any danger. Watch out for any of the crazies with guns—or Pokemon. Please, be careful."

"_I will, comrade_." He patted my head, making me smile helplessly, and floated out after Nathan.

They were only gone twenty minutes at most, and they arrived back with plenty of supplies. Konstantin had a pillow in his paws, Nathan had his arms full of blankets and a couple jackets, and his Arcanine had a pack of sorts fashioned out of pillow cases and filled with food. They were immediately met with joyous and hungry shouts from several of the trainers, and we quickly realized that we'd have to get more supplies at some point if this lasted too much longer.

A couple more trainers came in, one of them filling us in on details of the Pokemon Center. "There's people with loaded guns out there and they have a Gardevoir watching the front door. It chased me away when I tried to get close," he said breathlessly, looking pale.

"We'd need a plan to liberate it," Keith pointed out.

"If you have one, please share," I replied. He moodily stayed silent.

The afternoon wore on with a handful more trainers showing up for the sanctuary of the Gym. I figured that so long as I could trust everyone, no one would be getting into the building easily. Several offered Pokemon to guard outside, even offering to take shifts themselves, but since I still didn't want anyone running around with guns or outside, I declined. I did allow a couple birds, Alice included, to circle around outside occasionally, though.

"_People are coming_." I looked up at Ike as he slunk in through the side door, which I'd kept ajar, waiting for him to come back. He had insisted on going out about half an hour earlier. I was simply glad he didn't come back covered in blood.

"What kind of people?"

"_Humans in dark uniforms._" He looked towards the door just as two men in police uniform jogged up, gesturing for me to open the door. I released a breath in relief. I had been waiting for some sort of police information on the situation, but I hadn't wanted to go out into the city looking for it.

I stood up to go unlock the doors, but Nathan strode past me, keys already in hand. I followed him to go make sure everything was okay.

I was promptly shocked when he opened the door, politely invited them both inside, and then in one fluid motion, pinned one of them to the floor and pulled his gun from his belt. He and the other policeman had pistols trained on each other in the next instant.

"What—?" I asked, freezing on the spot. Behind me, I could distinctly hear Ike's snicker.

"Drop the weapon," Nathan commanded.

"You first," the man replied. "Assaulting an officer is against the law."

"Yes, it is. Now drop the weapon."

I took a couple steps backward, slowly, and slowly turned to see Keith stand up among the crowd in front of the TV. He already had a knife out, staring hard at me. Behind and around him, the Pokemon that were out were mostly tensed, several of them preparing their own attacks, ready to spring at a moment's notice.

"...How did you know?" the man in the police uniform said at last, smiling wryly.

"I was part of the force. I don't recognize you and your guns aren't standard issue," Nathan replied with a matching smirk. "I'm giving you to the count of three to drop it. One."

"You'll end up getting yourself shot."

"I'll shoot you too in the process. I'm willing to risk it. Two."

The man swung his gun around to me—and Nathan shot him.

I couldn't help but yelp at the loud sound, combined with the spurt of blood from his chest and the thump of his body as it hit the floor. Nathan lowered his gun with a sigh and turned to me. "Now do you see why I wanted a gun? This means they've taken the police force, or enough of them were corrupt all along," he said in frustration, kicking the leg of the man he'd first taken out. A couple of the male trainers ran over, their Pokemon tailing them, and dragged the uninjured man over to the other followers. Most of the rest of us pointedly looked at the man bleeding on the floor.

"You can have your gun. But _please_, don't kill anyone else."

"He's not dead yet. I don't think I hit anything vital."

"So when what am I supposed to do? Let him bleed to death?"

"...We don't know if the hospitals are safe or not, but I guess since he's on their side, it doesn't matter. You there, I need to borrow your Kadabra."

"Oh no, you're not going out again. As the only armed one—Keith aside—you're staying with the Gym. You just volunteered yourself for guard duty again, mister," I said, pushing him back towards the group inside. The guy with the Kadabra looked between us in confusion.

"Wait, _you're_ not allowed to leave the Gym right now. If they catch you, they don't need the Gym."

"I'll bring my Pokemon with me, and it's the least I can do. It'll be a show of goodwill." I gestured to my team and returned Des and Carlita. Ike could stay behind as a 'just in case' for the Gym, and Konstantin clung to my shoulder protectively. Alice could also protect the Gym from the outside, and I'd feel better about leaving Zarek behind, too. Just in case.

The Kadabra grabbed its trainer with one arm and me with the other, and we Teleported to the nearest hospital with the bloody man held up between us.

Of course, Teleporting into the emergency room with a man bleeding to death in police uniform and in the middle of a terrorist siege on the city probably wasn't the smartest idea. There was a brief moment in which the doctors and nurses stared at us, frozen in action. Then the man coughed up blood and groaned and everyone was shouting and moving towards us.

The trainer and I backed away, his Kadabra floating resentfully behind us, and I hastily explained, "He's not a policeman! He's one of the followers and he tried to attack my Gym. Please, keep him restrained, but don't let him die. Try not to let Mr—Vaporeon know that he's here."

One of the doctors absently minded while unbuttoning the man's uniform, while nurses rushed with bandages and gauze to try to stop the bleeding. "...If anyone else gets injured, please, bring them here. We don't want any more deaths in this city than necessary," the man said seriously, looking at me over his face mask.

I nodded solemnly. "...Will you be alright here?"

"No one should attack a hospital of all places," one of the female doctors hissed, narrowing her eyes as she tossed the bloody jacket over her shoulder into a waste bin.

"Do you want a couple trainers to stay here to protect the hospital?" the trainer beside me asked. I wasn't sure if he was asking me or the doctors, but I had to admit that I liked the idea. Especially if we'd be dropping wounded off.

"...That wouldn't be objected to, but we don't want to cause any trouble. We have a couple Chansey who know Teleport, though, so if any trouble arises, we'll call you. Just concentrate on stopping all of this, please."

I nodded and we left. I just hoped we wouldn't have to make any more trips there for any more wounded people. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt. Not even Mr. V.

Because I wanted him dead, not hurt.


	135. They Say Never Do Live Long

Vaikuntha looked up at the group of trainers who entered the Gym. They were a lot older than his usual challengers, but that wasn't so weird. He'd had older challengers, at any rate.

"Welcome to Oreburgh Gym," he said with a warm smile. He stood up from scratching Subrata's stomach, dusting off his pants.

"H-Hi," one of the trainers stammered nervously, fidgeting. All of them seemed rather anxious, he noted. Nerves weren't uncommon with the first Gym, he had realized very early on. But this seemed excessive. He raised both eyebrows and chalked it up to bad Gym experiences.

"Are you here to challenge the Gym?" he asked, prompting them.

He was immensely surprised when the one who'd spoken shook his head, dark hair flying. "We, uh... We want to ask you something."

One of the older men in the back of the little group stepped forward, tilting his head back, icy blue eyes searching Vaikuntha's. "Are you with us or against us?"

"Don't ask so bluntly!"

"What?" he glared down at the first trainer. "We're either going to gain an ally or an enemy, we knew that. You can't do this sort of thing tactfully."

"I am sorry, but I am confused. What are you speaking about?" Vaikuntha asked, keeping his voice polite and level, even while his mind was already coming up with potential scenarios. None of them were too pleasant. But he kept smiling and figured he could hope for the best.

"You have a very carefully selected team, yes?" one of the other trainers, a quiet girl with a thick accent, asked, breaking into the argument with the other two. Vaikuntha nodded, most of his guesses derailed.

"I have put much thought into the team that I would take challengers with. Although, I will admit that I am not fully sure if it will stay as it is—"

"Nick Sayre." Vaikuntha flinched at being interrupted so harshly. It was the tall one, the one with black hair that was so blunt, again. "You have two of his Pokemon."

"I... do?" he asked in confusion.

"Flygon and Houndoom were both leaders in The Tournament." Vaikuntha paled and took a step back, crossing his arms and ducking down a bit defensively. He had known about Houndoom, but not Flygon. It had been bad enough getting looks in Sunyshore during the race. "And you have both of them on your main team, pretty publicly. Are you trying to make a statement?"

"What sort of statement?"

"Like support for Nick Sayre."

Vaikuntha finally lost his friendly, smiling demeanor altogether. His Pokemon immediately sensed it. Koel sidled up behind him and he could see Oviya in the rafters behind them, ducking low and narrowing her eyes behind the shields. He had been willing to give these people all of the benefit of the doubt he could manage (which was quite a bit). "I have no love for the man or his ideals. If you believe I do, you are gravely mistaken. If you speak any more positively about his views on training, I will have to ask you to leave."

The tall man rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Damn it. I'd told you guys, this kid's not one of us." The Gym leader's glare hardened.

"Leave my Gym. Now."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," the only female among them said coldly. "If you aren't with us, you're against us. We have orders to take the Gym."

With that, the first guy pulled a gun out of his pocket and the girl revealed she'd had one in her hands the entire time, only hidden behind her back.

Vaikuntha had a Skarmory feather in his hand before they could react. He leapt at them and slashed at both weapons, cutting through one and getting the blade stuck in the handle of the other. The girl swore and dropped it, finger bleeding, and he tore the gun off of the feather with a jerk of his hand. "Get out of my Gym and turn yourselves in to the police. I will not repeat myself," he growled, placing the blade against the neck of the tall man. The flat side was pressed against his jaw, but the sharp side was just deep enough into his throat to almost break the skin. If he moved, and Vaikuntha hoped that he wouldn't, he'd have a very nasty cut to deal with.

"I thought he said that this one was on our side!" the first guy squawked, already halfway back to the entrance. The girl, still holding her hand, didn't say anything but stood where she was. "It shouldn't be this hard!"

"I have warned you," Vaikuntha said, but the man with the blade against his neck suddenly pushed him backwards, slicing his own throat open. Vaikuntha stumbled back, surprised and momentarily grasping for how to react.

Placing a hand against his neck to stop the bleeding, he narrowed his eyes and curled his lip. "I'll go inform Vaporeon. You two, call in the others and get this Gym _down_." With that, he disappeared. Vaikuntha had barely seen the Gardevoir appear behind him and Teleport him away.

"Leave my Gym or be forcibly detained to be sent to the police," Vaikuntha said hesitantly, shaken by the man's move. He had let him get away, but he had willingly injured himself to put distance between them. That sort of recklessness was... No, that man wasn't reckless. He was calculating. He didn't like that. "If you try anything else, I will be forced to take you down."

The girl made a move to her pocket, and immediately, Oviya was on her, pinning her to the ground with a snarl. The other guy yelped and bolted out the door. Vaikuntha wished she would've run; he had no idea what to do with a criminal in his custody. After mentally fretting, he decided to have his Flygon get off of her, but escort her out of the building. Koel and the others could keep the Gym safe while he walked them to the police station.

"Um, I have captured this girl who has said she is a Sayre follower and pulled a gun on me," he said politely, looking up at the man behind the reception desk. "I am unsure how to properly go about this..."

"Hands up." Vaikuntha froze and the man behind the desk's eyes widened. He slowly turned around, putting his hands in the air, to find a young man with another gun, not a foot away. He should've known that there would be more, especially if they had gotten reinforcements. This wasn't a small movement; this was organized. And if he'd heard right, it was by more Pokemon codenamed Sayre followers.

Pollyanna leapt out of his shadow, Sucker Punching the man under the jaw, sending him flying back into the wall. She cackled and clapped her hands excitedly. "_I haven't done that in a long time!_"

"Sir, please lock up these two! Up your guards for the police station and please send some to the Center!" Vaikuntha shouted over his shoulder, racing out the door. This was organized; this was a mass movement. This was going to be a mess. "Pollyanna, go back to the Gym and bring me the feather! Oviya, go to the Center and make sure it is alright!"

"_Where are you going?_" his Flygon cried.

"I am going to the mines to make sure they are not sabotaged! If we can keep the villains out of there, then we may use it to hide civilians in!"

As he ran, he pulled out his cellphone. He couldn't have much time—who did he call first? Did he warn the other new Gym leaders or did he inform the experienced ones?

He flipped down to Gardenia and hit Send. She picked up on the first ring. "Vai! Oh, dear lord, are you calling because of the followers? Please tell me they haven't hit Oreburgh as well!" she said all at once, breathy and nervous.

"I am afraid they have! I have stopped them from taking the Gym and informed the police, but—are they attacking all of the cities?"

"I don't know! I tried to call Fantina but she didn't answer and then you called! Just keep them out of the Gym and the Pokemon Center, and don't do anything stupid!" He wondered whose definition of the word they were going to follow. "I think they're more followers, but they're not using Pokemon. Please, be care—" The call was cut off and he whirled around, easily seeing the cell tower to the north fall. They were _far_ more organized than last time.

And unlike last time, he was in the thick of it. He had the chance to stop it.

-.-.-

"The Gym's closed," Benjamin said absently, not giving the person at the door a second glance.

"Heifer, you could at least _pretend_ to be polite!" Alicia called from across the room. He shrugged and continued carrying steel panels. It had taken that long to clear them all out, and now they were just left with empty space. He wasn't going to take any challengers until he had a fully functioning Gym and no one would tell him otherwise.

"I'm sorry, I'm not here to challenge you." He turned and found himself with a gun pressed against his forehead. He stared up at the woman, singularly unsurprised. "I'm here to inform you of the takeover of your Gym."

He grinned, even as Alicia gasped as she noticed the sudden situation. "So you're going to kill a brand new Gym leader, a mere child? How courageous. That'll get the public behind you."

He turned from the gun, going back to lugging the steel plate over to the pile of others. The woman made a noise like a growl and grabbed him roughly by the back of the shirt, dragging him back into a headlock, shoving the gun roughly into his temple. She had his full attention by that time; he was sure she was serious. "I'm not going to kill you unless you resist. And you lucked out, too, missy—I have orders not to harm you."

"Why?" Alicia asked, slowly coming closer, arms up to show she meant no harm.

"I don't have to answer your questions."

"Who are you?" Benjamin croaked, scrabbling at her arm to try to get her to loosen her grip. She didn't. "Y-You're pretty brave, trying to take over a Gym by yourself."

"...You can call me Tauros."

"Oh, heifer," Alicia said, smiling helplessly at her pun. The woman snorted, completely unamused. "...You're with them, then?"

"Not them, not if you mean the girls from The Tournament. We're only using their method of naming for simplicity's sake," the woman said roughly, dragging Benjamin a couple steps away from Alicia. She halted on the spot and made it clear she wouldn't advance any closer. "I'm going to let you go, but either of you make any... funny... move..." The woman collapsed suddenly, eyes rolling back in her head.

Bentley stood behind her, roses held out and thorns visible. Benjamin stumbled and swayed on his feet, rubbing his throat. "Good job, Ben."

On the floor, the woman began to convulse. Alicia rushed over, eyes impossibly large. "You poisoned her?"

"She had a _gun_ to my head, if you didn't notice," he snapped.

"Still! You can't just poison her and let her die!"

"Look, she said she's going to go around committing murder like the psychopaths from The Tournament. If I can stop that by killing one woman, I'm going to."

"I'm taking her to a hospital!" Alicia snarled, waving her Clefable over. "Ariala, Teleport!"

Benjamin glared daggers at the spot she'd disappeared from. Bentley strode over, swinging his roses, and looked pointedly out the window. "...Yeah, yeah. I know it won't be that easy."

"_What are you going to do?_" he asked, voice small and sympathetic.

"...I... don't know. Gretel, make sure the doors are locked." His Drifblim bobbed in midair and floated towards the front doors. Benjamin sighed and took one glorious moment to bury his face in his hands and try not to scream. He didn't want another fight like this on his hands.

But the moment passed and he ran his hands through his hair in a poor effort of trying to mask the movement. Bentley followed him as he walked all around the Gym, pacing, trying to think of what to do. He didn't know how big the scale of it was yet. He had Alicia to help, thankfully—he knew he'd be lost without her. He had his team out and the Gym was his.

"...If it's a large group, they'll target the big things. The Gym and the Center probably. The port, too. The library and hospital, and the school, they should all be safe... How many people do they need to do that, though? Are they all carrying around guns like gangsters or are any of them actually trainers?"

He must have jumped a foot when his cell suddenly went off. He flipped it open without recognizing the number and was immensely surprised when Roark gasped out, "Protect the port and the Gym!"

"Uh, what?"

"Sayre followers, they're launching attacks on the Gyms. Oreburgh and Eterna have already been hit—damn it, just don't let them get the port or the Gym. Is Alicia still with you?"

"...Yes. They're attacking _everywhere_?" What sort of numbers did they have?

"As far as I know, yes! I can't get through to Sunyshore or Snowpoint, but Volkner says that they tried to storm the Elite Four's, too. They kept them back but they're pinned in the building. You're going to have to handle the city on your own for now," Roark said breathlessly. "Benjamin, use any force necessary to keep them from gaining any ground. Do you understand?"

"I do," he replied quietly, eyes downcast. Roark hung up and Benjamin was left with the feeling that he shouldn't have been given that power. He sighed and sorely wished he didn't have the job. "Bentley, you're with me. Tanner, guard the Gym. Don't let _anyone_ but Alicia back in. Princess, Gretel, Nolan, come on. Hansel—stay with Tanner. Don't be afraid to burn people but... try not to kill anyone if you can help it." He shouldn't ever have to give the order to kill to his team. He hated that he nearly had to.

Benjamin marched purposefully out the door, making sure it was locked again behind him. There wasn't chaos in the streets (yet) or any sign of any other followers. He was intensely aware that it'd be all too easy for a sniper to take him out along the way to the port, though.

He met up with the man in charge of most of the port-related things, or at least the one who Benjamin assumed was. The old man was good with running things and he had mostly let him, only stopping by for cursory introductions and tours when he had first arrived. "Benji!" Benjamin winced at the name. "Good to see you. What brings you here?"

"...We have a situation, Mr. Marcelo. We need to lock down the port, keep any new ships out of it and prevent anyone from leaving. There are Sayre followers about and they may target it."

"Ah," he said seriously, scratching his stubble. He looked out at the water with a frown. "I should be able to manage this, so long as they don't get any big numbers."

"I can leave Prin—my Azumarill and my Drifblim here with you if you need help—"

"No, no! I think I can handle myself," Marcelo said at once, laughing. He reached into his overalls and pulled out a handful of minimized pokeballs, tossing two of them into the water. A Gyarados erupted out of the water not a moment later, roaring. The other Pokemon didn't surface. "We can keep the ships where they are and keep anyone else out pretty easily."

"If they—"

"Now now, Benji, I think I can take care of myself. I may seem ancient to a squirt like you, but I still have some spirit left in me." He couldn't help but burn in embarrassment at the squirt remark. "Plus I still have Avis." He let out his third Pokemon, a Pelipper. It trumpeted and flapped into the air, circling to gain altitude. "She's a pretty reliable old bird, and she's gotten most of the wild Wingull and Pelipper around here friendly with us. If something happens, they'll probably help."

"I just... Are you sure?" Benjamin asked nervously. He'd feel better if he left Princess, at the very least, with him. But he also didn't want to separate his team or stretch them too thin. Then again, not many ships would challenge a Gyarados, and who knew what else was in the water.

But they had guns.

Benjamin sighed and said, "They're armed with more than Pokemon."

"Then it sounds like you ought to get yourself outfitted with one of them bulletproof vests. You're gonna be targeted. You're young and inexperienced," the old man pointed out, terribly unhelpfully.

"I can take care of myself, okay? I'm worried about everyone else."

"I'll be fine here. I'm a fair swimmer and water usually puts a damper on most shots." He winked and waved Benjamin away. The youngest Gym leader moodily left him. At least the ships would stay put, although he was still worried. He made his way towards the Center next—only to be grabbed from behind and Teleported back to the Gym.

"What the—?"

"Shh, it's me," Alicia huffed, releasing him. He glared at her. "Look, there's more of them than that woman. They already have the Center under guard and when I got back here, your Magmortar was chasing someone else off. This is big."

"It's all over Sinnoh."

"Looks like you have your work cut out for you, mister Gym leader." He sighed and buried his face in his hands again in frustration. "I can go to the Center—"

"No, you stay here and guard the Gym. It's _my_ job, remember, to do the stupid brave stuff."

-.-.-

Sela looked down at her good work. The Gym was officially and completely thawed out.

Even if it left puddles everywhere.

Asher was helping with light fire attacks to speed up the drying process, but it was still unbearably humid in the Gym. Which only made her poor Charizard more miserable. She couldn't open any windows or the doors, since it was near zero outside. Even though it was only fall, it was _cold_.

"Asher, come try the top ring first. It'll all drip down to the bottom, so it'll make things easier," she coaxed. The dragon rumbled a sigh and climbed the stairs up towards her. She scratched his neck affectionately as a small reward. He was getting old, she knew, although she didn't like to think about it. She only thought about him getting bigger and more experienced. He was easily the largest Charizard she knew of, due to his age. That was worth something, right? "Me and Dana will get some towels and help." He snorted out a laugh. "Hey, we'll pretend to help," she shot back at him.

Just as she started trotted down the stairs to go retrieve her Lopunny from the snow outside, the Gym doors slid open. People had been coming and going for days, so she only looked up, mildly curious.

She only registered the sight of a gun and took a step back, eyes widening. Then—bang.

Sela was immediately on her knees, her stomach feeling like it was on fire. She pulled her mittens away from her parka, alarmed and pissed that it came away with scarlet. She had just been _shot_. "You _bastard_!" Even from across the Gym, Asher shot a Flamethrower in retaliation. It diffused into the air long before it hit the target, but it did make the figure race back to the doors and burst outside.

Only to get body checked a foot out the door by a furious Lopunny in a fur coat.

Sela bit out a curse and struggled to her feet again, holding her side. Dana let out an inhuman scream and beat on the would-be assassin, paws alternating with ice and fire. "Dana, stop!"

Immediately her Lopunny halted, still sitting on the figure, ears drooping.

Sela made it to the door, panting, the pain only hitting her as her anger faded. It was a man—of _course_ it was—and he was very unconscious or very dead at that point. She sighed and leaned against the frame for support. "Dana..."

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...! He hurt you though!_" she cried at once, flailing her paws wildly.

"No, not that. I wanted to chop his balls off while he was still conscious," she sighed again. She shook her head to clear her vision and asked, "Is he dead?"

"_Clearly_," Alden, scuttling over, deadpanned. The Ariados poked the man with the very tip of his foot. "_His face is missing._" Dana growled at him, pulling her ears around her defensively.

"Ah, crap." Sela took her mittens away, unable to tell if it was new blood or not. "...Alden, guard the body. Dana, find Hark and tell him to keep on the watch out for anyone carrying guns in the city." Thankfully, Snowpoint was one of the tiniest towns in the region, only kept alive by the Gym. There wasn't that much area to patrol and the weather kept most people inside; only suspicious ones would be out and about.

"_Then I'm catching up with you!_" she said emphatically, bouncing off.

The Pokemon Center doubled as the town's only hospital, and that was only a couple minutes' walk. Of course, a couple minutes while you had been shot and were bleeding were quite painful. Sela started swearing with every step, imagining leaving a trail of blood as she went. Once she reached the doors of the Center, she looked back. Only a couple spots of red in the white. Not bad.

"Oh my goodness!" the Nurse Joy on duty gasped, seeing the Gym leader stumble in, parka front coated in red.

"Just tell me whether or not I'm gonna die," Sela said.

She was rushed into the emergency room, although she fought it the entire time. She was told that she was lucky that the bullet had passed through her, and that it hadn't hit anything vital. The main concern was stopping the bleeding. Which meant that she waited all of twenty minutes to give her a rudimentary stitch-up (under her orders), wrap her up with bandages, give her more to change them with, and then marched back out into the snow.

She'd be damned if she was accused of not protecting her town. She had a feeling she knew what they were after, too. Sela made her way north towards the Snowpoint Temple. Hark soon caught up with her, however, and squawked, "_There are a couple humans to the south with what appear to be your little gun creations_."

"Lovely." Her Honchkrow laughed nervously and hopped along in the snow beside her. "Go back to the Gym and tell Alden to head inside. Circle around the town a little while longer and keep an eye on their movements. Try not to be seen." Easier said than done for a large black bird in a white sky, they both knew.

Dana bounded up and looked critically at Sela's coat.

"Oh, don't. I'm all bandaged up and I won't die from it. They drugged me with enough painkillers to make everything numb for awhile, anyway. We have to make sure the Temple is still secure."

"_...Are you going to go into it again? I don't like it in there._"

"_I don't either. It's creepy in there_."

"Pansies," Sela lamented, although she couldn't help but secretly agree. There was something off about that Temple, more than what it housed deep inside. "Dana, come on. We'll seal it shut and won't go inside, promise."

Hark flapped off again when they got to the building, cawing with laughter. Dana whined and didn't go too near it. Sela only went close enough to make sure the locks were still in place—and they were. She had Dana start coating it in ice with an Ice Beam, throwing snow onto it to help. They layered as much ice as they could onto it, until the layer was at least a foot and a half thick and opaque. That would slow them down, even with a fire or fighting Pokemon to help them.

"Back to the Gym," Sela said cheerily, trying to ignore the painkillers starting to wear off. It was her own fault, she told herself, because of the manual labor. She grit her teeth and let her Lopunny hold her hand, reassuring her that she was alright. Halfway there, Hark dropped back out of the sky with more news.

"_They're definitely coming into the city. There are about five, or six, or seven. Maybe. I can't count very well_," he said, rustling his wings with a shiver. "_Not an army._"

"Alright, then that's not too bad. We'll just hole up in the Gym for now. Do one more round to check on them, and then come back to the Gym. I don't want you out here anymore, not with them and not with the weather getting any worse."

They made it back to the Gym and Sela all but collapsed on the first flight of stairs, panting and sweating in her coat. It was one thing to have to trudge through snow up to her thighs regularly, but it sucked twice as much when she was injured, she decided. Dana helped her peel off the bloody coat and Asher offered his tail for them both to warm up.

"Until we figure out where they're going and what they're here for, we'll stay in here. It'll take them awhile to get to the city, anyway. If we're lucky, they'll get snowed in and die. If not, then we'll just have to deal with them as vaguely hostile threats until we get some details. Alden, what did you do with the body?"

"_I wrapped it in silk and buried it in the snow outside,_" he said smartly, wiggling with pride.

Sela stared at him, unsure of where to begin with the inherent problems of that. Just so long as he could find it again...

"_You could just let the Ursaring out_," Asher suggested. Sela smacked him on the leg.

"Don't. I'd like to have pieces of them to hand over to the cops. He won't listen to me, anyway, and I'm not going to resort to letting lose a wild Pokemon on a couple of nutcases," she retorted. She set her chin in her hand and rubbed her stomach. "Ugh, damn. This is gonna start hurting again soon."

"_You should go back to the hospital!_" Dana said at once.

"No, they can't know that they got the drop on me. It'd only make them ballsy. We're gonna play strong until we figure out what the hell's even going on here."

-.-.-

"_I do not like this, mademoiselle_."

"It will be alright."

"_It is dangerous to be out._"

"That is why I am going to _l'Ar__ène_."

"_The Gym_."

"Ah, _oui_. The Gym."

He hadn't been out while she had visited the Gym previously, and it was only a couple blocks between her hotel and the Gym, anyway. Cossette was perfectly happy to walk (albeit rather quickly) the way and actually felt a little brave for doing so. Besides, hadn't he said that the safe place was the Gym?

Of course, what she didn't know was the communication battle going on between the Gym leader and talk show host.

"Excuse me." Cossette paused and turned around, surprised to find someone else out and about. Jacques was immediately on guard.

And then, everything happened at once.

She recognized him immediately. The tall man with the long black hair and the ice cold eyes—the man who had kidnapped her years ago. She had never forgotten his face.

He leveled a gun at Jacques and before the Gallade could leap forward, sent a bullet into his head. Cossette screamed as he went down, hands flailing in the brief moment it took for her to figure out what she was supposed to do.

She was pulling pokeballs with shaking hands out of her bag as the terrible man strode over to her. "Now, you'll have to come with me, miss Beaumanoir. I promise I won't hurt you if—"

He suddenly had a Kangaskhan charging at him.

The man swore violently and jumped out of the way, but Manon caught up with him easily. She grabbed his shoulder and threw him into the nearest building like a rag doll. Rose shrieked when she caught sight of Jacques and rushed over to tend to him, fussing over the hole in his head. Véronique only tilted her head curiously.

Bang, bang.

Manon roared again, stumbling back, paws covering her child and not the wounds bleeding onto it. Cossette screamed again, this time pointing at the monstrous man. Véronique shot an Ember at him, catching his pants leg on fire. He swore again and hopped on one foot, and the Kangaskhan mercilessly decked him in the face.

She went down with another bang.

Cossette's vision swam in tears and she continued screaming. She had no idea what else to do. She alternated between shrieking Jacques and Manon's names, still gesturing wildly and wishing Véronique would roast him.

Unfortunately, her Numel was put down with a bullet in the head.

Cossette ran in front of Rose, shaking her head, vision completely gone and screams reduced to sobs. Her Blissey pushed her out of the way, however, and used a Hyper Beam on the man.

He simply disappeared out of the way.

He reappeared behind her, a Gardevoir on his arm. Bang, bang. Cossette didn't even react to the sound anymore. She instead threw herself at him in a tearful rage. He picked her up by the back of the dress, grabbing a fistful of hair in the process, and she only kicked and flailed harder.

"Flamethrower!" Cossette was dropped and she immediately fell to her knees. She couldn't catch her breath and she could only see blurry shapes through the tears.

Next thing she knew, she was scooped up again. She punched and kicked and screamed hoarsely, coming up with the worst swears she could think of, but none of it helped. That devil of a man was still— "Ow, Cossette! Stop it!" She stopped and looked up at Jude. He gave her a pathetically weak smile. "He's gone, Cossette. It's okay."

"_Non, ce n'est pas—_it is not!" And she fell into tears and sobbing all over again.

"Cossette, I need the pokeballs for your Pokemon."

"_Mais, elles sont—elles sont—_" She couldn't bring herself to say it. Jude gently took the pokeballs from her and returned the bodies all around them—aside from Jacques. He shifted her so that she was facing away from the Gallade and knelt down beside him.

"Jacques, I know you can hear me. Miss Cossette is in trouble, and I need you to Teleport us the closest to the Gym you can," Jude said lowly.

"_Mais, il est... Il n'est pas mort?_"

"Shh," he replied, pressing a gloved hand against the back of her head to keep her from looking. "Jacques isn't dead yet—you can't kill a psychic of his caliber with a single shot to the head. His body has shut down to start repairing the damage. He'll be okay." He didn't sound completely sure of his words, but Cossette clung to them like a lifeline. "_Jacques_, Teleport us!"

The Gallade didn't respond, but all of them disappeared from the scene. By the time the man with the gun and the Gardevoir and the bloody nose reappeared with his Houndoom, they were long gone.


	136. Journeys End In Lovers Meeting

**Author's Note**: We'll be taking a short break from the canon storyline (*dodges bricks and bullets*) for the promised Valentine's Day chapter now. Hey, don't blame me; the mood whiplash here almost makes _me_ sick. Plus even le Skitty wants to spend the day moodily stuffing her face with dark chocolate and wants a break of angst and death. Anyway, here are the most popular pairings, as voted on by you guys in the most recent poll.

Also: HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY PEDESTAL I LOVE YOU.

**Disclaimer**: This is _not canon_ and each piece is not connected to any others. Otherwise, our dear little NamNar would feel like a whore.

-.-.-

"You have to save me!"

I stared at him, completely nonplussed by the request. Nick quickly shut the door behind him and dove behind my bed, nearly clipping me in the process. "What's going on?" He had a habit of being dramatic for the attention, so I wasn't overly concerned.

"_Your_ friend." I raised an eyebrow. "Hanna," he sighed. "She's been trying to ask me out on a date all day. And it's been getting _very_ hard to come up with excuses. I nearly told her I'm gay the last time she confronted me."

I stared at him. What was I supposed to make out of _that_? Eventually, after an awkward silence that was apparently only for me, I asked, "..._Are_ you?"

He tore his gaze away from his watch on the door and looked at me, the picture of innocence. As if he didn't know what he'd just said or implied or whatever he did. Nick stretched the silence out as long as possible, until I crossed my arms and gave him the sternest look I could muster amidst my confusion. "...Who knows? Maybe," he finally said with a laugh. "Why does it matter?"

"W-Well, it just... does. It's sort of something important that you usually tell your friends." I looked away and huffed, trying to stay serious. It was difficult.

"Does everyone have to walk around with shirts declaring their sexuality now?" Nick challenged. I shrugged and tried to drop it, but now the thought was in place and I was second-guessing every hug he'd ever given me. "...Well, I'd ask you the same question, but I have a feeling you're still young enough to think girls have cooties."

"_What_? I am not!"

"Don't worry, I don't have cooties, so we're both good. Wanna go out with me?"

"I don't believe in—what?" There he went again. I narrowed my eyes at him and tried to gauge how serious he was. He was too good at getting me to agree with things, especially things that weren't particularly good for my health or mindset. Like challenging Crasher Wake or arm-wrestling Kamala.

"I still need an excuse to duck out of Hanna's invitation of the day. You could save our precious little trio a lot of awkwardness if you don't force me to indulge in her spoiled fantasy," Nick said, setting his chin in his hands and frowning. He was serious; he knew he had me caught.

I huffed and puffed and waffled for as long as I could, but it was a mere twenty minutes later when he dragged me out of the hotel by the arm. "Where are we going?" I asked, trying to pull it out of his grasp. He wouldn't let go.

"To explore a grand new region like the Pokemon masters we are!" he declared, falling into a march. I continued trying to pull free of his grip, but he was like a Tentacruel. As I debated the merits of gnawing my own arm off, he marched us out of Olivine and onto the beach. I growled in annoyance as I began the process of trying not to get sand in my shoes (and failing miserably), until I stepped out of one completely and lost it to the sand.

"Hey! Wait—!"

"Oh, just ignore it."

"That's my _shoe_!" Not to mention that walking around in sweaty, sandy socks was one of the most disgusting feelings in the world. I flailed in his grasp, which only encouraged him, until I decided to get payback and went completely limp. He fell over from the sudden shift in balance and weight on his arm. I got in a quick, vindicated and spiteful grin before crawling back towards my lost shoe—only to get my ankles seized and dragged back. Of course, getting dragged backwards only pulled my shirt up, and getting your stomach dragged over hot sand wasn't one of my top favorite things in the world.

It soon degenerated into a wrestling match. Which Nick won the second he tied me up with my shirt. "That looks painful," he said, pointing to my chest.

I simply spat out a mouthful of sand. "It's your fault."

"There's no blood. You'll be fine," he said, all sympathy gone.

"Gee, thanks," I deadpanned. I ran my fingers gingerly over what I could reach of my stomach, frowning. It stung, but he was right in the fact that it wasn't bleeding and there wasn't any broken skin. Definitely not the worst I'd ever received.

"Want me to kiss it and make it better?" Nick asked teasingly. I glared at him and pretended my face didn't go red.

"Untie me."

"Why? You can't hit me this way." I glared at him and took matters proverbially into my own hands. I lifted my arm, wedged my knee in between them, and managed to forcibly wrench my shirt off of my wrists. Victorious, I tossed it at him with a smug smirk. "Yeah, whatever. Let's go get snow cones again."

I allowed him to subtly apologize by buying me sugary, colored ice, and really, I didn't feel all that bad anyway. Just a little raw and even that was rapidly disappearing (though if I'd thought it would earn me any sympathy, I'd play it up for all it was worth, but as it was, I knew it'd be a useless endeavor).

"You got another red one? You have a bloody mouth again," he said with a laugh. I scowled and turned my back on him. He pouted and grabbed me around the shoulders, dragging me back against his side. I hastily moved my arms to preserve my snow cone. "Don't be like that. Come on, I wanna try some."

I held up the red dessert, but instead, he leaned down and pressed his mouth against mine. I must've matched the snow cone when he stuck his tongue in my mouth, swiping it across mine. The kiss didn't last too long, probably because my mind was rapidly shutting down as it was, and Nick straightened again with a satisfied smile.

Instead of glaring at him, instead of pouting, instead of spluttering, instead of demanding explanations, I only burst out laughing. What else could I do? Everything else wouldn't get me anywhere with him, and I knew he was only doing it for fun. He was just trying to embarrass me—and while he succeeded, I wasn't going to let him ruin my mood.

"That's a new reaction," he noted, seeming a little puzzled.

Well, if you can't beat 'em... I grinned up at him. "Hey, I wanna try some of yours."

-.-.-

Carlita didn't like it, but she accidentally found out that she and Alice had something in common. It turned out she wasn't very fond of surprises, either. Bentley and his sour trainer found this out the hard way. Carlita _had_ apologized for kicking the Roserade in the stomach, at least, and made a mental note to give Trainer a talking to later, too. He should know better than to set her up on blind dates and let her be the last to know, and why was he trying to pawn her off on others, anyway? Carlita didn't like the idea, not the idea of leaving him for an afternoon or with a near stranger. She had no problem with leaving him, of course, but only when she was sure he could take care of himself. Which was less and less. He shouldn't be giving away his strongest and best dancer—fighter, too!—just because of something like—"Ooh, cupcakes."

Bentley smiled, pleased as she dove into the food.

Carlita paused, mint frosting all over her mouth. "...Wait, why are you giving me food?"

"...You're cute when you're eating," he said instead of answering. She huffed and stuffed the rest of the cupcake in her mouth.

"You're crazy." It was only after she had devoured the plate that she spoke to him again. She delicately wiped off her mouth (and cheeks, and chin, and hat...) and licked the remains off of her claws. "Why did you give me food? Trainer never lets me have sweets. ...I don't know why."

"Maybe it's because you're sweet enough already?" Bentley suggested.

Carlita gave him a flat look. "Breloom aren't sweet. We're actually very tough and meaty. The stupid, evil cat says we taste like mushrooms."

Scarlet eyes wide, mouth agape, he could only stare. "...What?" he finally settled on.

"Breloom aren't sweet," she repeated primly. "And Roserade taste like onions. You're spicy."

"Do you know that from personal experience?"

"What? No! Of course not!" She shook her head and waved her claws—the very thought was gross! Bentley heaved a very relieved sigh, pressing his roses against his forehead. "You were there, though."

"When?" he asked in confusion, half-hiding his face with his roses still.

"During that crazy race! After you guys saved the creeper ghost and we traveled with you, your trainer got mad at mine because the stupid, evil cat brought us a Roselia to eat. We were tired and almost falling asleep, remember? I remember because you were in my lap," Carlita told him matter-of-factly.

He blushed and brought up his other bunch of roses to completely hide his face. "...I remember that now," he said faintly. "That Luxray is very spiteful."

"No, he's mean. The ghost is the spiteful one, but he's not mean. Our team is very specific in what we are."

"What are you?"

"I'm the dancer!"

Bentley stared at her over black and purple petals. "...You dance?"

"You didn't notice that when I battled?" she asked, stunned. She made _sure_ to dance when she battled. It was her best fighting style and usually won her all the fights she participated in because other fighters couldn't predict it very well. Not to mention how fun it was.

"No, but—I dance too!" he cried in excitement, finally taking his flowers away from his face. Without any further warning, he seized her claws—it seemed like he _did_ have paws underneath all those petals—and swung her around in a happy little circle, grinning. Carlita squealed in surprise but was soon laughing and beaming, too.

After knocking into two tables and tipping over a chair, they agreed that they'd better head somewhere more spacious. Carlita kept hold of his paw and dragged him outside, skipping and prancing down the way they always went to the beach. The sunlight felt good, and mixed with the sugar in her system, she definitely needed more space to move around. Bentley seemed content with following her and leaving their trainers behind.

The pair of grass Pokemon ran all the way to the beach and collapsed in the sand when they got there, chests heaving. Carlita ended up using part of his arm as a pillow and let her tail drape across one of his legs; it didn't bother her in the slightest. She didn't see his blush from the physical contact, though. "...Your kind of dancing is weird," she told him after catching her breath.

"Huh?" he gasped out. She figured he wasn't as in good of shape since he didn't have as much muscle to work with, but that was all the sympathy she'd allow. He had better not tire out so easily when they got back to dancing.

"It's so slow!" she exclaimed, rolling over and sitting up.

"It's a waltz! It's classy," he replied indignantly, waving a rose at her. "Humans do it all the time. Female humans like it."

"Good thing I'm not a human then, because it's slow! Dancing is about energy and movement! Expression! Twirling! Kicking!" She would admit that kicking _probably_ wasn't part of it (except to her), but he didn't call her out on it. She smacked him with her tail and said, "Okay, come on. I'm teaching you how to _swing_!"

"What's that?" he asked cautiously. He could hardly fight back when she pulled him to his feet, however. He was still tired from the run.

"Humans like that one, too! Trainer did it for the human dance, or, well, he tried. He failed, though." She frowned for a moment, but then brightened again, jumping from foot to foot in excitement. "It's about twirling and moving and shaking your hips! It's fun with a tail, too, but you don't have one... But just so you know. It's fun with a tail."

Eyes on her tail, he blushed again and blurted out, rather randomly, "I-I like your tail."

Carlita laughed and grabbed it in her claws, tapping against the seeds on the end. "I do, too! You're silly. ...But you're more fun than my team. None of them even try to dance with me."

"I'll dance with you any time!" he said around his roses, since they were once again hiding his face. Carlita huffed and grabbed them, yanking them down and away. "U-Um?"

"You're so shy! You can't be a shy dancer," she scolded, narrowing her eyes. "Are you going to be a dancer or not?"

"I'll be a dancer."

"Then no more with the flowers in the face! You're only allowed to do mushy things with them from now on."

"...Mushy things?" he asked in confusion, tilting his head to one side.

Carlita pretended she didn't blush and looked away, fiddling with her claws. "Well, yeah. Like when you pretended to give them to me... Romance-y things. Mushy things."

"You... don't like mushy things?"

"They're not fit for a fighter!"

"But you said you're a dancer."

It was her turn to stare at him blankly. He fidgeted under her gaze, visibly resisting the urge to hide behind his flowers again. She hadn't thought about it that way, though. She was a dancer first and foremost—fighting was just a strong way of showing others.

Carlita flung herself at him with a happy shout. "You're right! I like mushy things then!" she decided then and there, holding him tight against her neck while nuzzling into his white hair. He flailed for a bit, but after getting used to the awkward pose, eventually just stood there and let her hug him. He hesitantly brought up his own arms, but the second he tried to reciprocate, she let him go and took a motivated stance. "Okay, back to serious business now! Like dancing! We can be mushy together later!"

"R-Really?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, sure. But _after dancing_," she stressed. He beamed anyway and hid his face in his roses. Carlita sighed and rolled her eyes; there was still so much more she had to teach him.

-.-.-

"How did I agree to go along with this again?"

"Didn't Hanna set it up for you?"

"I thought Alicia did. Hanna doesn't like you."

"Eh, one of your many lady friends did it."

"...I shouldn't be this easy to manipulate," I observed dryly. Archie chuckled at my expense. I glared up at him through my bangs.

"Well, did you have any other prospects lined up?" he asked casually. I shook my head; he knew I didn't. I'd never dated—well, granted, I'd never _tried_ to—and didn't have any interest in any of the girls I knew after the Alicia fiasco. It was as if the few hormones I'd developed rapidly died in shame. "That's what I thought. So just relax and go along with it."

"What exactly is _it_ again?" Judging from his amused smirk following my question, I figured it would be wise to lay down some ground rules. "You know what? This is a date, I'll allow you that. _Just_ a date. Between friends. I may be socially and romantically stunted, but I know that you don't have to be attached in a relationship to date," I told him with as much dignity I could muster. Which wasn't a lot; his perverted little smirk was highly distracting and I could feel my cheeks heat up.

"Sure. Just a date, promise." He held out his hand. I only stared blankly at it. He shook it and then with an exasperated sigh, reached down and grabbed mine. "There, we shook on it. Sheesh, lighten up. I'm not going to cart you off over my shoulder or anything."

Of course, immediately after his statement he pulled me up against his chest and made me question his motives once more. He leaned down and I turned my head away with a hasty but true, "Your breath smells like alcohol. Are you drunk?"

"Not drunk. Maybe just a little tipsy," he chirped in reply.

"Why are you always drinking?"

"Haven't we been over this before?"

"Hey, we've all got tragedies. You can't drink to forget them."

"Says the one who's never tried. I'm serious. I'm not drunk yet."

"But you're _always_ drinking—the only times I've seen you sober, you're moody, too."

"...Yes, there is a correlation there," Archie said, rolling his eyes. "Can we please drop the alcohol issues now? Unless this is a very roundabout way of asking for some."

I paused. Not because I had wanted that—but because he was offering. Aside from wine once from my dad so many years ago, I hadn't ever drunk alcohol. Then again, that was disgusting and I very much didn't trust Archie or myself if I were to get even the least bit buzzed. All of my experience with the stuff was pretty negative. I had no idea how he managed it on a daily basis. "Call me again in three years when I'm legal," I deadpanned. "Well, three years and a month," I corrected quickly, knowing full well he would do it to make a point.

"Will do, but I'm more worried about this afternoon. Anything you want to do in the present?"

"Anything relaxing and where I can ignore the Gym race stuff," I replied flippantly, folding my hands behind my head (after yanking my hand away from him, of course). "...I'm not good with this date stuff, so I'll just follow your lead."

"Not good? It's not a talent, really... Think of it as the evolution of hanging out," Archie said in confusion, furrowing his brow. "What do you do with Hanna?"

"...Not much, these days," I admitted guiltily.

"What do you do with Vai?"

"Train our teams."

"Don't you ever do _social_ things? See movies, play video games, go swimming?"

"I haven't had the time. Although I have gone shopping with Hanna," I said, not wanting to seem like a complete recluse. It wasn't as if I was—it was just that there wasn't enough time or interest lately.

"You know what, we're going out and having fun then. Without being responsible and without worrying about it," Archie announced firmly, grabbing my arm again. "We're in Sunyshore, five minutes from some of the best beaches around, and I've only ever seen you down there training. We're going swimming and then out to dinner and then to a movie. Date stuff."

"Sounds like regular hanging out to me," I huffed, allowing myself to be dragged along behind him again.

"Then what have you done on past dates, oh guru of all things romantic?" Archie snorted.

"...Well, uh... This is actually the first time I've been on a date." I hadn't wanted to inform him of that little fact, especially since I had been coerced into all of this, anyway. I burned with embarrassment but, after pulling my arm away again, added, "But it's not as if—if, uh... You know what? Nevermind." I turned on my heel and began walking away. Socializing wasn't my strong suit and being near so many people lately had made me forget that.

Of course, Archie wasn't one to be brushed off. He caught up with me within two angry stomps and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest. "Hell to the no, I'm not giving up your first date. That's so precious. And now I get to be your first," he cooed, sounding entirely too happy with the prospect. I flailed and tried to get free again, but he could pin my arms to my sides all too easily.

"Ugh, just lay off. Yeah, first date. Ooh, you made some innuendo about it. Isn't exactly putting me in the mood for anything, least of all socializing with you," I groused, attempting to sit down but being held upright by him.

"Why are you so snappy all of a sudden? I was kidding."

"Because I don't like being made fun of! I don't like being reminded of the fact that I'm not a socialite like Hanna or charismatic and likeable like you or Ni—" I cut myself off and sighed. "...Can you let go of me now?"

"Only because we're going to the beach." I turned to look at him over my shoulder, but he only offered me a bright smile. "I don't care about any of your complexes; I've got my own and about the same guy. Can't we just ignore that and go to the beach and date like two normal people?"

"Neither of us are normal and I'm still unnerved about the concept of dating you," I tried again.

"It'll grow on you, sunshine. Trust me. I'm very likeable and charismatic, apparently." I gave up on trying to wiggle out of it when I realized that he wasn't going to halt in his advances. I also realized that while I wasn't like Nick or Hanna, I could date just as well. Well, at least until, after the mostly platonic swimming, Archie really did throw me over his shoulder and try to cart me off. Dating was just like training. It took practice, friends, a healthy dose of experience, and willingness to be embarrassed.

I also found out that not all alcohol tasted terrible. Secondhand, anyway.


	137. What's Gone And What's Past Help

**Author's Note**: Okay guys, the last chapter was a _non-canon_ thing that I decided to write for Valentine's Day. Sorry if you don't like slash. The pairings were completely up to _you guys_ with that last poll, so I could only please the winners. Sorry if it's not your cup of tea. I didn't mean to start any angst outside of the story. But please, don't start anything via reviews and don't hate on pairings, personal preferences, or whether NamNar is straight or not. (Personally, I think he's asexual or attracted to whoever will hurt him the most. But since it won't happen in-story, it's irrelevant.) It was a oneshot thing that I decided to do as a gift, and I won't do that again. Please enjoy the rest of the story and the cliffhanger I made just for you.

-.-.-

"I am terribly sorry it has had to come to this," Vaporeon said solemnly, wearing a hooded expression while staring out of the TV set. I narrowed my eyes and wondered what part he meant. "But mister Gym leader, we need your cooperation. I'm afraid I'll have to do something drastic."

And the immediate answer as to _what_ that was arrived in front of the Gym doors. I recognized Jude at once, and the long, blonde hair of Cossette in his arms. His shiny Rapidash was behind him, carrying someone else. I was sprinting to the door without waiting for what else the monster on the television said.

I fumbled with the keys, trying to ignore the blood in Cossette's hair. I threw open the doors and Jude rushed in, shouting, "Lock them again!" behind him.

"Wh-What happened?" I asked, panicked and worried. My breath caught in my throat when I realized that his Rapidash was carrying Jacques. "Jude, what the hell happened?"

It was incredibly selfish and cruel of me, but initially, I had hoped that something had happened to _him_. Not Cossette. He could deal with it so much better—_I_ could deal with it so much better. This was promptly thrown out the window when he gently set Cossette down, only for her to throw herself at me with tears and sobbed French. I couldn't understand what she was saying, and not only because of the language barrier. She was completely incoherent.

"Is he...?" I asked, looking at Jacques and wrapping my arms around the little girl.

"No, goddamnit. He's probably the only one who will pull through," Jude said, voice shaking and high. He started pulling the Gallade off of the fiery horse, only to buckle under his weight. Arianna hastened over and helped—just to have to lay Jacques on the floor by herself as Jude broke down completely.

I was alarmed by that—but even more by the bullet hole in Jacques' head we all noticed as she laid him on his back. He was supposed to survive _that_?

"D-Don't worry," the breeder said with a sniffle, looking at our expressions. "He's a psychic. H-His body and conscious mind shut down while his powers will repair the damage. If we can get the bullet out of him, given time, he should recover. ...Th—The rest of her Pokemon, oh god—they need to get to the Center, now."

"The Center is still under their control," Arianna said softly, looking at me. I didn't know why she did; I didn't know what to do. I was still processing this.

"Then to a hospital!" he shouted. There was silence, and then Arianna held out her hand. He passed over three pokeballs—three, plus Jacques, was all of Cossette's Pokemon. She stood up and walked over, quietly asking the trainer with the Kadabra to take her to the hospital.

I jarred myself into action. I picked up Cossette and called, "Wait. We—We should take her, too. She's covered in blood and I don't know if she's okay or not."

"She'd be in shock," Nathan said. "She may need sedation."

I pressed my elbow into Arianna's, having no free hand, and we went back to the hospital. And here I had hoped that we'd have no more injured.

-.-.-

The hospital told us that they weren't equipped to help Pokemon, but that they would try. The trainer with the Kadabra, Dylan, went back for Jacques. They took the bullet out of him and confirmed the fact that his body would heal, but that they had no idea what he would be like when—if—he awoke. Cossette was given something to make her sleep, especially after she started screaming when she caught sight of her Gallade again.

Her Numel and Kangaskhan were declared dead upon release. Her Blissey was still alive, but fading fast. They weren't sure if she would make it. The Kangaskhan's baby was uninjured, though, although just as shocked as her trainer. They put her to sleep with a mild sedative and a bottle.

I sat in the waiting room, completely unable to process any of this. It was as if I suddenly didn't understand the meaning of death.

I didn't notice Arianna had sat next to me until she put an arm around my shoulders. I jumped and looked at her. "Don't blame yourself for this," she said sternly.

"But... They only targeted her because of—"

"Because they are cruel bastards who have no hearts and want to win this showdown by any means possible. Don't blame yourself for something _they_ did."

We both knew her words would have little effect on my mindset, but I appreciated them regardless. I allowed her to pull me into a hug and we both sat there until one of the doctors asked us if we could return to the Gym with Cossette, Jacques, and the infant Kangaskhan. They were all stable and unconscious, and the Gym was safer place. I didn't want her anywhere other than where I could watch over here, anyway. Arianna and Dylan thanked the doctors for us and we Teleported back to the Gym.

Jude had calmed down in the meantime. I couldn't say anything to him—I didn't know what to say.

Instead, Sonya had explained what Vaporeon had said that I'd missed due to their arrival. "We think he meant to take the little girl hostage, not do anything else. A guy with a black ponytail and a pretty beat-up face came on before he cut the broadcast, and whatever he said really made Vaporeon pissed."

"He was the man who had kidnapped Cossette in the past. Hanna told me that's how you met her," Jude said tonelessly.

"..._That_ man?" I asked. The one who had saved Des and Carlita for me, the man who had thrown me off of Sendoff Spring. Needless to say, the latter colored my view of him quite a bit more. The fact that he was behind this... I turned and stormed off to my room.

Arianna followed me with a, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Sending another message back. What else?" I flipped on the computer and opened up the Gym website.

"What do you plan on saying?"

"That we have Cossette and Jude in our care. Hanna's out of Sunyshore and my parents are back home. ...Unless they start using random hostages, they can't touch me." My voice caught, however. If they were willing to kill a little girl's Pokemon in front of her, hostages would probably come next. The second they started actually threatening people, I knew they would get me. I'd have to give myself and the Gym over.

"You'll only invite more trouble that way. You can't let them know that this has shaken you. You're going to have to play brave again," she told me. She sat on the desk beside me, crossing her legs. "I'd recommend only mentioning that you have Cossette and Jude safely in the Gym now. If they have that mercenary on their side, they're going to know the status of her Pokemon, so you can't lie and say everything's fine. They'd only call you out on it. Tell the public that the Gym is closed now; no new trainers in. He's going to have to get creative if he wants to keep whatever public support he has and has no more outlets to get to you. He may make a mistake."

"Or he could start killing randomly," I pointed out bitterly. "Arianna, if he does that—"

"You'll only let him win. Look at The Tournament. They captured a Gym leader and the region practically froze in fear."

"It works in reverse, too! I'm not going to let anyone else die! If any more blood is spilled, I'm going to let them take the Gym. You guys can get out... Make sure Cossette goes with someone I can trust."

"I will tie you up and keep you here myself if it means those monsters don't get free run of the city. Don't you _understand_? _You_ are the only thing between them and winning Sunyshore. They have the police, they have the Center, and they have the media. They don't need the public." With that, she stomped out. I buried my face in my arms and laid them on the desk in front of me.

I clicked the web cam program open and worked my face into a decent mask. Once the light came on, I said, quickly and breathlessly before I could lose my nerve, "Hello again, Vaporeon. Your plan failed. I have Jude and Cossette here with me, and they're both f-fine. If you want to get me, or my Gym... You're going to have to come here yourself, you coward."

Almost immediately and much to my surprise, there was a commotion out in the main room. I dashed out as quickly as my leg would let me and caught a sigh. I sat down, alarmed that my leg was hurting this much, but my attention was quickly taken by the television once more. "I would have wished we could have continued this conversation in real time," Vaporeon lamented. He looked disheveled, his black hair falling all around his face and bags under his eyes, but not beat. I wished he would've looked beat. "This sort of communication is incredibly time-consuming, don't you agree? If you could get back on your pirated internet...?"

"Don't do it," Arianna and Nathan said at once, then looked at each other. She continued, "It's a trap. Neither side has anything _but_ time, so there's a reason he wants you on. He wants your reaction for something."

"Something he expects to shock or upset you," Nathan added.

"I'm not getting back on," I told them simply, rubbing my leg.

Vaporeon waited for a few minutes, and at one point got up and left the screen. His clothes were rumpled and he had what appeared to be blood on one of his hands, but then again, he was a murderer. That was to be expected. He didn't sit back down at the desk, however; the camera panned over to him. He was half-crouching on the ground, a Xatu behind him. "It appears as if you aren't willing to be civil about this, so I'm afraid I'll have to resort to distasteful actions once more to try to get you to understand the situation."

To our horror, he stooped and then, so gently you might have thought he actually _cared_, picked up Lola in his arms. Sonya made a noise like a small scream and I clapped a hand over my mouth to prevent anything similar. Her black shirtfront was even darker with blood, either wet or dried, and her visible eye was shut. Just when I thought that he was going to do something horrible to her body, however, she made the faintest, tiniest groan.

"Most people with half a brain could see that I had not went for anywhere vital when attacking Lola. Archie was... an unfortunate addition to the equation. I had been hoping that I hadn't had to televise this, but it seems you need an incentive. Lola Gram is still alive—for the moment. Of course, she's fading fast. I wouldn't give her more than a couple hours, two, perhaps three. It's your move now," Vaporeon said dispassionately. "I look forward to seeing you soon." The screen cut to black once more.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat, hand still over my mouth. I had no idea he'd resort to that. Lola was _alive—_but not for long. I didn't even have time to _begin_ to get up before Nathan's hands were on my shoulders, keeping me on the floor. "No."

"But—!"

"Who all here has Teleporting Pokemon?" Three people raised their hands. "Any of them been to the television station before?" All three of them were negatives on that. Nathan turned his attention back down to me. "If we had an easy and quick way of getting in there, we would have used it already. But we _don't_. And you're not running off to play hero in this sort of situation."

"She's still _alive_!" I bit out, ignoring the way it made my heart hurt—because I knew that without a doubt, Archie was dead. I had a second shot at getting her out of there (albeit under a pretty tight time limit) and cutting our losses, though. I didn't plan on wasting it.

"How do you plan on rescuing her, then? They're going to have the building pretty fortified."

"I'm not going to fight it! I'm going to go and turn myself in."

"_No_," Arianna said at last. I knew she'd speak up, although I was mildly surprised that it took her that long. She crossed her arms over her stomach and narrowed her eyes at me. "You're not going to give them that leverage."

"They already _have_ leverage!"

"Not a Gym leader!"

"So you're holding me hostage in my own Gym?" I barked, and for a moment, she reeled back. "What you're doing is no better than what they're trying to do! I am _not_ some chess piece to be moved around and protected without my consent! I'm one of the strongest trainers in this room and the power is _mine_ to wield!" I got painfully to my feet, ignoring the twinge my leg gave.

"But you _can't_ just go barging in there! They'll capture you in an instant!"

"I have Kostya. He can Shadow Sneak me out of the immediate area if there's problems."

"I'm going with you!" Dylan said, standing up as well. "I have Dante and he can Teleport us out. You're going to need a fast escape if you plan on storming the building."

Immediately, several other trainers stood up, voicing their support for me as well. I smiled weakly, reassured and a little touched. "It's not like I'm going in there empty-handed. Nathan, you have to stay—protect the Gym. Sonya, you're with him. Arianna, you're _definitely_ staying."

"You can't order me around."

"Actually, I do. As my designer, you're my employee," I told her primly, although for all I knew, it could very well be a lie. The look she gave me told me that she saw through it. "...At any rate, you don't have any Pokemon or a gun or ninja skills. You're not going to get into this fight."

"I-I'm sorry, but I agree with Arianna." We turned to the Unovan representative, surprised she'd spoken. "Sorry," she said faintly, ducking her head.

"See? She agrees with me! You have too much political and symbolic power to be off doing whatever you please. You have responsibilities now."

"And one of them is protecting my trainers and friends!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Sonya butted in, jumping to her feet. "We'll hold a vote. That's fair, right?"

We turned from each other and very reluctantly agreed with the plan. "Please, keep in mind, everyone. This is not about voting on a plan to rescue Lola or not. This is about letting _him_ get out there and get captured and screw Sunyshore over," Arianna called brightly. I glared at her.

I glared at her even harder when she swung the majority to her side and I was outvoted.

I was even more angry when I found out that we had wasted a half hour doing nothing but arguing with each other. Lola was dying and we weren't doing anything about it. I had nearly made up my mind to simply make a break for it when the Unovan representative spoke up again. "Um, I'm sorry, everyone, it's just... Um... I'm sorry, but I can't seem to find mister ninja anywhere."

I looked around frantically, cursing myself for not noticing it sooner. Keith was gone.

I was zipping my hoodie up and shoving pokeballs into my pockets before anyone could stop me. No matter how capable he was, he couldn't storm a building by himself. And I wasn't about to let Vaporeon get his hands on another Gym race trainer. I wouldn't let Keith die, too. "Nathan Loar, don't you even _try_ to stop me. If he gets Keith, too, he's only going to make another example of him or use him as a hostage, too! I'm _not_ going to let anyone else die for this!"

"You can't just hand yourself over!"

"I'm not going to go down without a fight!" I snarled. I lowered my voice and continued, "I'm going to leave the Pidgey chicks here, and Nathan, _please_. Just stay here and guard the Gym. Guard everyone and Cossette... Make sure nothing else happens to her."

I pulled my hood over my head and unlocked the front doors. It wasn't until I was outside that I realized that Dylan, Sonya, and two other trainers had followed me.

"Sonya, go back inside."

"No! If you're going, I am."

"You're too young!"

"You're not even fifteen!"

"I'm the _Gym leader_!"

We glared at each other until Jude calmly strode outside and placed himself between us. "Sonya, love, go back inside. I'll go with our hero to make sure to save him," he said gently. She let herself get pushed back inside, although she maintained our glaring contest the entire time. Jude then made sure the doors were locked behind us before bodily turning me and pushing me down the street. "Come on, then. Let's go play hero."

"Jude, are you sure you're up for this?" I asked hesitantly.

"I'm not injured and my Pokemon are fine. Are you going to try to tell me to go back and sit and wait in the Gym?" he asked, giving me a look. A look that very clearly said _you owe me_.

I didn't have anything else to say to that, so we plodded along in silence, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious in the streets. Dylan had his Kadabra Teleport us as close as he could get to the station, which was still a good couple blocks away. Still no signs of any guards. I let Konstantin out, just in case, and he wrapped himself around my upper arm.

I did notice something else, however. My leg wasn't feeling any better. If anything, it felt worse with each passing step. I hadn't used my crutches for several days because I was on the road to healing, but at some point during all of the running around, I must've strained it again. I rubbed it, trying to get it to leave me alone, but that only made it worse. I hissed at it and tried my best to limp onwards.

But then I noticed the dark red patch on my sweat pants right over that spot. "Ah—crap!" I hastily sat down and started rolling up my pant leg. The other trainers stopped in curiosity, until they saw the blood on my pants.

"Are you okay?"

I didn't answer and winced as I peeled back the fabric from the wound, swearing when I saw that I had ripped half of the stitches out and my leg was merrily bleeding again. "Someone go back to the Gym and get my crutches," I said as evenly as I could, pretending to be more annoyed than anything else.

"That's _not_ something you're going to be doing anything with!"

"Dylan, take us to the hospital."

"Wait—no—" Apparently I didn't get any say in the matter as a cripple. I groaned as we Teleported back to the hospital. "I'm _fine_!"

"What is—what happened?" one of the nurses, upon noticing our arrival, all but shrieked.

"It's old, it's nothing new!" I said hastily, trying to wave her off. Jude pulled me to my feet, however, and he and the nurse set me on one of the rolling beds and wheeled me off, much to my supreme frustration. "I have to get to the TV station! I'm _fine_ so let me go!"

"Not until you're getting stitched back up, at a minimum!"

"I won't bleed to death—but Lola will!" I tried to roll off of the gurney, and instead spotted Konstantin floating after us, wringing his paws. "Kostya, here! Shadow Sneak!"

Jude made a grab for us, but we were in my shadow before he could. I felt bad, ducking out like that, but I wasn't going to wait for another hour for them to fuss over me. I lasted half the race with a much worse leg. If all else, I could simply ride on Des again. We reappeared out of the shadow two floors down, much to the confusion and alarm of the doctors there. I yelped an apology and we hastily Shadow Sneaked out of there.

Unfortunately, the Kadabra had had enough foresight to put a psychic lock on me. We barely caught our breath outside of the hospital before it was next to us, Dylan angrily clinging to its tail. Konstantin offered a growl and yanked me into the shadow of the building next to us, but the Kadabra simply grabbed hold of my other arm before we were gone. "Ow, okay, stop it!" I shouted after two very bad trips caught between a Teleport and a Shadow Sneak.

"_You_ stop it, then!" Dylan replied.

"Kostya, stop."

"...Dante, you stop it, too."

We glared at each other over our Pokemon for a few moments. Konstantin wrapped his paws around my arm and tried to push me back a step, but I wasn't going to go along with another ditch attempt. "...I'm fine. Honest. Time is important right now, and I'd rather use it helping Lola than myself. ..._Please_. I don't want more stitches and I don't want to be too late for her," I said, hanging my head to hide my eyes with my bangs. "I'll let myself be taken care of after she is. Knowing my luck, I'll probably only get hurt again, so we'll have to make another trip afterward." I had meant it to be a joke, but it felt miserably flat.

"...You're going to go into a war zone with _guns_ and people who are not afraid to hurt you. And you can hardly walk on your own," Dylan whispered, brow drawn together. He shook his head and sighed sadly. I felt bad for not only dragging him into this—all of the trainers—but for seeming so weak, for being a liability both in and out of action. "If you go down, they win."

"I'm not going to. There's too much riding on this. ...Go get Jude and the other two. I'll stay here."

"If you don't, I'm going to set Dante on you again," he warned seriously, then disappeared with his Kadabra.

I gingerly sat down. Konstantin worried over me, but I really had no intention of leaving. I started tearing off strips of my shirt to use as bandages. "...Don't give me that look," I told him moodily. "I've survived on far worse. I can do this."

"_You do not have to prove yourself to me, comrade_," he replied quietly.

I mulled that over, still unhappy with all of the situation. The clock was ticking down for Lola and my body was hating me again. I idly wondered what I had done in a past life to deserve all of that.

Then my phone went off.

I jumped violently, immediately scrabbling in my pockets for it. When had the cell towers gone back live? I recognized the tune as my text tone and eagerly flipped it open, already excited at the prospect of contact with other people once more. But then, I saw who it was from.

I opened the message, blood draining from my face as I read it. It was short and terribly to the point, and it confirmed all of the fears I'd been pushing back the entire time.

"_Are you on your way? I'm waiting_," it read. It was from Nick.


	138. Where Hope Is Coldest

I stared at my phone. I hardly noticed when it beeped and the signal bars disappeared again; they had only allowed a small window for the message to be sent. No reply time. They wanted me to come.

_He_ wanted me to come.

Nick _was_ working with them. They could've gotten his phone, somehow, but they were saying that he was in cahoots with them from the beginning. They hadn't been bluffing. Nick wanted to see me. He had come to Sunyshore to see _me_.

I should not have felt the guilty, vindicated little happiness that I did.

I jumped again when the others Teleported back. I flipped my phone shut and pressed it against my chest. They didn't mention the phone thing, so I assumed that they hadn't notice the signal returning. The message had only been for me. I slipped it back into my pocket and wished it hadn't happened. As if I needed more stress (or incentive) to go track down Vaporeon.

And Nick.

"You look pale. Blood loss?" Jude asked, a little meanly. I kept my head bowed and shrugged, Konstantin stealthily helping me to my feet. I could still stand through sheer determination, and now that I was fully aware of the damage, I could limp along by taking great care not to put too much weight on my hurt leg.

"...How much time do we have left?" one of the other trainers, a man in his twenties whose name I think was Stephen, asked.

"Assuming three hours was our limit, just under two." Too bad Vaporeon had said _two_ or three hours. We could very well have less than an hour to get into the place, rescue her, and get her to a hospital. And hope it wasn't too late. Then there was the matter of Keith.

Unfortunately, it seemed that we had little decision in the matter.

Because a Xatu appeared on the scene.

My mind was demanding who it had a psychic lock on as we all dove in random directions away from it. It flapped its wings, trying to catch one of us, but apparently, we had pretty good reflexes. Konstantin viciously pulling me into the nearest shadow helped.

The Xatu knew Psychic, however, and before we were completely gone, it caught me. I flailed and latched onto my Duskull as I was lifted back out of the shadow. The second it brought me over, it could Teleport me back to the station and that would be that. "Jude!" I screeched, throwing out my arms for him. He caught hold of my wrist just as the Xatu grabbed my foot with its wings.

We were suddenly in the television station. The Xatu made an annoyed bird sound (that I only recognized because of Alice) and I kicked it away irritably. Dylan's Kadabra had a lock on me, but could it Teleport in when it hadn't been to the location before? Surely it could—Jacques had caught me in a couple places he hadn't been to before, surely. It was the only hope we had.

Konstantin growled but I squished him against my side with my arm; he wasn't going to play hero. Jude and I were already digging around in our pockets, but the Xatu advanced on us, narrowing its eyes warningly. "_Do not do anything stupid. I have orders to take you alive._"

Too bad we already had a shiny Rapidash and sparking Luxray out beside us. The Xatu forced them into the ground, pinning them there with a Psychic. Ike snarled and zapped it anyway. The Xatu squawked and flapped into the air, throwing him into the nearest wall.

"_Return them or I will stop their hearts!_" it warned tonelessly.

Jude and I exchanged a glance. I was the first one to look away and mumble, "Return, Ike..." I was _not_ going to risk it. Psychics could stop bullets and I would not put it past them to be able to stop hearts, either. Dylan and his Kadabra still hadn't made it to us. Had they gotten attacked, or could they not Teleport here with just a lock? "What are you going to do with us?" I demanded, looking around the room. The lights were all off, save for a lamp in the corner, giving it an eerie feel. No one else was in here, however. Why hadn't it just given us over to Vaporeon?

Konstantin made a small whine and I realized that I had forgotten about him. I didn't dare release him from my grasp, however, and he knew better than to wiggle out on his own. Maybe the Xatu had forgotten about him? Or maybe it just didn't see him as a threat.

The Xatu landed lightly on its feet, folding its wings in front of it once more. "_...Your Duskull knows about the psychics' prophecy_," it observed dryly. My eyes widened in shock; how did _it_ even know? I racked my brain, trying to think of any instances I may have met it before in. The last time I had seen a Xatu at all was during the riot, when I had chased Nick through the crowd... My mouth went dry and I looked away. It was probably his Xatu. Kamala and Lassie had known about the future, so why wouldn't another psychic?

"What prophecy?"

"Not now, Jude," I said wearily. "It's a _long_ story."

"Does it have anything to with the rationale behind springing Sayre from prison?" he asked archly, not like being brushed off. I elbowed him—_hard—_for bringing it up in unfriendly company.

"_Oh, right. I remember that. No, it did not, although it helped regardless._"

"Why did you bring us here if you're not going to give us over to Vaporeon? I want to see Lola," I demanded, hoping a brave facade would work.

The Xatu chuckled dryly. Apparently not. "_I am afraid you will not be able to see her._" I stared at it, suddenly feeling like someone had dunked me in ice water. "_She has already passed on._"

"...Wh-What? He told us—we had another _hour_," I said dumbly. Konstantin wiggled underneath my arm again, trying to make sympathetic sounds.

"_He lied. She expired soon after the broadcast_," the Xatu replied.

"Don't," Jude said immediately, voice low and firm.

"She... No, she can't be dead."

"_We needed you here. We are not above lying. No human is._"

"Don't listen to it—"

"She was still alive! She can't be dead—we can't be too late!" I cried, taking a shaky step towards it. Konstantin finally phased out from my pin, tugging me back towards Jude frantically. "What about Keith? Why didn't he save her?"

I realized at once that it had been a bad idea to mention him.

The Xatu cocked its head to one side. "_Keith? ...Oh, the ninja whose nightmare involved screwing up. He's here as well? I was... unaware of that._"

Oh no. I had just given Keith away, too. I should have known better than to bring him up; he was a _ninja_ and surely he wouldn't have been caught just yet. I had to fix this, I had to take it out—had it just said nightmare?

Reading my mind, the Xatu seemed to smile. "_Yours was fun_," it said quietly.

"..._You_ were behind the nightmares?"

"_Yes. It was all too easy to break into all of these unprotected minds and rummage through the nasty memories. And because of that—I know that this is going to eat at you until you can no longer function. You were responsible for Nick Sayre, you have the young girl's blood on your hands, and now you can add two Gym trainers to that. Three once I catch the Keith_."

I lunged forward at it, only to be restrained by Jude and Konstantin. The Xatu squawked in alarm and vanished, leaving only a couple of green feathers behind. Jude released me with a curse and I sunk immediately to my knees. "...Why didn't you let me get it," I asked him, heart racing but mind oddly clear. It had been right, of course. Nick, Cossette, Archie, Lola. Keith if they caught him. Lassie, Hanna's Pokemon, all of the ones Nick had killed. Their blood was on my hands because I couldn't stop any of it—

"The second you touched it it would've Teleported off with you," Jude snapped, crouching down beside me. "I don't have a psychic with me, and Dylan and the others can't catch up with us. You _literally_ threw yourself at it and that would've been the end of Sunyshore. What were you _thinking_?"

"I was thinking that it was right. ...You asked about the warning."

"_Comrade, do not dwell on this. Don't become bitter_," Konstantin begged, petting and tugging at my sleeve. I shook him off.

"I could've prevented _all_ of this. When I first met Kostya, there was this pack of ghosts and psychics there. Sendoff Spring. Giratina lives there. They gave me a warning, because they were terrified of the future—_this_ future."

"_Don't, please_," Konstantin tried again.

"You believed a bunch of spiteful dead souls?"

"It all turned out to be true," I hissed. I was in no mood for joking, no matter how pathetically. "Face many trials, don't become dark, don't get sidetracked, don't become angry and bitter. Oh, and I was supposed to let go of Nick. As you can see, I haven't done too well on any of those."

"So what?" Jude asked.

"_So_, it means I could have prevented this."

"Again, you're trusting the words of _ghosts_. They're not known for their honesty," he pointed out.

Konstantin made an annoyed sound, but I shook my head and cut off his rebuttal. "It doesn't matter! It's all my fault and that Xatu _knows_. I think it's Nick's. Jude—he's _here_. And that freaking bird was behind the nightmares, too. Nick was behind them." I painfully drew my knees up to my chest, burying my face in the bloody pants leg. "I-I can't win against him. I can't win against any of them. I haven't yet and I won't."

"Get rid of the bloody complex and get to your feet." I looked up at Jude, feeling annoyed and betrayed and generally angry with the whole world. "If Sayre is here, you have to stop him. Apparently it was your destiny all along."

"_Don't put any more pressure on him!_" Konstantin finally interrupted, red eye narrowed in its socket. "_You have no idea what this has been like—_"

"Kostya, it's okay. He doesn't, but it doesn't matter." I held out my hand and he hurriedly helped me up. "I messed up."

"And now you're going to fix it," Jude said sternly. "...And this time, he's going to _stay_ in prison," he added.

"_Or in a coffin_," Konstantin said under his breath, covering his teeth with a paw. I glared at him, but he only shot back, "_You have to let go at some point._"

"Doesn't mean I have to _kill_ him! The only people I want to see dead are Vaporeon and that damn mercenary."

"Touching." Of course, having our discussion in the middle of the enemy's camp probably wasn't the brightest moment of the day. The three of us looked over in varying states of alarm to see the black-haired mercenary in question, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and gun held lazily in one hand. He pushed himself off and, after making sure to close the door behind him, strode lazily over toward us. Jude and I were immediately fishing around for Pokemon again, but he raised a hand and shook his finger at us. "Uh-uh, not a good idea, boys. I'm afraid I'd have to kill any Pokemon you release. Appearances, you understand," he said with a pointed look at my Duskull.

I returned him with a glare for the mercenary. We had temporarily gotten away from the Xatu, but now we were really stuck. He wasn't going to simply vanish of his own accord. Jude and I took a step back as he continued to advance. "Stay back," Jude snarled, baring his teeth at the man.

"If you come any closer—"

"You'll what?" he asked mildly, sounding genuinely curious.

"You'll regret it," I said, fully aware of how lame it sounded. We were a couple of teenagers against a grown man, _and_ he was armed.

The man scrutinized us with icy blue eyes. He seemed to be debating something—probably which of us to kill first. "...If that Xatu comes back, I'm going to blow its brains out and we're running for it. I expect you two to come along quietly if that happens," he said instead, much to our surprise.

"I'll come along quietly when hell freezes over!" Jude said at once. I nodded my agreement, although the fact that he didn't seem to be a friend of the Xatu was... not reassuring, but perhaps not an entirely bad thing. If the bad guys weren't as united as they seemed, we could use that against them. "You killed a young girl's Pokemon in front of her, and tried to do the same to her, you heartless bastard!"

"I didn't exactly _like_ that myself, you know," he snapped back. "Contrary to popular belief these days, I have _standards_, and trust me. They were well above doing that."

"It sure didn't stop you!"

"Okay, the breeder is just an idiot, but _you_, mister Gym leader, should have been able to add two and two!" he said in exasperation, turning towards me.

"What am I supposed to be adding?" I replied in a growl, completely unsure of how to deal with this man. I'd love to beat him senseless, but he wasn't openly hostile yet. He hadn't pointed his gun at us, at least.

"Remember the Sendoff Spring incident?"

"_Vividly_."

"I told you I wanted _out_ before all this happened." I paused; I vividly remembered that part, too. The man sighed and crossed his arms, gun held laxly again. If only we had any chance of getting it away from him... "I didn't want to get dragged into this, believe me."

"You weren't exactly fighting it," I replied, but he had already planted the seeds of doubt in my mind. No matter how horrible this man was, he had never actively advertised desire to run off and join their fight. "...Okay then, say I _may_ believe you. Why are you here?"

"They have a hostage against me. My girlfriend," he said flatly.

"We're supposed to believe that load of—"

"Why are we supposed to believe you?" I asked, cutting across Jude. He turned his glare on me for it.

"I haven't turned either of you in yet, and I haven't shot him. But if he keeps up the attitude, I may change my mind." The two resumed their glaring contest; I wasn't sure who was winning, but it was a miracle that neither of them had burst into flames from the intensity.

I yanked Jude back and pushed him behind me. He was taller than me so it didn't deter him, but at least I tried. "You shot and killed two of Cossette's Pokemon. Rose probably isn't going to make it, either. I also remember you tossing me and my Pokemon off the edge of a dock to nowhere. We don't owe you _anything_, least of all our support."

"If you can get Zoe out of here, I'll desert and join you if you want. I'd like nothing better than to put a bullet in that man's head myself."

"We're still not believing you!" Jude said at once. I pushed him back again; there was absolutely no need to assault the trained mercenary with a gun. He was right about the fact that he hadn't done anything to us yet.

"...Wait, what's your girlfriend's name?" I asked, suddenly thinking of something.

"Zoe Domini."

"A little taller than him, long black hair, dark eyes, lives in Johto? Dark trainer?"

The man stared down at me, brow furrowed and eyes filled with confusion. That gave me all the answer I needed and I mentally swore. Great. She had been my maid—well, and friend—during the Johto vacation, and the first person I'd turned to in order to escape psychic Pokemon. I didn't want to help him, but I wanted to help _her_.

"We're not going to wait around for you—you help us _now_ and we'll save Zoe," I told him, much to Jude's outrage. I'd have to explain to him later that I didn't trust this man as far as I could throw him, but that I was doing this for Zoe instead. Still, if it could get a murderer off our backs and onto Vaporeon's, I wasn't going to waste the opportunity. If nothing else, it could create a distraction while we either got back with Dylan and the other two—or Keith.

"If they catch me rebelling, they'll kill her," the man replied dubiously.

"You have a Gardevoir and if you're any sort of assassin, you won't get caught," I replied stubbornly.

He grinned for the first time since finding us. "If anything happens to her, I'm coming for _you_."

"Just don't get caught. Actually—wait. Outside somewhere, there are three trainers on our rescue team. As a show of faith, bring them here." I was going to take advantage of this if it killed me; we needed someone who could Teleport back in. And it would give me a couple moments alone with Jude to explain the situation.

"...Fine," he replied shortly, and immediately, a Gardevoir appeared beside him. It giggled and looped his arm in its and Teleported back out.

"Are you _crazy_? This was the man who just killed Cossette's Pokemon! _Earlier. Today_." Jude seized me by the front of the shirt, pushing me against the nearest wall. I let him; I probably deserved it.

"I don't like him either, but I know his girlfriend. I'm going to save her. I don't care about him and I'm half-hoping he and Vaporeon will kill each other."

"You have a dangerous habit of making friends with the wrong people," Jude hissed. I knew who else he was referring to. "You just sent a mercenary with few known morals out to get our only backup."

"If he wants us to help him, he won't hurt them. And I have a feeling Dylan and his Kadabra are going to run when they first see him, anyway. They'll play hide and seek for awhile. Listen, Jude. If he's willing to use us, we have to be willing to do the same."

He let go of me, disgust visible in his eyes. "...I thought you'd changed after breaking Sayre out of prison."

"I _have_!"

"You're too willing to forgive."

"I'm _not_ forgiving him!"

"You seem to have forgotten—"

"I haven't forgotten _anything_ and I'm fully aware that it's all my fault, okay? When this is over, you can chew me out to your heart's content. But until then, clam up! If he's going to be stupid enough to trust us, I'm going to be enough of a monster to take advantage of that! Once we get the others back, I'm going to send him off to fight Vaporeon. One of them will die. We can go find Keith and—and Lola..." The Xatu had said that she was dead. But it had also admitted that they were willing to lie. Hopefully it was the one lying, not Vaporeon. I screwed my eyes shut and added, "And Archie's body. Once they're out, we can concentrate on taking them out."

"...If this backfires, I can't forgive you," Jude said at last. I raised my head and looked at him. I could only nod. I knew where he was coming from. Breaking Nick out of prison after he killed Hanna's Pokemon. Seemingly trusting the man who had just killed Cossette's. Admitting that this all could have been averted.

My mood was temporarily bolstered when the mercenary turned out to be at least a _little_ trustworthy and brought us the three trainers without a scratch on them. Even if it was a trap, at least we had greater numbers now. I let Jude outline the situation for them and kept an eye on the black-haired man with blatant suspicion. It was the least I could do.

"The Xatu will have let them know that you're both in the building now, although why it hasn't come back yet... baffles me," the mercenary admitted, running a hand through his ponytail. He tightened it dropped his hands to his side again. He was still holding his gun, I noticed. "This isn't as cut and dried as it seems, I hope you've realized."

"Of course. They're using me for Nick, or he's using them for me," I said casually, although just saying it made me feel a little... stressed. That was the word I was going to go with.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know, funny thing about that." He dug around in his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a metal tube, and began screwing it onto the barrel of his gun. Jude made a sound between a snarl and a whine and started for him, but the man readily growled back, "It's a silencer, yes, but that's because we're _inside_, you dolt. I don't feel like alerting everyone to the fact that I'm shooting them—or, worse, they think you're all armed and shoot on sight."

"You're going to kill for us?" I asked dubiously. That had been the plan, but he was very agreeable to it. Especially considering, well, _everything_. Either he really loved Zoe and hated this job, or there were ulterior motives. I was not stupid enough to think it was the former.

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" His eyes flicked up to meet mine. "Unless you want me to behave."

Once again, I was in charge of deciding the death versus life debate. I shook my head angrily. "I don't care, it's your conscience. I'm done deciding that for other people."

"Why are we trusting him?" Dylan asked pointedly.

"We're not. We're using him," Jude replied. "The Gym leader's in charge, so we may as well follow his lead. After all, what harm could that bring about?"

"You don't have to be so snarky—I get the fact that you're pissed," I deadpanned. "And I'd appreciate it if you don't undermine me in front of allies _and_ a potential enemy." I gestured uselessly at the mercenary, who only shrugged.

"It's not as if I like working with a bunch of kids, either, but I'd rather go back to using my gun for my day job and my Pokemon for everything else."

"Why _are_ you guys only using weapons? We haven't seen a Pokemon yet from any of you, aside from your Gardevoir," Stephen asked distrustfully. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Orders. We're supposed to take the high road and spare our Pokemon the pain and danger of battling this out." We trainers glanced at each other with varying levels of guilt. It was a horrendously dirty tactic, but it was working. Cossette's Pokemon were dead and dying and our Pokemon could all too easily be used against us. They were turning this into a human fight, and they _were_ probably a little better than we were for it. "What, you hadn't figured that out yet?" he exclaimed incredulously. Our expressions answered him. He pressed his palm into his face with a curse. "How have you not gotten yourselves shot yet?"

"Why haven't you just rescued your girl yourself yet?" Jude shot back. He gestured vaguely, probably meaning the Gardevoir that was haunting the mercenary. "You have a perfectly good psychic and I highly doubt a paranoid murderer like yourself wouldn't have thought to put a lock on her first."

"Oh, I could go rushing in there no problem. And then they'd shoot her."

"Then how are _we_ supposed to help?" Dylan demanded, but I had an idea. I couldn't say it in front of the mercenary, but I gave Jude's sleeve a tug and nodded to the third trainer with us, Tuesday. She nodded back and pulled Stephen against her, whispering in his ear. If psychic stealth wouldn't work, then perhaps ninja skills would?

Of course, we still had to find Keith without letting the mercenary know that we had our own assassin.

We talked over a plan of attack, and basically agreed on letting out one to two Pokemon per person. Psychics and ghosts who were more likely to deal well with gunfire. The mercenary continued trying to win our favor by bringing us bulletproof vests, and if it weren't for the fact that I was, more than likely, going to get shot at, I would refuse it. It reminded me far too much of the last time I'd tried to storm a television station.

"Let's agree to meet back at the Gym if anything goes awry. Dylan, you and your Kadabra can Teleport between it and here now, so... please, try to keep track of at least some of us," I said with a weak smile. He nodded seriously. "Stephen, you stick with Tuesday. Jude, you stay close to me or Dylan." Tuesday had a Banette with Shadow Sneak, and I had Konstantin. They weren't psychic, but they could get us out of the building in a pinch.

"Vaporeon should still be in the main room." We turned expectantly to the mercenary.

"Yeah, I know where it is. I'm not gonna lead you in, but I can give directions. Remember, I'm not on your team until I have Zoe back," he warned.

"Dylan, do you have a lock on Keith?" I whispered, cupping my hands around my mouth. He nodded again. "We have to find him before he gets captured. He can probably break Zoe out and then we can use that guy to kill the main guys."

"Not all of them?"

"We _can't_ go on a killing spree. We'd be no better than they are. Just Vaporeon." I thought of Tessa—no, only Vaporeon. The rest of them could rot in prison.

"Are you afraid of getting your hands dirty?" the mercenary called conversationally. "...I can kill Mr. V for you if you can guarantee Zoe's safety. Let the killer take care of him; you get to keep your consciences in line another day." The prospect was definitely appealing. Although the way he was talking, it sounded as if he thought he was getting out of this, too. I wasn't going to enlighten him to the contrary.

We got directions to the main room and an outline of where they were likely to have guards. I had a momentary internal debate over who to let out in addition to my Duskull. Ike wouldn't mind killing, but I didn't want him to go crazy again. Carlita could incapacitate with just a hit or two, was a smaller target, and was less likely to turn on me with blood lust. But Ike's viciousness would be helpful here and he had a wider array of long-range attacks.

"Use Carlita," Jude said in a low tone. "Ike would get carried away."

As a show of faith, I decided to agree with him. I was trying, a little desperately, to keep him on my good side, and why shouldn't I? This could still turn out to be a huge mistake and get us all killed.

The other three trainers still didn't know that Lola was supposedly dead. The mercenary didn't know about Keith. And no one else knew about the message from Nick. Secrets didn't keep friends, but I could apologize incessantly after we took care of the murderers, I decided. "Let's go."

-.-.-

Quick Ending Note: I'm not mad for all of the controversy with the valentine's day chapter, just annoyed at pairing things in general. XD It's why I don't do romance in any of my stories these days. I am just of the opinion that all of the haterade needs to go to Jude to sip on instead of you guys. I would continue to do the holiday chapters if there were any left before the ending, but there's really not. Except April Fool's, but I've ruined you all for that, anyway, so that's no fun. Just enjoy the rest of the story is all I ask. :3


	139. And Smile, And Be A Villain

The mercenary Teleported us into a different room so we stood a chance of sneaking out. He then vanished and left us; I immediately turned to the others and breathlessly explained, "We have to find Keith, save Zoe, and not get shot. They say Lola's d-dead but I'm not believing them just yet. Dylan, your Kadabra has a lock on Keith, right?" I still didn't mention Nick to them.

"Yeah, but we can't Teleport him until we've been in that area. He should be able to point us in the right direction, though." His Kadabra nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Okay, so you three go and—"

"No way. We're sticking together. They already outnumber us," Stephen pointed out in annoyance. He crossed his arms, shook his head, and glared me down. "You're not going on a suicide run for the fun of it. You can't play hero in this situation."

"Why does everyone accuse me of doing that? I'm really not," I sighed. I fidgeted nervously and kept my weight on my uninjured leg. We had to wrap this up fast. I wasn't sure how much longer it would last, and if Lola wasn't dead yet, then she was close. And if the Xatu was aware of Keith's presence, he couldn't have much time, either.

"We'll find Keith first and inform him of the situation. Start leading," Jude said, taking charge. I let him. I wasn't going to start any arguments over something as trivial as direction when the stakes were this high.

We pulled hoods over our heads, adjusted the bulletproof vests, and pretended we didn't stick closer to our Pokemon than what was strictly necessary. Konstantin attached himself firmly to my hip and Carlita held my hand in her claws. Probably ridiculously impractical, but I wanted them close to me until we came across trouble.

We burst out of the door and if we hadn't been scared out of our minds, probably with finger guns blazing. There was no one outside, however. There was a brief moment in which we all looked at each other, wondering which way to go, and then Jude shuffled towards the left. I followed him half a step later as a vote of confidence, and with trainers and Pokemon in tow, we tiptoes through the TV station. Every other light was off, giving the corridor a rather eerie, sterilized look. Not like a hospital. I was reminded more of a coffin.

Jude made a sound in the back of his throat as we turned the corner. I tensed and felt Carlita sink low, prepping for a leap, and hesitantly peeked around the corner behind him. A man—well, no, probably not even in his mid-twenties—was sprawled against the wall, a bullet hole in his head and a matching splatter against the wall behind him. I didn't dare make any comments about the mercenary helping us. I returned Carlita after that, ignoring the look Jude gave me. I didn't want her to have to see anything more than she had to. She was still too sweet and innocent.

Things only got more tense as we moved quietly through the building. It seemed empty and forgotten or like something out of a horror movie. My vest seemed too tight, crushing my chest, and my leg wasn't enjoying the stress, either. "This is... quiet," I murmured, just to make a sound.

"Too quiet," Dylan agreed humorlessly.

"If that bastard had the capability of stealthily taking out the entire building, why didn't he do that to begin with? Even with a hostage, he could easily cut down their numbers without them noticing for awhile," Stephen observed under his breath. I could have sworn I saw Jude suppress a grimace out of the corner of my eye.

"What about Keith?"

"He doesn't have a gun."

"Um." I glanced back at Tuesday. The female trainer was shaking, arms around her Banette like it really was a doll, looking down the way we'd come. "Th-There's more blood on this wall."

"But there's no body there," Stephen said irritably.

"It could be anybody's."

"It's not ours, and for now, that's what's important. We have to get to the main room and find Vaporeon," Jude cut in. No one argued with him. I fingered Carlita's pokeball in my pocket, ducked my head, and simply followed him. We were more or less locked into trusting the mercenary, at least a little, thanks to me. It wasn't as if we could back out now. And either way, Vaporeon had to go down, too. He was the bigger problem.

And, of course, there was the little problem of Nick Sayre.

No more messages from him, no sighting of him. Who hadn't appeared yet, but if the Xatu really was his, then that would be a moot point. I still couldn't fully believe that he was actually in on this. Lola and Archie had been good trainers. Hell, he'd had a shot at Archie _before_ and hadn't taken it. He may have fallen far, but he wasn't killing indiscriminately. Just those who didn't deserve their teams. They had to have been Vaporeon's doing.

There were also several other matters. Tessa was in on this and very likely on the wrong side. Zoe was a hostage and our only shot, no matter how slim, at keeping the bounty hunter from slaughtering us all like Cossette's Pokemon. Lola could or could not be alive at this point.

Eventually, the creepy hallways ended and we had to start going through rooms. A couple of empty dressing rooms, a bathroom with blood splatters over the mirrors and a dead Magnemite in the sink, and finally, something we had somehow never expected. I only had enough warning as Jude sucking in a breath before we came across five people, tied up, gagged, and in various stages of bloodiness. We rushed over and yanked the gags out of their mouths, Stephen shutting the door behind us, Kostya and the Banette floating around the room to inspect it.

"We were just workers, we're not part of them!" the first man burst out immediately. "I-I'm a cameraman, we're just all part of the crew! They took our Pokemon an-and I don't know where anyone else is!"

"Probably dead!" a woman next to him sobbed.

"Calm down," Dylan soothed, finishing un-gagging the last hostage. "I'm going to drop them off in the hospital—"

"No, not yet." I looked up in surprise at Stephen. He turned so he wasn't looking at them and crossed his arms moodily. "Look, this is all entirely too easy. One of their men just _happens_ to want to join us, we haven't encountered any resistance yet, and here we've found some of the hostages, all neatly left out for us."

"Stephen, they're _injured_," Tuesday stressed with a glare. "This isn't some trap. We have to get them out of here."

"...At least make sure they're not armed, with weapons or Pokemon," Jude said coldly. "They're probably not above pretending to leave us hostages."

"Probably not," I mumbled. Frankly, I was tired of the paranoia. Yes, this was all one giant mistake, but they didn't have to be so mean about it. Dylan and I patted down the people and I felt slightly better when we came away with nothing more dangerous than a pen and a lighter. I stood up, gritting my teeth at the way my leg complained, and turned my back on them. I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut. Jude wasn't going to forgive me, but I hadn't counted on Stephen siding with him. It would've been nice to get a little support.

"I'm taking them to the hospital. I'll be right back," I heard Dylan say, and felt the telltale vacuum of space and sound behind me as they Teleported out. I reopened my eyes with a nearly silent sigh.

Who the Hypno stared back at me.

I made a strangled sound, hardly audible, and the Hypno's expression broke. He shut his eyes and bowed his head, charm hanging limply from his hands. "_...You were not supposed to be here, regardless of his wishes_," he said in a pained tone, and then vanished.

I continued staring at the spot, reminding myself to breathe. That was more of a slap in the face than the Xatu. At least I could have pretended that it wasn't Nick's, that he wasn't behind the nightmares or any of this. But I couldn't ignore Who.

"What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost." I jumped back, landing on my injured leg, and crumpled to the ground. Tuesday jumped in response, eyes wide, and immediately asked, "Wh-What's wrong?"

"...No one else saw that?" I asked, confused. I understood that they had been facing towards the hostages, but—we had two ghosts in the room! I looked around for them.

Konstantin dashed my hopes by floating in through the wall beside us, announcing, "_The area is clear_."

"Saw what?" the girl asked, offering a hand to help me back up. I had to accept it and tried to ignore the sensation of blood running down my leg.

"..." Did I tell them or didn't I? I settled (cowardly) on a compromise. "There was... There had just been a psychic there. It vanished once I saw it."

"They have to know we're here, and yet we're still not getting swamped or shot at," Jude remarked. I shot him a dark look.

"They want us in the main room so they can televise it. Showing dead bodies only goes so far," I retorted. It was a guess, but the second the words left my lips I knew them to be true. Vaporeon liked giving his audiences a show, after all.

"Then let's give them a show," Dylan replied diplomatically, cutting off any more discussion between us. I was grateful, if a little annoyed. "But first, remember, we're tracking Keith. It seems he's that way." He pointed to the other door leading out of the room.

"Probably the same direction of the main room," Jude noted. Dylan shrugged. Jude sighed and tightened his ponytail. "...We have to be getting close. Are you all ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Stephen deadpanned. Tuesday and I simply nodded.

We entered into another small hallway, this one with flickering lights. I swore they were just messing with us at that point. There was another body in an adjacent room, but the woman didn't have a bullet hole in her. Instead, her throat had been slashed. Either our mercenary was getting more creative or Keith had been here.

The next door was ajar. Somehow, I had wound up in front after examining the body, and after a prod from Jude, I peeked through the crack. I didn't like what I saw. Cameras, half-light, live people carrying guns, and Vaporeon himself chatting idly with another. We still hadn't found Keith, but instead we had found our targets. We didn't know the building layout well enough to try sneaking around the room.

"...This is it. He's in there. So are about half a dozen other people, armed. I didn't see any Pokemon—not even that Xatu," I whispered as loudly as I dared, pulling away from the door again.

"What's the plan?" Dylan asked.

Considering there wasn't one... "I could either go in as a distraction, our ghosts could do something as a distraction, or we could just go in there guns blazing. The room is fairly large so we could probably have our bigger Pokemon out... Jude and I could release our fire Pokemon and cause some chaos."

"I like that idea the best," he growled.

"Playing with fire is dangerous, though. Not to mention that they're willing to shoot Pokemon."

"They're willing to shoot _anyone_! I'd rather set them on fire before they could attempt it," he snarled back.

"Calm down," I commanded, and he backed down. "...Our ghosts can go in first so they aren't concentrating on the door when we come out. Jude and I will use Giggle and Des to separate them—make a wall of fire. It'll make things confusing and smokey, though, so be aware. Tuesday, keep your Banette near you in case of escape. Dylan, you stick close to your Kadabra. ...This is it, I guess. Hopefully Keith will notice the ruckus and come help, I don't know. If you see a girl who looks like a hostage—she'll have long, black hair, dark eyes, and probably wearing dark clothes—don't hurt her. I know she's the mercenary's girlfriend or whatever, but she's _my_ friend, too. She's innocent in all of this."

After a few moments of bracing ourselves, the ghosts floated out into the main room. Almost immediately, we heard shouts of surprise, something breaking, and a single gunshot. Tuesday made some sort of a whine and that was all the motivation I needed; I was hardly out the door and I threw Des and Carlita's pokeballs. I ducked low and more gunshots were heard, and all I could do was shout, "Carlita, keep close! Des, fire! Set fire to things! See if you can't cut anyone off from anyone else!"

It degenerated into chaos very quickly. Konstantin and the Banette picked up one of the stage lights and threw it, showering the area with sparks and setting their own fire. The shiny Rapidash beside Jude was breathing out fire on the other side of the room, blocking off one of the exits. Already the room was beginning to fill with smoke. I instructed Des to stop the fire, since we had enough for an enclosed space, and yanked my shirt up over my nose as best I could.

Carlita threw herself at a girl with a gun who came a little too close. The girl, who had been shielding her face with her sleeve from the smoke, hadn't seen it coming and I almost felt sorry for her. She was bruised, bloody and unconscious—I was hoping—by the time I pulled my fighter off of her. "Carlita, stop! No killing!" I grabbed her and began moving back towards Des when my uninjured foot came down on something. After a small bit of wobbling, I caught my balance again, and looked down. It was a gun. The girl's gun.

I picked it up. If absolutely nothing else, I could use it to scare them, even if I wasn't completely sure how to use it. Or if I _could_ use it. I thought of Cossette's Pokemon, of Archie, of Lola.

Yeah, I could probably use it. Non-lethally.

Dylan, a couple feet away and backing up, shot me a worried grin at the gun in my hands. I grinned back, just as helplessly. "At least you can—" The bullet caught him between the eyes and Dylan fell down, mouth still open and smiling faintly.

In unison, Carlita, the Kadabra and I turned in horror at his shooter. Vaporeon, hair a mess and more blood on him than ever, turned his gun on me. I didn't feel afraid. I couldn't process Dylan's death. All I could do was watch numbly as the Kadabra shrieked and snapped the man's arm with its powers, gun held loosely in my own hands. Someone had just shot Dylan. He was dead. One of my trainers was dead. Vaporeon had killed another—and like magic, I suddenly _did_ remember the killing machine in my hands.

By the time I had gathered my thoughts again and formed some semblance of coherent planning, the Kadabra was put down. My eyes felt too dry in the heat and smoke. I stalked over to Vaporeon stiffly, gun held straight out. I wasn't a foot away from him when I stopped, and it was only then that I was aware of Carlita trying to pull me back again.

For the first time since he interviewed me, Vaporeon and I met face-to-face. And I had a gun pointed at his head. He looked a mess, with his hair falling in his eyes, blood splattered all over his suit, tie missing, kneeling in front of me, cradling his shattered arm. He didn't even look up at me at first.

"Where is Lola."

There, he finally looked up.

"Lola Gram is dead," he replied, eyes on mine and not on the gun.

I grimaced and took the final step towards him, pressing the barrel into his forehead. Cossette's Pokemon, Archie, Dylan, Lola. He was a cold-blooded killer and he had to be stopped. He had to _die_ for what he was trying to do—for what he had already done.

The gunfire slowly died and all I could hear was the fire roaring and crackling. The others must have noticed what position they found their leaders in. Vaporeon looked tired, not afraid. I pressed the gun harder into his head, forcing him down a couple inches. "Are you going to kill me, oh virtuous Gym leader?"

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't."

"I could lie and say you're being televised, but with everything burning down around us, I think you would see though that," he said with a thin smile. I could finally see the sweat forming on his brow. He had a single, small splash of blood on his cheek, and that was slowly running down his face with the rest of the sweat. "Would you like the proof that Lola is dead? Do you want to see the bodies?"

"I'm not letting you up," I cried, shoving him down several more inches. "You... You are a monster, more than Nick ever was. You—" Nick. Nick—where was he. For the first time, my dulled senses evaporated and my heart leapt into my throat. He was supposed to be here, and we hadn't found him yet. "Where is Nick?"

Vaporeon's thin smile turned into a real one, showing teeth. Behind me, a single gunshot went off. I jumped as if it were next to me and whirled around.

Stephen was in a crumpled heap on the ground. The mercenary, bleeding and hair out of its ponytail, turned on me with his gun. "Drop it," he stated tonelessly.

"Ah, there's my cavalry," Vaporeon said pleasantly. I snarled and bared my teeth at the mercenary, that (inevitable) traitor, and grabbed Vaporeon's shirt collar. I pressed the gun back into his head and took a shaky step back, cursing my leg.

_Stay upright, stay upright_, I prayed. "Y-You take one step closer, and he dies."

"You don't have the gall to kill a man yourself," the other man replied, voice once again devoid of any emotion. He did freeze on the spot, however, giving me a much-needed confidence boost. I still had some control over the situation. I could still do this, no matter how badly everything had just gone, no matter how much I had messed up, I could still _fix this_.

And then the mercenary turned his gun on Carlita and shot her.

Several things happened at once. Carlita fell down, screaming bloody murder and clutching her bloody leg. I dropped Vaporeon and completely forgot about the gun and mercenary and fire and everything except getting to my Breloom. Des reacted faster and probably in a better way; with a bellow of pure rage, he let loose one of the largest Flamethrowers I'd ever seen from him at the man. I didn't look at the results and instead raced towards Carlita, falling to my knees and staring at her. She was shot in the thigh, or waist, or somewhere—there was so much blood and she was trying to cover it with her claws and she wouldn't stop crying or screaming and I had no idea what to do.

Things got impossibly worse after that. Jude shoved me aside and returned Carlita for me, and tried to take the gun from me, too. I wouldn't let him and instead shoved him back, stumbling back to my feet, searching wildly for either Vaporeon or the mercenary. They were both going to _pay—_they were going to die. Jude shouted something after me and Des tried to say something, too, but I had Carlita's blood on my hands, Dylan and Stephen were dead, and someone was going down.

It was cruel of me, but they had hurt _my_ Pokemon this time. Cossette and her team were a tragedy. Dylan and Stephen were horrible. Carlita was unforgivable.

I found Vaporeon first and raised the gun at him. There was just a second, in which he turned to me and my conscience rebelled against me, but then it passed. I pulled the trigger.

It went wide and I hadn't expected the recoil. I dropped the gun with a yelp, hand stinging. Vaporeon smirked and withdrew his own gun from his pocket. And then it was _my_ turn for the cavalry.

Only one door wasn't completely devoured by flames at that point, and it burst open, startling the survivors. A girl with long, black hair and blood covering her shirtfront ran in, sobbing and heading straight for the mercenary. His impassive mask broke and he shouted, "Zoe!" and rushed to her. I ignored them and instead felt the first surge of hope as Keith followed her in, hood up, glasses flecked with blood, and two knives out.

Of course, the reprieve didn't last long. Just as I stooped to retrieve my gun, just as Zoe and the mercenary embraced, just as Keith ducked his head and raced towards us, the mercenary once again flipped sides. Vaporeon had to have known it was coming. The mercenary held Zoe tightly against his chest with one arm and raised the other with the gun at Vaporeon, his Gardevoir already out behind them and ready.

Vaporeon had to have known it was coming because he shot him first.

Bang, and the mercenary stepped back, blood blossoming on his shirt and running down his arm. Bang, and Zoe screamed, sagging in his arms. A look of pure, unfiltered rage, and he raised the gun again, struggling to keep Zoe upright. He let off one shot that caught Vaporeon on the side of the head. It must have only grazed him, because there was immediately blood everywhere but the man just kept going.

"Zoe, Zoe, stay with me!" the mercenary begged, crouching down as she finally slipped out of his grasp. Vaporeon didn't even let him have that; on his hands and knees, one arm useless and the side of his face coated in red and flesh and bits of hair, he shot the mercenary again. It caught him in the side of the head and he fell without a word, falling beside Zoe. She made a whining, incoherent noise, raising her arm and fighting to shake his shoulder.

I pulled the trigger on my gun again, but it only clicked. I tried again, but to no avail. Vaporeon swore and collapsed onto his stomach, although he still rose his gun again, this time towards us. He probably should've paid more attention to the screaming Gardevoir, especially considering how the last psychic treated him after its trainer died.

Keith threw a knife, but the Gardevoir actually managed to save Vaporeon from it by picking him up like a rag doll. Eyes glowing and radiating fury, the psychic threw him into the nearest wall. He shouted in pain and the Gardevoir grinned because of it. At that point, however, I was once again jarred from the role of a spectator as one of the ceiling panels, flaming, fell just behind us. Keith and I jumped out of the way—in opposite directions. Another one fell farther back, and then another. The fire on this side of the room had gotten bad enough to start bringing down the ceiling.

I was aware of the fact that Des was near me, not minding the heat but painfully attentive to me. He nosed me in the back when he realized he had my attention again. He opened his mouth to say something, but ended up headbutting me out of the way and then releasing a jet of fire. My head snapped back over to see a Shiftry gently lowering the Gardevoir's body to the ground. It leapt out of the way of the flames, returning to a young woman's side. A woman with dyed hair and sunglasses and facial piercings.

Tessa had a gun, too, of course. We were the only ones stupid enough to be relying exclusively on Pokemon. She took a shot at Jude but it went over his head thankfully, and his Rapidash tried to roast her Shiftry. Keeping weapon and Pokemon beside her in defense, she slowly made her way over to Vaporeon, eyes undoubtedly on us behind those sunglasses.

I watched her as she took another shot, this time at Tuesday's Banette, and once again missed. She wasn't as good a shot as the mercenary or Vaporeon, but more than that, I noticed how she could keep shooting. The top of her gun wasn't locked back in place like mine. I must have been out of ammunition.

"Des—Keith! I need another gun! I need more ammo!"

"Take the mercenary's!" he shouted back, gesturing to the bodies. Too bad they were a ways away and directly in front of Tessa and Vaporeon.

"Kostya, bring me his gun!" My Duskull nodded and swooped down. The Shiftry growled at him, but he only cackled nervously and flew back to me, gun held upside-down in his paws. I didn't know how to reload a gun, though. Then, of course, I realized I had a _new_ one. I rolled my eyes at my own expense and decided to try shooting at people again.

I would worry about my morality later.

I only had time to shoot once more—before the Xatu reappeared. Only instead of with its usual poise and dignity, it reappeared with a squawk, feathers flying, and an Espeon tearing at it. Tessa made an alarmed shout and Vaporeon shouted something too, lost in the fire and fighting Pokemon. Des and Giggle both tried shooting the pair with fire, but they Teleported out of the way, reappearing on the ground across the room.

Then, I was hauled up by the back of the vest. I called out and flailed, only to turn to see _Lucian_, of all people. Light hair a mess and glasses cracked and Alakazam behind him, he shoved me behind him and much to Keith's surprise, had his Mr. Mime bring him over as well.

While his psychics rounded up the remaining two and his Espeon continued fighting with the Xatu all around the room, I recalled that he was the acting Champion of Sinnoh. The Alakazam took the gun from me and dismantled it telepathically and with ease. I whined uselessly and tried to get it back, if only for something to do. Something productive. Something harmful.

Keith and I were psychically placed behind Lucian and his Alakazam, and we both immediately fought to get back into the fray—and away from the flames all too close behind us. The Alakazam growled at us and whacked me in the injured leg with one of its spoons; I immediately went down. That was a low blow and then some.

I felt teeth on my back and I was lifted back up. I twisted around to find Des, my shirt in his mouth, his ears so low he looked like a Lopunny. He spat out my shirt and for one moment, I was caught between throwing myself at him and throwing myself back at Vaporeon. Gun or not, that man needed to bleed. More. The mercenary was dead and I could do nothing more to him. He was my last target.

"Finish him!" Lucian barked out, and his Alakazam stopped restraining Keith and I. Without anything further to say or do, we both ran back out. I had no idea what he was planning—hell, I had no idea what _I_ was planning. I had to do something. With so much going on, I had to do _something_.

We got two steps out from the Champion and watched as Vaporeon's neck was snapped in two. Tessa shrieked and backed away from him, sunglasses askew and showing us her eyes for the first time. They were terrified, possibly even more than we were. "No, _no_! We still had to—_no_!" With that last pained denial, she reached out and grabbed the fighting Xatu and Espeon as they Teleported near. She mercilessly ripped the feline away, earning scratches all down her arms for it, and her Shifty kept the Mr. Mime away from its trainer.

She then grabbed a fistful of white feathers with one hand and returned the grass Pokemon with her other. Tessa, the Xatu behind the nightmares, they both vanished and left us alone with dead bodies and a burning building.


	140. To Thine Own Self Be True

Sunyshore had a lot of funerals after that.

"And what the hell have you been doing the past couple of days?"

"I've been fighting my own battles! I don't have time to babysit Gym leaders; I could have thought that you all would have managed _not_ to ruin the city in the meantime!"

I gave it a cursory fight, but I could feel myself shutting down.

"What happened to the other Gyms?"

"...Crasher Wake and Gardenia are dead. Fantina and Sela are hospitalized."

The nation was in mourning, and I wasn't the only one in this state. It just felt like I was.

"You just _had_ to trust him, didn't you? You had to be so stupid as to _trust a murderer_!"

Things had gone so bad, so fast. And I couldn't handle that.

-.-.-

Lucian had dropped us back off in the Gym and grabbed a couple more volunteers to free the Center—those of us at the station were forbidden from going anywhere until the city was free again. It took no more than an hour for him to come back, and then order us all to the hospital. My leg was stitched back up and Carlita was taken to the Center for her leg to be fixed as well. She would keep the leg, but she had to stay off of it for several weeks, and they preemptively put most of her leg in a cast just so she wouldn't be able to move it as much as she undoubtedly would try.

The TV station burned to the ground; no one tried to stop it. Not even half of the bodies inside were recovered. Lola's and Archie's weren't. Vaporeon's was. The mercenary's and Zoe's were not. Too many funerals to attend. Lola's and Archie's were a day apart, and Keith only stayed for them. Lucian tried to get him to stay while we all figured out what to do next, but after a shouting match that nearly came to blows, Keith won.

Jude left, too. After another fight. I deserved it, I knew. I had trusted a man who was only out for his own gain, the rest of the world be damned. It was a mistake and one I couldn't fix with apologies and tears. I told myself I didn't know why I had trusted him in the first place, even if I did. Deep-down, I did. Jude broke all ties with me with a punch to the jaw and a simple, "I thought you had learned."

I had trusted the mercenary because he had given me a sliver of doubt and the chance that he may have been a decent guy in other circumstances. But we hadn't had different circumstances, and it had only gotten Carlita shot. I had thought he could still redeem himself. Just like Nick. I didn't want to believe that there were monsters in the world; they showed me a good side, and I clung to it as stubbornly as humanly possible.

That was certainly gone now.

While everything was being sorted out, I took the opportunity to shut down the Gym again. Nobody argued with me about it. Fantina and Sela would eventually recover, but we were down two leaders again; it would take a little while to replace them and attempt to get the region running _again_. It was decided with very little argument that the Elite Four and Champion would decide on the replacements themselves. Never again would there be a Gym race.

Vaikuntha greeted me with a hug and valiantly stayed with me throughout a lot of it. Between being shuttled to Sunyshore for a funeral there, Eterna for a funeral there, the island to the north for meetings, I kept to myself and ignored what was actually going on. Keith and Alicia were offered the two Gyms, if only for simplicity's sake and a quick fix. That was one of the larger reasons Keith walked out. Alicia turned it down, too, although not as vehemently.

She tried to act sympathetic towards me, and even tried to give me a hug. I couldn't help but tense and snap, "Stop! Just—don't touch me." I wasn't mad at her. I wasn't mad at anyone but myself, but it wasn't fair that she could slip so easily out of this. She helped Benjamin and Canalave was one of the better off cities because of it. I had Sunyshore and it was one of the worst.

The first funeral was Lola's. Empty casket. None of her Pokemon had been recovered. She didn't have any family attending. I wore a suit that made me feel uncomfortable and secretly wore the bulletproof vest underneath it. It made it twice as uncomfortable and made me feel like I was being slowly suffocated, but I was getting used to it. It felt reassuring. After getting a gun pointed at me, after having Carlita shot, after seeing Dylan and Stephen die, I needed that reassurance.

I could hardly keep the days and events straight. It just seemed so busy and yet not. You can only stand by and watch them lower an empty coffin into the ground so many times. I was being herded around, Nathan acted as my bodyguard again, and I simply let it all happen.

The second funeral was Archie's. Another empty casket. Only one of his Pokemon was recovered—I thought it would be Charlotte, but it was his Empoleon instead. I went back to the Gym after his and fell straight asleep. I survived two and that was my limit, even if there were more to attend. It was so difficult; they were both dead. They were _dead_. Gone. Forever. No more snarks from Lola, no more come-ons from Archie. No more flat looks or bright grins or cold logic or alcohol on the breath. Their Pokemon were gone—probably taken by the monsters who had done all this. Tessa was the only one we knew for a fact that had gotten away, but they had unknown numbers and followers. Anyone could've been in on it, and any of them could have the remains of those teams. (I prevented myself from thinking that one of _them_ had what was once my Electabuzz.)

I hadn't seen Nick, but I had seen his Xatu. Maybe it was his Xatu. It was behind the nightmares, and it had known about both the warning and the breakout. Who was harder to ignore; I knew for a fact that he was Nick's. I hadn't seen Nick himself, though. I tried calling him again, but wherever his phone was, it remained unanswered. All of that, and I hadn't seen the man supposedly behind it all. It made me feel as if it was just a big joke on me. Lure me in by the nose with the promise of my best friend, haha, so funny that I fell for that.

Stephen's funeral came next. I stood next to Tuesday and we both stoically watched another empty casket enter the ground. Two of his Pokemon had been recovered and were given to his girlfriend, present at the ceremony and shedding tears that we didn't have. Dylan's was the day after his, and his body had been taken out of the building. The only full coffin I saw in the long list. His Kadabra was buried with him.

"We have to prevent this from happening again," Volkner said in one of our many meetings. No one volunteered any ideas; we simply didn't have any. "They said so themselves—they've been finding each other through their teams."

"They admitted themselves that it was imprecise and it should be noted that there are obvious exceptions," Bertha said brusquely. Vaikuntha sunk lower into his chair.

"It's a start, though," Maylene said, crossing her arms. "What else are we supposed to be doing?"

"Keep an eye on any and all trainers that go through your Gym, for starters," Volkner replied icily.

"Because we haven't done that before," Benjamin said with a roll of his eyes.

We didn't get very far in any of those meetings. No one knew what to do. The best we could do was interrogate the remains of the Sunyshore (and Jubilife, to be safe) press, look through the training records for the alert Pokemon, as we were calling them, in any of the trainers known to be in Sunyshore at the time, and try to get answers from the followers who had been arrested.

Seventeen directly arrested, and more than that killed. It didn't sound like a huge number, at least until Benjamin let me know, "You and Sela are the only ones who killed anyone." So between the two of us, we took out at least seventeen lives. I didn't want to know the exact number.

Five more arrests were eventually made, but that was all the farther that lead took us.

Eventually, the meetings failed altogether and we were put back in our own cities. The long line of funeral processions ended as well. The Gym circuit was closed down completely; in some cases, it was to repair the Gym. In most cases, it was to repair the leader. I simply closed my doors and spent my time doing nothing.

Jude had told me that their blood was on my hands. The Xatu had told me the same thing. It was true. I could have stopped Nick. Barring him, I could have chosen not to trust the mercenary. I could have done any number of things differently, and I convinced myself that those choices would've been better. I took too many showers, trying to wash the blood from my hands, trying to scald the responsibility off of my skin. I wore the vest at all times, even to bed, ignoring the way it rubbed against my chest and how I couldn't breathe properly in it.

I nursed Carlita as well as I could, always apologizing, even if she brushed me off. I finally stopped saying sorry when she hit me and said, "_Don't be! Now we match._" I didn't tell her, but I think that broke my heart a little. Des tried to mother me, but I wouldn't let him. I was positive Konstantin thought poorly of me for all of it, too.

Nathan was still staying in the Gym, although I ignored him. Sonya tried to stay, but I wouldn't let her. Arianna stayed because I didn't have the courage to try to chase her away. Jude had left and I couldn't get hold of Hanna.

Cossette was the only one I allowed near me at any time, the only one I spoke to on a regular basis besides my Pokemon.

It was the little foreign girl who had lost almost everything who finally brought me back to reality. And it was Alice who made sure I stayed there.

"Why are you so quiet?" Her English varied greatly without her psychic translator, but she was trying. It was more than I was doing. Cossette sat next to me, eyes large and much too old for someone her age.

"I'm thinking," I replied mechanically, running my hands over the new stitches in my leg. I had crutches again, although I was ignoring them, too. It wasn't like I was moving too much, anyway.

"About what?" She took my hand from my leg and put it in her own, looking down at it instead of at me. I turned to her, surprised and a little tense at the physical contact.

"...Bad things," I replied honestly.

"_Pourquoi?_"

Seeing me talking with another human being soon had my Pokemon taking notice. Especially the Pidgey chicks. I hadn't explained anything to them before or after; all they knew is that I left them, and when I came back, I was like this. I would've felt bad had I been entirely aware of it. "A lot of bad things have happened." I should not have told her that. Three Pokemon dead; Rose hadn't made it. She was left with a baby Kangaskhan and a comatose Gallade. "...I'm sorry."

"You did not do any of these bad things," she told me plainly.

"...Maybe not," I lied.

Her hands tightened their grip on mine. Still not looking at me, using her long hair to shield her face, she ran her nails lightly over the back of my hand. If it was anyone else doing it, it would've seemed threatening. "There are bad people in the world, yes. You are not one. You are a hero."

"I haven't done anything to warrant the title," I snorted bitterly. I shouldn't have been acting that way in front of her, and some small part of me was even aware of that. It wasn't a large enough part to stop me, however.

"_Non—_you are a hero."

"Cossette, I'm—"

"You are a hero!" she insisted in a hiss, and suddenly, tears were falling onto our hands. "You have to be—you are my hero—I need one! _Je veux—j'ai besoin—_People have need of a hero. You are one. This fits, yes?" She looked up at me with a crooked little smile, tears still trickling down her cheeks.

I realized then and there that no matter how disillusioned I was, no matter how bad _she_ was—nothing was to be accomplished by sulking. I had to be strong. I still had a team, a Gym, a little girl to look after. Just because other lives ended and just because I failed, didn't mean that my life had to end.

I jumped—in turn making her jump—when I felt feathers press up against my bare foot. The three Pidgey chicks were already in my lap. I was somewhat surprised to find Alice, fluffed up and looking as regal as ever, perched by my foot. "_Are you speaking to us now?_" she asked shortly.

"...I was always—"

"_Don't_," she snapped, beak clicking. "_You were zoned out and ignoring us for the past week. None of us knew what was wrong. Why were you stupid in the burning building?_"

Now even my Pokemon thought I was stupid. I blinked back tears—I could not handle any more blame. Cossette's small progress was already slipping away. "Alice, I'm so sorry. I just..."

"_You didn't use me!_" she squawked, arching her neck back indignantly. I stared at her, lost and confused, still trying to clear my vision. "_You could have gotten yourself killed. And now you're moping about like a Ponyta with a wounded leg and you think it's your fault, don't you?_"

"I... It is. I could have—"

"_What._" She narrowed her eyes and slithered up next to me, threatening to smother the chicks in my lap with her fluff.

"I could have stopped all of this," I told her lamely.

"_How?_"

"...Um, I could have stopped Nick—?" I didn't understand her question, and it showed. Cossette's hands tightened on mine again.

"_How?_" Alice repeated. "_Is there an exact moment in time you could change to prevent him from becoming an ice-blooded monster?_"

I thought back, unable to find any such memories. Then again, there could have been a perfectly innocuous moment in time in which I could have acted differently and radically changed Nick—and Sinnoh.

"_Time is not a string,_" Alice said. She sat back, giving the chicks air once more, and started preening. "_It is not a straight line. You cannot do one thing and change the rest of it. This is not your fault._"

"The ghosts, the psychics—"

"_They are all self-important and believe themselves to be better than other Pokemon types. Do you have any proof that they weren't lying through their teeth?_"

"I don't know, maybe the fact that Nick actually _did_ become a monster?"

Alice halted in her preening, looking me over with one bright, black eye. She then wiggled her long neck around, searching the room. Apparently satisfied that whatever she was looking for was far enough away, she leaned in and asked, "_The ghost did it all._"

"...What?"

"_Since someone hasn't told me this, I have had to piece this together through secondhand knowledge. But! The ghosts you met in Sendoff Spring were the ones with our 'comrade' over there, correct? And then there was a frost ghost, independent of such things._"

"Yeah..." I glanced sideways at Cossette. She was staring hard at Alice, although I was still hoping she couldn't keep up with her rapid translated speech. At least she had stopped crying.

"_Who was it who told you to stop your friend?_"

I stared at her, mouth agape. First off—the fact that the others had told her that much was a little surprising. Secondly, however, she was right. Lassie had wanted me to stop Nick. The other ghosts had only wanted me to stay alive and do all of the other things I had messed up in. They could have been entirely unrelated.

Though that would have been handier to know three years ago instead of right now. "...That may be true, but it's long past now."

Alice made a very irritated bird sound, reminding me strongly of the Xatu for a brief moment. "_The ghosts told you nothing and only made you worry. The frost ghost did the same thing. But they were about different things! Your friend was not your fault._"

"Lassie asked me to stop him, and I didn't."

"_I ask you to get rid of the cat and you don't._"

"That is not the same thing and you know it."

"_Worrying will get you nowhere. Your friend was not your fault. The ghosts were only being spiteful and were having their fun at your expense. Stop worrying now!_" Alice commanded. She then snaked her way onto my lap again, barely managing to squeeze in next to the chicks.

"That's easier said than done, Alice..."

"_We're here to help. Don't take the blame yourself. Give it to others if need be,_" she chirped. I wouldn't follow the advice; this was my fault, not anyone else's. But the least I could do was function somewhat normally again, if only to begin the road to fixing instead of standing by the wayside.

I gingerly shifted my leg so I could stand up. I scooped up all four of my birds in my arms, nearly dropping Oonu but managing them all regardless. Although Cossette hastily stepped in, brushed off her dress, and plucked Voonu out of the feathery pile. I could feel Alice tense up, and I realized that this was the first time I had carried her since she'd evolved.

Cossette needed to disillusion herself and continue to think of me as a hero. Alice wanted me to press on and pretend to forget about the wrongs in the past. Sunyshore needed someone to look to for answers and guidance again. Lucian needed one less life to worry about.

I could do that.

I'd been pretending to be things I'm not for years—not dark, not bitter, not distracted. The least I could do was to do it more for the people I cared about.

Still carrying my birds (minus Voonu), Cossette (plus Voonu) trailing along in my wake, I walked over to where Nathan and Arianna were talking in low tones. Arianna caught sight of me first. I smiled helplessly at the way her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "You—you're up! Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, all but pushing Nathan out of the way.

"...I'm better than I have been for the past week," I replied truthfully.

"You shouldn't be carrying that much weight, not with your leg like that," Nathan scolded, trying to take Alice from me. She hissed and snapped at him, so I kept her in my arms. I could handle it.

"I've decided something," I told them both. Actually, I had decided a lot of things, but the biggest one was concerning the Gym. Cossette hummed, pleased, and carefully looped her arm in mine, barely fitting in with Vi there. "It's about time the Gym got renovated. This isn't Volkner's Gym anymore; it's mine. I'm tired of this warehouse feel."

"You're... You're serious about this?" Arianna asked, outright shocked. "Two weeks ago you couldn't even pick out a badge."

"I know, but I already have some ideas, and the badge is the theme, right? Half the work's already done for me," I replied cheerily, smiling—_really_ smiling—for the first time in... I didn't know how long. It almost hurt. "I want to do something productive after... all of this."

"What are your ideas, then?" Nathan asked gently. They were still treating me like a glass doll, but I didn't particularly mind it right then.

"You know what? Life sucks," I said instead. I finally gave in and sat down. The birds remained stubbornly in my lap. Vi flapped out of Cossette's arms and landed on Alice with a contented tweet. Arianna and Cossette sat down immediately beside me, and Nathan stood awkwardly for a few more moments before joining us on the floor. "I've been training for about four years now, and I've seen a whole lot of crap. I've got scars from poison ivy, half-resolved neurosis about water, I've been beaten by more wild Pokemon than I can frankly remember, I've had holy water thrown at me, I've had to cross-dress more times than I'd admit to in other circumstances..." They looked at me with matching expressions of concern. I shrugged. I knew why they were looking at me like that; those all seemed like little things.

Not like Nick, or Hanna's team, or The Tournament, or losing Woonu, or Archie, or Lola, or Cossette's team.

"Still, I've had bad luck since I can remember. It wears on you," I informed them. Cossette nodded, although how well she was keeping up, I couldn't tell. "This big stuff is... different. You can ignore it or you can fight against it. Either way—life sucks."

"Where are you going with this?" Arianna asked finally, something like fear creeping into her voice.

"I'm acting how I want, for once. I'm going to be bitter and angry about this," I said softly, looking down at the bundle of feathers and fluff in my lap. Alice snorted at me and pressed her cheek against my shirt, digging her beak into the vest underneath. "This Gym is going to be the Gym of bad luck."


	141. What Have You Done

"You've ruined a lot of things, you know."

I was in a world of black and TV static and pressure. It was silent, even with the words hanging in the air; it was the sort of looming, forceful silence that screams in your ears and makes you believe one hundred percent that there is a monster standing behind you. I turned around.

Nick, leaning down so he was eye-level with me, stared back. His eyes were lidded and his teeth were bared in something that was pretending to be a grin. I knew, immediately, that this was not Nick. Not _my_ Nick, anyway—although, really, who was that anymore?

The last creature that has masqueraded as Nick in my dreams had been during the nightmare. After it, but still. That Nick hadn't been the one I'd known, either, just wearing his face to make me panic. That was the Xatu.

I looked at the Nick before me with a new eye. He leaned back, frowning, eyes still narrowed. "...Oh, you've gotten wise," he remarked. The body flickered out of existence and I was left alone in the black world again. I looked around idly; I knew it would be back. It had something to say to me. The world was the opposite of the Froslass' white world, though, and that was possibly more jarring than anything else.

"Why are you here?" I asked the deafening silence.

The Xatu reappeared beside me, this time a bird. It folded its wings in front of it and regally tilted its head back. "You have messed up quite a few things. Untold numbers."

"I wasn't the one who killed Vaporeon," I snorted with no small amount of bitterness. I _wish_ I had been.

"No," the Xatu allowed. "But you didn't come to see him."

"...Nick," I finished. The bird nodded. "Was he actually at the station?"

It looked away, slanted eye narrowing. "...Not at that time." So he _hadn't_ been there; it had been a wild Golduck chase all along. It only added to the weight of all of the other mistakes. But surprisingly... Not that much. It was just another pinprick when I was a human pincushion. "Regardless, I do not believe you were entirely aware of the situation."

"No, I probably wasn't. Care to enlighten me?" I asked flippantly.

"He was the one giving the orders. He has been for some time." I kept my face an impassive mask, not letting the Xatu see how that statement affected me. It could very well be a lie, I knew. But all of those remarks, the text... They had to have had him on their side, or had _something_ to gain by using him.

"Whose Pokemon are you?" I asked it.

The Xatu laughed and disappeared as Konstantin finally tumbled into the dream, successfully waking me up at the same time. I immediately shivered; I was coated in sweat. I pulled the blankets back up over me, looking blearily around the room for the rest of my team. The chicks were curled up, nestled between the other pillow and the headboard. Alice and Zarek were half under my bed. Des was on the other side of the bed, snoring softly. Carlita was sprawled across the free space, cast leg laying across one of my ankles.

Konstantin floated down from the ceiling and perched himself on my chest. "_...Is this the first time the Xatu has appeared to you?_" he asked seriously.

"Yeah." I closed my eyes, but he tapped my nose. I wrinkled it and opened my eyes again, squinting down at him.

He covered his teeth with both paws bashfully. "_It is not a good idea to be so... cavalier with your enemies._"

"I was just asking it a couple questions. There are still so many holes left in what happened..." I sighed.

"_Do not let it distract you._"

"Distract me from what?"

Konstantin finally fell silent and I slipped back into my dreams. Though this time, they were pleasantly absent of both psychics and ghosts.

-.-.-

The renovations to the Gym weren't terribly ambitious. Not a whole lot would be changed structurally, anyway, although a couple of the rooms in the back would be converted into different things. Mostly, it would just be bringing stuff into the building, figuring out a layout for everything, and figuring out how to afford all of it. I had gotten some money for any renovations I wanted to do, but I'd already spent some of it clearing out all of Volkner's stuff. Not to mention replacing the healing machine.

We made it under the wire of the budget, but just barely, and only thanks to a tiny bit of intimidation and persuasion from my faithful lackeys. That's what Arianna called herself and Nathan, anyway. I let them do what they could to help and accepted it with humble thanks. I would've gotten the stuff either way, just probably out of my own pocket otherwise.

And then we started installing our new machines.

I kept Ike away from the wiring, Des helped to move things, and Alice and the chicks kept Cossette busy. It took days, long, busy days that were nothing like the active, labor-intensive days from before. This was solemn, quiet, a desperately needed distraction, lest I slip further down into my resentment for humanity. But at least I was being honest with myself and everyone else now, right?

"_You need to use your crutches!_" If anyone but Carlita called me out on it, I would've ignored them. It was another cycle of the busy days. I'd work on my own, sans crutches, and she would reprimand me. Then I would hobble around uselessly and pretend to be helpful until I got fed up and ditched them again. Carlita limped along behind me when I did, mutely threatening to take her cast off herself and ruin her leg as much as I'd ruined mine. She blackmailed me into finally letting my leg heal up.

While I was crutches-bound and useless to the manual labor, I took to talking with and training Zarek again. He still was a quiet Pokemon, and much preferred to speak via bubbles or pinches, but at least he was growing. He initially started practicing his aim with his Ice Beam on the flying Pidgey chicks (until I told him off for it), and then had him practicing on the walls and ceiling instead. I worked with the chicks, too; I would give them a Berry or a marker and point to a spot on the wall. They were getting better at flying, even Vi. They would mark up the walls and that would be Zarek's target for the day.

"_How are you doing?_" Alice crooned, flapping down from one of the rafters.

"His aim is getting better. He can hit the far mark over half the time now," I remarked flatly.

Zarek huffed and shot another Ice Beam, hitting it perfectly.

"A lot more than half the time," I amended with a wry smile.

"_How are you doing, then?_" she asked, turning towards me.

"A lot better."

"_Are you still thinking about the ghosts?_" Alice and I both looked down in surprise when it was Zarek who spoke. He bubbled, but continued staring up at me, unabashed.

"...Uh, yeah. A little."

"_Ignore them._"

"_Ignore them,_" Zarek echoed.

"Guys, I'm fine. I'm just working on the Gym right now. No ghosts—Kostya aside—in sight, right?"

"_One's bad enough_," Alice twittered, flapping off once more. I glared at her as she left, both valuing and hating her mothering nature. I could take care of myself—now, anyway. No ghosts, no psychics, just normal human work.

My idea for the Gym was simple enough, so I couldn't hide behind it for too long. It didn't take long enough. Nathan helped me weight the wheel, Arianna started configuring the machines, and everyone helped me come up with the ideas. It was to be the Gym of bad luck, right? Although it really shouldn't have been that much fun to come up with evil ideas for challengers to go through.

The idea was that every challenger would spin the big, main wheel first. It was one of those things from old game shows, the kind with all sorts of answers on it, and whatever you landed on is what you ended up with. After that, there were various ways they could go. I wasn't completely heartless, either; there were several positive options on the wheel mixed in with the negative ones. There was even a tiny little sliver which read "_get badge_". Of course, it was literally weighted against that, but hey, false hope was still hope.

Past that, there were various challenges and directions they could go. A lot of them involved battling Nathan, few of them directly involved battling me. I sort of hoped that the multitude of choices would help me from getting swamped again, but other than playing through a couple tries ourselves, we had no idea how the system would deal with several trainers at once.

"Ooh! They could lose a Pokemon!" Arianna said eagerly, leaning over me, bracing herself on my shoulders.

"I'm gonna," I replied, writing out each of the panels. My handwriting wasn't the neatest, but I wanted to do it myself. At least it was legible. "There's going to be two of those—lose the strongest on the team, and the weakest." I had thought about a choice of losing their starter, but thoughts of Vaikuntha and Sarika pushed that one back. Plus, most trainers' strongest Pokemon was their starter, anyway.

"I'm looking forward to the first person who gets the blindfolded one," Nathan drawled with a grin.

"What about the one who has to deal with the ghost as a guide?" Arianna snickered. Okay, we _really_ shouldn't be having this fun stacking odds against the poor, poor trainers of Sinnoh.

"I could've been _really_ mean and made Ike the guide," I said. But that would've went beyond mean and into the realm of monstrous (or violent). "I'm not sure what else to do, though... There are a lot more slots than I had expected."

"You can always repeat some."

"I know, but I don't wanna repeat too many. I like diversity, and hey, a _lot_ can go wrong in life. The Gym should match."

Suddenly, there was screaming. I jumped violently and dropped my paintbrush. Nathan already had his gun out. I pushed myself to my feet and ran as well as I could towards the source—I recognized Carlita's shrieks and Ike's foul snarls in amongst the rest of it. Cossette ran out of my bedroom, clearly terrified, and threw herself at me. I hadn't expected her and we both fell back onto the floor with a thump.

Nathan entered my room—and barely got out of the way as Ike barreled out. Carlita leapt out after him, landing carefully on her uninjured leg, and tossed herself onto Cossette and me without a second thought. "Oof—guys, what the hell's going on?"

"_Hypnomade_!" Cossette squealed, burying her face in my shirt. Her fingers scratched against the bulletproof vest and she immediately raised her head again, looking down at my chest curiously.

"What? I don't—"

"_Are you okay?_" Ike asked hurriedly, leaning down into my immediate view.

I stared up at him, cognitive processes grinding to a halt. My Luxray—renown and semi-recovered human-hating, violent, antisocial, and generally quite cruel Luxray—_my_ Luxray had just asked if I was _okay_. I was pretty sure he had never done that before. I didn't know how to respond to his concern.

"_What's going on?_" Des finally lumbered over, ears up in worry, snorting warningly at Ike's presence so close to my face.

"_That Hypno was here_," Ike growled in reply, backing off. Arianna helped Carlita and Cossette off of me and I sat up, peering into the open doorway of my bedroom. That was right—Who had a psychic lock on me and he'd certainly been to the Gym before. The Xatu, too... So why hadn't either of them simply confronted me? Especially if they were both so interested in me all of a sudden.

"Well, it's gone now. Is everyone okay?" Nathan asked, lowering his gun but not putting it away just then. I turned my head away from it.

"What is this?" Cossette asked abruptly, tugging at my shirt.

"Huh?"

"You have—what is this?" she repeated in frustration, eventually getting fed up and yanking my shirt up over my head. I flailed and went down again, fighting briefly with her to get it back down and out of my face. She sat on my lap again, attempting to hold me down, but I won the battle regardless. "What is this?"

"It's a bulletproof vest. It means if someone shoots him, he will not die," Nathan explained, voice soft for her and eyes hard for me. Arianna made a disapproving sound as well and crossed her arms, but she didn't say anything with Cossette there.

"Why are you wearing this?" she pressed, almost angrily.

"N-No reason," I replied weakly, trying and failing to smile reassuringly.

Cossette immediately got off of me and dusted pretend dirt off of her dress. She stalked off without another word. Arianna made another disapproving sound, although this time, it had a healthy dose of resignation mixed in. Nathan gave me one last look as I sat up, adjusting my shirt again.

I realized then that maybe it wasn't the best idea to appear afraid of getting shot in front of a little girl whose Pokemon had been killed by a gun. Especially since I was still supposed to be playing hero for her.

Des jarred me back into the immediate problem with a nose to the side and, "_Why was Who here?_"

"I-I don't know." If he had a psychic lock on me, he could've easily just come for me, instead of appearing across the building. "I didn't see him myself. Ike and Carlita and Cossette did."

"_I was only in the vicinity and decided to investigate why the females were screaming as if their intestines were being chewed on_," Ike said primly, ears laid flat against his skull.

So Who had Teleported into a room where only Carlita and Cossette had been. I didn't know if he was aware they would be there, or if he was simply trying to get into the Gym without me noticing. Although Cossette had been used against me before... "Kostya," I bit out, and my Duskull was immediately beside me. "Go check on Cossette, and Jacques."

As he bobbed and floated off, Des nosed me again. "_...You think he was after the little girl?_"

"He knew where I am, Des."

"_He could have wanted something else,_" he pointed out rationally.

"Like what?"

"Is there anything of value in your room?" Arianna asked.

"No, not really. Just... stuff. Nothing Who or Nick would want..." I racked my brain for anything in there. Bed, clothes, computer, a couple books, stash of snacks, a couple of photographs, my cell phone charger, a mixed handful of my and Volkner's badges... Nothing of importance for anyone.

"I don't know how messy your room was before, so I can't say whether or not it was searched," Nathan said, running his free hand through his hair. I frowned at him.

"_He only appeared and then noticed us!_" Carlita butted in, waving her claws. "_He threw me against the wall, but I leapt at him and hit him with my tail! Then the mean, stupid cat appeared and they fought, and the girl and I ran for it!_"

So he might not have been after Cossette or Carlita. I felt a surge of relief at that. Still, I had no idea what else he could have possibly been after.

The rest of the day was spent in uneasiness. No more psychics—curious, wrathful, or otherwise—appeared and there was no more screaming or near heart attacks. Nathan and I puttered around with a couple more ideas to torture trainers with and Arianna retreated off to a corner with her sketch book. The Pidgey chicks tried to teach the baby Kangaskhan to fly, Konstantin acted as a watchdog for Cossette (and I, unwillingly), and Ike didn't let any of us out of his sight. The last part was probably the most unnerving.

Ike had never actually... well, _cared_ about me before, so having him act like an overprotective Luxray instead of a bloodthirsty one was too jarring to be able to completely ignore. Of course he had immediately backtracked, but the concern had been there. In my face, as it literally was. I kept catching him out of the corner of my eye, half-hidden in the shadow of some machine, eyes practically glowing in the dark. He was terrifyingly attentive.

He had to have known something.

I wasn't sure when exactly the thought crept into my mind, but once it arrived, it nestled in quite snugly and refused to budge. Ike had a complex personality, sure—who didn't? And while I was convinced that he didn't quite hate me under all of the layers of growls and teeth and harsh words, for him to make such a leap was... He had to have known something I didn't. Some outside force had to have changed his mind on how to treat me. He could not have come up with that sort of emotional revelation on his own.

It was near sundown when I found my answer. I had been trying to braid Cossette's hair—and ignore her jabs at my bulletproof vest—and Ike was still sitting in my peripheral vision, front paws crossed regally in front of him. Konstantin, more or less content with only one area to patrol, had floated over to him and said something I couldn't hear.

The reaction was prompt. Ike snapped his jaws at him, narrowly avoiding one of his arms, and was on his feet with his fur standing on end and sparking before Konstantin could say anything else. "_You stay out of this, bloodless specter! You've done enough damage!_" he snarled, loud enough for all of us to hear.

When they noticed us staring at them with varying degrees of confusion, Konstantin slunk off into a shadow, red eye averted guiltily, and Ike leapt up onto one of the slot machines, growling moodily at anyone who came close after that.

Konstantin had said something—or done something?—and it was major enough to change Ike's attitude about me, even a little. This was not a reassuring thing to find out. I knew ghosts were spiteful, and Konstantin did have the habit of laughing whenever I hurt myself, but he had been a faithful Pokemon for all of the time that I'd known him. Not that he told me everything, but he still had my best interests at heart.

But now I wasn't so sure.

_Something_ had to have changed Ike's attitude, after all.

And, as if I wasn't antsy enough, someone chose that particular time to bang on the doors to the Gym. I jumped out of my skin, which in turn made Cossette topple over with a frightened squeal. Arianna dropped her sketchbook very noisily (in fact, the sound reminded me far too much of a gunshot). Nathan was the one who strode very calmly over to the door and let in one of the last people I expected to see: the representative from Unova.

I watched her approach over Cossette's blonde hair. The last time I'd had foreign representatives in my Gym, things had ended badly. She seemed to sense this and kept her head bowed, fingers fidgeting in front of her. Nathan glaring daggers at her probably didn't help.

Once she had gotten close enough, I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Well?"

"O-Oh! Sorry... It's just, um, well... M-Mister Lucian told me that I should talk to you once more b-before I left. Sorry!" she squeaked and withdrew more into herself, a feat I had previously thought impossible.

"...Why?" I asked, more than a little confused by the reasoning behind it.

The brunette girl fidgeted again and looked off to the side. I noticed that she hadn't yet met my eye. I scowled and hid it behind Cossette, hoping I'd never been that shy. "The other regions haven't yet been dragged into this," she said softly, "but he's a little worried that they might in the future... If this doesn't wrap itself up soon."

I pursed my lips and glared at an innocent patch of floor to my right. So Lucian was giving me a warning—stop Nick soon, or face a bigger hellhole. Lovely. "...You and the Johto representatives were innocent in all of this." It was a statement; I wasn't going to accuse her any more than she already had been. "How did the other two change sides. Do you know? I mean—did he tell you?"

"Oh, um, sorry—yes, he did! The actual representatives were ambushed and imposters took their place. I actually battled a girl just as I got here, but it had never occurred to me that there may have been some reason for her frustration at losing..." She rubbed her head in embarrassment, biting her lip.

So two of them had been followers the entire time, sizing us up, infiltrating the city, spreading paranoia concerning international incidents. And now Lucian was telling me that those very incidents were still a very real possibility. Even better. "Wait, isn't Unova still favoring isolationism?" Arianna asked innocently. The way she said it, however, made it sound like she was accusing the girl of racism. "It shouldn't be as much of a factor there as it could be in the other regions."

"Um, I'm not sure, sorry. I-I only know what I've seen and been told here. I don't know how Unova is taking this news. I'm sorry." She even bowed. I was beginning to understand why Hanna said she hadn't liked her. I still hadn't been able to contact her, either... I sighed. Just another worry to add to the pile. The Unovan girl shuffled her feet anxiously and looked ready to bolt at any moment. (I realized, a little late, that my sigh very well could have sounded quite judgmental.) "I really hope that this is easy to fix, and soon."

"I do, too," I replied candidly.

She poked her fingers together, and I got the impression that she had something else to say. I merely stared at her until she caved. "S-Sorry if it's not... uh, _proper_ to say this as a representative of another region, but... I admire you for your resolve."

My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. Arianna made a little sound that could have been a laugh, but disguised it well enough as a cough so I didn't have to glare too much at her. "What?"

"Sorry!" the girl hastily backpedaled, cheeks reddening. "It's just... You did a lot to fight against them. I-I know your friends were killed—I'm sorry that that happened, I'm sorry for your loss!—but you made it seem so... personal. You must take your job very seriously."

"If I take it personally, it's probably because the guy behind all of this was my best friend," I told her matter-of-factly. She stared at me, hard, deciding how to react to such a statement. Arianna and Nathan looked back and forth between us, wondering who would speak again first.

Cossette decided to break the silence and throw their prediction skills in the trash. "_Mais_, he is a hero, like you said. But even the heroes suffer. So, do not remind him of these things, if you please."

"Where the hell do you get this stuff?" I whispered, poking her in the side. She only turned and gave me a look I couldn't decipher. Where had the cute little girl gone, and who put this shrewd, far-too-understanding Cossette in her place? She was far too young to be saying such things (and to be _right_ about them).

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know," the Unovan representative said awkwardly. I didn't know whether she was awkward about my response or getting told by Cossette, though. "I... wish you luck."

"Thanks." I brushed her off, offered cursory goodbyes, and watched as Nathan escorted her back out of the Gym. It was later that night, when I was tucking Cossette into bed and ignoring Ike's eyes on my back, that I realized that I'd never learned her name.

Just like another person, although radically different in relation to me. After I made sure that Cossette, her Kangaskhan, the Pidgey chicks, Carlita, Alice, and Zarek were all asleep—and that Des wouldn't follow me—I grabbed my hoodie and headed out into the cold night. I couldn't do anything to stop either Ike or Konstantin. Much to my surprise, however, Ike stayed behind and let me leave with hardly a flick of his ears.

_Where did the concern for my well being go?_ I thought, unsure of whether it was a good or bad thing that he evidently reverted.

I walked through the dark streets of Sunyshore, hood pulled up over my head and Duskull following at an unusually large distance, humming absently. Konstantin made no sound of protest when I turned to head towards the cemetery. I knew where they were buried because he'd told me; I was lucky that the fact stuck with me through my blank week.

Soon, I was standing in front of two graves, side by side, only one of them with writing on the tombstone. Zoe and the mercenary. I knew they were empty caskets below my feet, but I couldn't help but wonder who had gone through the trouble of doing this for them. Or maybe whoever had started creating graves for the victims of the siege hadn't known who they were. I crouched down, resisting the urge to spit on the leftmost grave.

"Kostya," I called, and he rose out of my shadow like the ghost he was.

"_Yes?_" He didn't sound nervous or apprehensive or anything. Not even curious.

"Should I forgive this man?" I asked simply, nodding towards the unmarked headstone. "He betrayed my trust, killed Stephen, and shot Carlita. He would've killed us all—good and bad—if he could've gotten away with it. He was only out for his own gain."

"_I do not understand why you're asking me this._" There, he finally let emotion slip back into his voice. He floated back and forth in front of me, fretting. "_You should not become dark or any more angry at the world—the obvious answer should be yes_."

"What did you tell Ike."

Konstantin stared at me, red eye glowing in the dark night. "_...I told him nothing_," he said after a long silence.

"What did he find out, then?"

"_I'm not sure_." But he indirectly admitted that he had found out _something_, at least. It was progress, however slight. Konstantin pressed a paw over his teeth and added, "_You should not worry yourself over it. It will be a positive change._"

"I want to know what's going on with my Pokemon."

"_He will not tell me_," he admitted frankly. "_I've tried asking, but to no avail. I doubt he will share much with you._"

That was probably true. Ike would sooner chew his tail off than admit he was worried about me, much less the reason for it. "...Does it concern you?"

"_No. Not in the way you are thinking._"

"Who does it concern?"

"_You. The monster. ...Psychics._"

"Do you know why Who was here earlier?"

"_I do not_." I couldn't tell whether or not he was lying, but decided not to press him. I stood back up, and looked back down at the graves. I would not forgive him for ruining my perception of humanity. But I wouldn't waste any more anger or energy on him. He was just another in a long line of enemies, injustices, people who could've been alright if they weren't dealt such a hand, what have you.

I headed back to the Gym and gratefully crawled under the covers of my bed. I didn't look at Ike as he watched me from the open doorway, and instead rolled over and happened to glance at the nightstand. I propped myself back up on an elbow, squinting at the darkness, trying to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I normally had three photographs sitting there. One of my parents and I at the last Christmas I spent with them, one of my team and I (the only time I managed to get them all in the same area and still enough for a picture), and then the one of Hanna, Nick and I from the Johto vacation, mouths painted different colors thanks to the snow cones we had eaten just prior. That one was normally face-down; I wanted to keep it near and didn't want to throw it out, but I couldn't handle looking at it.

But now, it was gone. I just had to figure out why Who had taken that picture.


	142. The Sleeping And The Dead

"You asked me whose I am. Are you implying that one life belongs to another?" the Xatu asked loftily, reclining on empty space above my head. I glared up at it.

"No—and you know that. Is this going to become a nightly occurrence?"

"Oh, probably." It rolled over and floated down to land lightly beside me. "I have the capability of doing this, so why not exploit it?"

"Because you're not accomplishing anything."

"I'm making you lose sleep."

I stayed sullenly silent.

The Xatu laughed at me and flapped its wings, a black hoodie blossoming over its shoulders. "Shall I pretend to be your monster again, will that make you like me?"

"Get out of here!" I had opened my mouth to reply, but that was not my voice. I looked over in alarm to see one of the last dream intruders I wanted to see. Who strode over, swinging his charm threateningly. I swallowed and ignored the chill that went down my spine. The Xatu was different than Who, less frightening by implication.

"Or what? You'll get rid of me again?" the Xatu said flatly, stepping away as the Hypno came closer.

"I did no such thing."

"You liar, it certainly wasn't Kamala or Lassie who started pulling strings." The bad feeling returned, multiplied over. The Xatu knew far too much—about the prison breakout, about Kamala and Lassie... Maybe it _was_ Nick's. I slunk back into the dark world, putting space between the arguing psychics and I, hoping they'd start spilling helpful secrets.

"You seem to have done pretty well for yourself, all things considered. Ruining more lives and twisting more fates?" Who snapped, narrowing his eyes.

"I've done nothing wrong. I'm only trying—"

"Trying to damn us all!" I had never seen Who angry before. The black world flashed red hot, but soon settled back into its darkness with a murmur. Who shifted his charm to his other hand, still swinging it.

The Xatu, feathers ruffled, shifted and tried to smooth them back out. "...You're the odd one out," it said, going back to its cold tone. "Look at humanity. Look at the other Pokemon. This will not end well, and you're the only psychic I know who is actively—"

"It will not end well because of _you_! I should've tossed you over a cliff." Who suddenly turned to me, making me jump back. I didn't like the look in his eye. "I'm trying to help. That's all you and your Duskull need to know."

I woke up in a cold sweat again, only this time with the added bonus of a pounding headache. I looked up in bleary confusion as Carlita and Konstantin started pestering me with questions. They had been asleep—why were they yelling? They certainly weren't helping my headache.

Noticing the confused look I had, Des said in a low voice, "_You were yelling in your sleep._"

"...Oh. Sorry guys." I wasn't, not really. On a spiteful, basic, feral level, I enjoyed the fact that I wasn't the only one losing sleep. But my trainer persona soon overrode that and I spent the next half hour getting everyone back into bed and asleep once more. The Pidgey chicks took the longest; they were _still_ finicky sleepers.

The Xatu and Who were at odds. The last time I thought I could play two enemies against each other, it'd backfired. I didn't want to pick a side, though. I rubbed my temples, shutting my eyes. The headache wasn't going away. One of these days, one of the stupid psychics was going to completely break my brain. Wouldn't that be a way to go? My brain would become a pile of mush and all of my problems would magically melt away and become other people's problems.

I tried falling asleep again that night, only to get similar results. Who was the first to arrive that time, though.

"Why did you take my picture?" I asked immediately, only so the looming silence wouldn't overwhelm me.

"I... wanted to see if I could help him."

"You wanted to remind him of me and Hanna?"

"I had to do something."

At least he hadn't tried to bring him me. Or Hanna. I sighed and buried my face in my hands when the Xatu reappeared, black hoodie draped over its shoulders and hood pulled low over its eyes. "Why are you _here_? Both of you!"

"I'm just trying to keep him from doing anything further," Who said at once, pointing at the Xatu. So the Xatu was male, and they knew each other, and they didn't like each other.

"I cannot do anything else until he makes a move!" the Xatu replied with a huff, folding his wings. "I'm just passing the time. There's nothing wrong with this."

"You could do it in your own head," I spat.

And so the nights passed. During the days, I played nice and worked on the Gym, finding excuses to keep it closed for just a little bit longer. I trained Zarek and placated Alice and Ike when they were feeling protective. I didn't let my team find out how little I was sleeping or what I was dreaming about. Even Konstantin couldn't keep up with the constant invasion of my mind.

During the nights, I would have shouting matches with psychics in my head. And then I'd wake up, and usually end up waking my team—or Cossette—as well. I started returning my team during the nights, even if they'd get angry with me in the morning for it. At least they could sleep through the night.

That and I was basically daring either the Xatu or Who to come get me. I'd have loved to get my hands on one of them after the dreams and nightmares they were having fun causing.

Neither of them appeared. Time wore on and wore me down. People started noticing, but it wasn't like they could do much. I refused to tell them about anything past the lack of sleep and they left me alone after that. Evidently, I was cranky. I thought I was being normal.

I eventually finished the grand wheel—what we were calling the big wheel that would meet all of the trainers first. In my effort to stall the reopening of the Gym, I'd gotten creative with a couple of the choices, just to create more renovations. On the upside, we now had a pool. Sort of. And a labyrinth. And a skylight. I was _very_ creative in trying to stall.

There were two trapdoors into the basement—both of them dropping directly into the pool. One was positioned in front of the grand wheel, in case someone rolled that option right off the bat. The second was behind it, hidden from view from the front because of it, and would be where challengers to Nathan would stand. If they won, they'd get dunked. But only after he flipped a coin. Just because someone defeats my only Gym trainer doesn't mean they get to go ahead, no strings attached.

The pool let out into a larger room down below. We decided to keep it empty after much discussion; what _could_ we put down there? There were two doors leading out of it—well, no, technically three. But the third was for our use only and would be kept locked. One of them led into the labyrinth, and the other led... well, I wasn't quite sure yet. (And hey, uncertainty led to more stalling for me!) Ideally, I would have another Gym trainer in there guarding the way back up to the main floor and battle the challenger, but I only had Nathan, since I'd kicked out Sonya. I wasn't sure how to go about picking up another, either. Or if I wanted to. I wasn't sure I could just trust another trainer so readily after everything.

"Pool's finally full!" We kept the trapdoors open so I could keep an eye on Zarek filling it. Really, it was cheaper to just do it on our own. It had taken a couple days, of course; he was still tiny and relatively young, and that was a big pool.

After showing the filled result to Cossette and making sure she knew where the trapdoors were and how to easily get out of the basement if she needed to, Arianna made sure we stayed on the main floor, citing some nonsense reason like us getting lost in the maze. I didn't feel like arguing, so I let her be the boss.

"The adjustments to the labyrinth are almost done, too," Nathan called helpfully as we came out into the main room once more.

"_Quoi?_"

"It's a maze. And there are a couple... tricks in there," I explained. It wasn't fair to call them traps. Especially since they were potentially very helpful to the challenger. They were simply disguised as traps. (My favorite was a pit that—since it would be almost pitch black—would potentially turn into a pitfall, except for a couple of helpful bars that were strong enough that they could catch themselves and climb back up. Of course, if they were to fall, they'd fall about ten feet, land in a pile of pillows, Pidgey down, Alice fluff, and towels, and would have a straight way back to the main floor and out of the labyrinth...)

Oh yes, this was far too much fun.

"Why do you want a maze?" Cossette asked curiously, tugging on my hand. I tried to pry her away, but her grip was as strong as ever.

"For the confusion. And frustration."

"Ah. This is..." She paused, searching for the word. She mumbled a couple phrases in French and then shook her head. She didn't say anything else, but she did finally let go of my hand.

She pattered off and found the Pidgey chicks and her baby Kangaskhan, more or less telling me that she was done with me for the time being. I had to remind myself that she was still a little kid—how old _was_ she, anyway?—and that she flitted from thing to thing like Carlita.

And on cue, my Breloom bounced over and threw my crutches at me.

I limped around for the rest of the afternoon on them, my armpits hurting and feeling generally very useless. Which wasn't a good thing to be feeling when I was already lacking sleep and couldn't figure out what else to shove in this crazy Gym of mine.

I spent the night in a half-asleep doze, the best I could get. The second I slipped into actual slumber, Who would harass me. I wasn't sure where the Xatu went. The next day got even worse when Ike figured out how to use the levers operating the trapdoors. I was his first victim, Arianna his second. In the span of less than five minutes. Just as I was crawling out of the pool, I heard a shriek and a splash.

"Your _stupid_ Luxray!" she spluttered as soon as she'd surfaced again.

"Yeah, I know," I sighed. He was still following me somewhat protectively, but he seemed bent on reminding me that he was the 'evil' one. I wasn't sure what to do with him.

We didn't even get the vindication of watching Nathan take a dunk. Ike _did_ manage to catch him on one of the doors, but my ex-bodyguard proved that he not only had better reflexes, but was in better shape. He fell, caught himself, and managed to pull himself back up. Considering I was fairly certain I couldn't handle a single pullup, I was a little impressed.

Ike vented his frustration at being stopped by taking it out on Cossette. I growled at him and hopped down into the still-open trapdoor, swinging forward to make sure I didn't land on her. I wasn't sure she could handle her way out of the basement by herself, thanks to our tricks. That and the easy way up was still locked. I made a mental note to make extra keys and give them to Cossette and Nathan... and Arianna if she stuck around.

"_Back again?_"

Cossette and I both screamed. It completely destroyed my dignity, but hey. It was dark, and it was a big, empty room. I tried to simultaneously keep us both above water and detach her from my neck (a feat, trust me). I looked around as best I could, trying to pick out the source of the voice.

Instead of seeing Ike laughing at us or Konstantin floating in a corner, I saw Zarek, half-submerged near the other side.

"Zarek! You know better than to scare me—us—like that!" I scolded while trying not to sound relieved. At least it wasn't a psychic. Or any range of hostile things, really. "C'mere, help us out of here..." The way she was hanging onto me, I wasn't completely sure Cossette could even swim. Or maybe she was using it as an excuse to cling. Or maybe her dress was heavy and was dragging her down. She shifted her arms to wrap them around my neck, pulling herself impossibly closer. Oh yes, she wanted to cling. "Cossette..."

"_Oui?_"

"Can you get off please?"

"...No." At least she was honest about it.

I wrapped the arm she was trying to pin against my side around her waist, much to her delight, and let Zarek tow us with my other hand. I was eerily reminded of the Tentacruel incident and had to remind myself that there were no Pokemon aside from my Krabby in the room, though.

And, of course, the universe loved to prove me wrong. _Loved it_. Just as I was turning to help Cossette up and out of the pool, I caught sight of something gleaming in the darkness, across the room. It was just a flash of gold, and then it was gone. It looked suspiciously like a certain charm belonging to a certain Pokemon...

Why was Who bent on haunting me in my dreams and peripheral vision if he was never going to _do_ anything? He was almost as indecisive as I was. And _that_ was frustrating.

"_What's wrong?_" Zarek asked, pinching my shirt sleeve.

"Oh, nothing. Hallucinations from sleep deprivation." I actually wouldn't doubt that, come to think of it...

"_Are you two alright?_" Konstantin floated down through the ceiling and patted Cossette and I down, making sure neither of us were hurt. Much to our collective annoyance.

_Now he's acting clingy too?_ I noted. "...Kostya, is something the matter?"

He turned and stared at me, red eye glowing faintly in the darkness. "_...No, why would you think that?_"

"You haven't laughed once yet at me falling in again."

"_That's not true, you dove in,_" Zarek corrected me with a burble.

Konstantin covered his teeth with both paws and offered me a little giggle. When he saw that I wasn't convinced, however, he whimpered and floated off again, disappearing into the black of the room. Cossette pulled my arm closer to her, somehow having attached herself to it since we'd gotten out of the pool, and stuck her tongue out in that direction. "He is... creepy."

"_More than normal. Why is that?_" Zarek looked up at me, eyes round and big with innocence. I could feel Cossette's gaze on the back of my neck, too.

"...He's just worried. That's all. Now Cossette, let's get out of these wet clothes. Zarek, you're coming back upstairs with us. I'm sure Alice doesn't like you alone in the dark down here."

After we'd changed and after Arianna gave me a lecture about my "silly obsession with that vest" and couldn't get me out of it, I received a phone call that I had not been looking forward to: Lucian, asking me why my Gym wasn't reopened yet.

The conversation wasn't exactly pleasant. He told me I'd had more than enough time, and I told him that I was almost done. Just not yet. And I needed _more_ time. He tried to refuse me and I very nearly got into a shouting match with the Champion of Sinnoh until Nathan took the phone from me. He calmed Lucian and gave me a rather dark look.

At which point Des came over, headbutted me, and ordered me to bed. "_You're so angry!_"

"It's _my_ Gym, not his! They're the ones who gave me this stupid job, so they have to deal with how I'm running it! And I'm not done yet!"

"_Go take a nap and stop being whiny_," he growled, butting me into my room. Carlita closed the door behind me. When I tried to go back out, I'd found that while they couldn't lock the door from the outside, they could guard it. And they were _not_ letting me out.

On my second attempt to crawl over them (this time involving a running jump), Alice came to the rescue. Their rescue. She plucked me off of Des' back, tossed me roughly back into my room, and snipped a bit of her cloud off with her beak. She tossed that at me, too, and said, "_Pretend it's a stuffed toy. It'll keep the bad things away. Now sleep!_"

I, being the understanding and dignified trainer that I was, snarled in my best Ike impression and threw myself at the door frame again.

"Oh, come on! This is getting ridiculous! Take the freaking nap!" Arianna called from across the Gym.

"I have work to do and pissy Champions calling me to remind me of that!" I shouted back, just as irate. I nearly managed to get myself over Des, using his volcanoes as a barrier from his mouth and Carlita, until Alice shooed me back in. "Stop it, guys! I really have stuff to do!"

"_Like more stalling?_" Des snorted, ears laid back and volcanoes rumbling in warning.

"_And stop running around on your hurt leg!_" Carlita added.

"My crutches are out there!" Finally, a win for the trainer.

Until Konstantin retrieved them and threw them into the room, clipping my other leg in the process. While I moodily sat and glared at them through the open door, rubbing my leg, I tried to think of a way out of this. It wasn't as if I really wanted to get back to work. I more wanted to avoid the whole sleeping thing, especially if Who was nearby. For all I knew, he was back because he was waiting for a chance to spirit me away when I was defenseless.

I stood up again, preparing for another running start. I was getting good at getting onto Des' back pretty quickly, at any rate. Much to my surprise, however, Alice moved out of the way and Carlita completely disappeared from view. My question was soon answered as Cossette peeked up over his back. "You are going to sleep?"

"No, I'm not."

"Ah, but yes. You are." I realized that it hadn't been a question of whether or not I was, but whether or not I was at that moment. Cossette suddenly got a lift and she draped over Des' back for a moment, at a loss for what to do. Carlita popped up behind her and gave her one final push, and the little girl tumbled into my room head over heels. She made several annoyed, vaguely French, sounds before fixing her dress and hair. "Come, you are going to sleep now."

"Cossette, I can't."

"But you are."

"Cossette, I don't have _time_—"

"You are."

"I don't _want_—"

"You are."

I gave her a flat stare, letting her know visually (since she wouldn't let me inform her verbally) how unenthusiastic I was about the idea. Des snorted, "_You better listen to the lady. Sleep, Trainer._"

"...I don't want to. I really don't."

"_You're grumpy and sour!_" Carlita snapped, straddling Des' back. "_You need to sleep before you're as angry as the stupid cat!_"

"_I agree_," Alice said primly as she settled on the volcano behind her. "_I'll send Zarek and the triplets in to sleep with you, too._"

"_Et Florette_, please!" Cossette chimed in. She bustled over and began pushing me towards the bed. I moved in that general direction just to avoid falling over; that girl could push. After nearly tripping, _somehow_ she managed to get me to lay down on the bed and even went so far as to fetch me a pillow and fluff it for me. She then retrieved the fluff from Alice and set it in the crook of my arm.

"Cossette, don't. I'm not going to sleep." Although the foot of my bed was surprisingly comfortable, even if my legs were hanging over the edge.

"Then lay there." She trotted over and started retrieving small and young Pokemon from Carlita. First a Pidgey chick, and then another, and then a baby Kangaskhan. Then the last Pidgey chick, and finally, Zarek, whining and crying that he was too old to need naps anymore. I wholeheartedly agreed, especially when she piled them all on my bed. Zarek, still distraught, dug his claws into my shirt. I was thankful for the bulletproof vest underneath.

Voonu immediately settled in and stuck his head under his wing. The baby Kangaskhan whined and flailed for Cossette and wasn't happy until she picked her up and laid down next to me. I scooted away as far as I could—which wasn't very far, since I was already dangling over the edge and didn't want to squish the Pokemon. Cossette didn't try to come any closer, but Vi and Zarek were happy to fill the gap. Oonu tweeted at them and _made_ room between my knees, giving them a dirty look for shutting him out.

Zarek continued bubbling and tearfully insisting that he didn't need a nap. Vi shushed him with a wing to the back. Cossette and her Kangaskhan laughed at the pair of them, and she curled up around her own baby and closed her eyes. I couldn't bring myself to glare at her or the infants—it wasn't their fault.

It was the rest of my traitorous team's. I fell asleep as angrily as I could manage as Alice used a Sing for us.

-.-.-

I woke up and the light coming through the blinds was red. My mouth was dry and tasted bad, my legs were sorer than ever, and I had the feeling that I had missed something. I furrowed my brow and shut my eyes again against the intruding light, wondering why I had that feeling. I had missed something—but what?

"Wake up!" I realized what had woken me up: Arianna yelling at me with a grin in my doorway. I rolled onto my side, accidentally dislodging Oonu as well as waking Zarek, and blinked at her. It was the best response I could come up with. "You have a visitor!"

"Gym's closed," I groaned, finally rolling out of bed. Literally, but at least I managed to catch myself before I hit my head. I sat up and combed my fingers through my hair, swallowing a couple times to try to get the taste of sleep out of my mouth. Naps always tasted bad to me. And what had I missed...?

Arianna didn't answer me and swept out of the room. I crankily got to my feet and cast a look back at the bed. Oonu, Voonu, and Zarek looked up at me sleepily. Cossette and the other two were still sleeping peacefully.

"...Go back to sleep guys."

Zarek scuttled off the bed, but the two Pidgey were more than happy enough to do as I said. He followed me out of the room and back out into the main room. I could see Arianna and Nathan up at the front doors, trying to unlock them. I shook my head to clear the last remains of my forced nap from my mind.

And then I realized what I'd missed. There hadn't been any psychics in my head. Either because they were busy doing something else, or they weren't aware I'd been sleeping at that time. I had gotten actual _sleep_. I could still potentially get away from them by sleeping at other times...

That happy little revelation was promptly thrown out the window and entirely forgotten when Arianna managed to throw open the door and my guest marched in. She flipped her brown hair over her shoulder, pushed her sunglasses up onto the top of her head, and scanned the room for me. When she found me, her eyes lit up and she broke into the widest grin I had seen from her in months.

Unable to help my own beam, I ran to her as best I could. "Hanna!"

-.-.-

AN: derp, sorry for the super late update! This chapter was done and up on deviantArt on (last) monday, but fanfiction's story editing has been down since then. If this happens again, please be aware that dA usually doesn't have that problem, and updates go up there! Along with my lulzy notes and a "next chapter" thing, so. Generally I just like it better there. More lulz to be had and super cute fanart by some of the readers there!


	143. Without Loss Of Enthusiasm

We hugged. And then she and Arianna hugged. And then we hugged again. I was just so glad to see her okay, in one piece, and happy—even if she'd ignored my phone calls. Over dinner, however, it came up.

"I was abroad. With a friend, but the cell reception was totally crappy," she said easily. "See the tan I got, though?" Hanna raised her arm and compared it against mine with a roguish smile. Arianna leaned across the table and thrust her arm into the mix (and I caught Nathan looking down at his own arm as reference, too).

"I win."

"Cheater. You're darker anyway," Hanna said and stuck her tongue out at her. They both laughed and I looked down at my arm, trying to remember the last time I'd been outside. In sunlight, anyway. "So! The Gym looks amazing. You'll have to give me a tour later!"

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

"What all are you still working on? Most of it looks pretty done."

"There's a room in the basement that needs something in it. I'm thinking I'm going to have to hire another trainer..."

"What happened to... Sonya, was it? Little girl, glasses, dyed hair?" Hanna tilted her head curiously.

"She had to leave. She was never officially a Gym trainer, anyway," Nathan answered for me. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Well then, why not just use Cossette for awhile? Sure, she's not, you know, a real trainer or whatever, but her team's definitely strong enough for the eighth Gym, right?" Hanna jumped in her seat at our reactions—I coughed on the bite I'd just taken, Cossette dropped her fork onto her plate, and just a beat afterward, Arianna scooted her chair back and jumped to her feet.

"Dessert time! Cossette and I made cupcakes this morning, didn't we, sweetie? Come on, let's go fetch them..." She all but dragged the little girl out of the area.

After I'd recovered my breath, I turned to Hanna fully. Where to start? "...Hanna, have you talked to Jude at all since you got back?"

"No. Uh... I mean, why would I?"

"I don't know, you're going out?"

"...We broke up." She rubbed her arm and looked down at her lap, frowning faintly. I wanted to bang my head against the nearest wall. Only after that initial reflex did I feel bad.

"Oh. I'm sorry..." Okay, so comforting people after they broke up wasn't my forte. I sort of had bigger things on my mind, anyway. "But... Hanna, right after you left Sunyshore..."

"Shit went down," Nathan filled in for me, rather bluntly.

I glared at him over my shoulder, but Hanna dragged my attention back to her with a, "What do you mean?"

I figured the best policy was to state facts. Otherwise I'd only end up a mess again. I took a breath, steeled my nerves, and held out my hand to count off on. "Mr. V, that celebrity, turned out to be one of Nick's followers. A bad one. Lola and Archie are dead. So is Zoe and her mercenary boyfriend. A couple other trainers here died. But—they took over the Gym for awhile, and Keith came back, and..." I realized that I was completely mutilating the timeline. I growled and ran a hand through my hair. "Okay, lots of people died and the Gym's been shut down since then. It was region-wide. Gardenia and Crasher Wake died, too, a-and Fantina and Sela were in the hospital..."

She stared at me. I couldn't pick out a single emotion in her brown eyes. She only _looked_ at me, and under her blank stare, I couldn't help but sink down into my seat. I couldn't rationalize it to her. It would be lying; I could've done so much more to help everyone, to stop things from happening.

"But... Cossette?" she said at last, voice hardly more than a whisper.

I growled at myself again and hung my head, dejected. "...The mercenary got her team. Jacques' still in a coma and the little Kangaskhan is okay, but other than that..." Another thing I could've prevented.

"Oh my god." That summed up a lot of things. Hanna frowned for a moment, and then looked past me, at Nathan, as if for confirmation. "Oh... Oh my gosh, that's..." Without another word, she threw herself at me in the tightest hug I'd gotten in a long time. I wrapped my arms around her and didn't reply.

-.-.-

"You sure you don't want to spend the night at my place?" Arianna asked worriedly.

Hanna only waved her off, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Nah, I'll be fine with mister sulky here. Maybe tomorrow night."

"Alright then." Arianna apparently knew me well enough not to question the fact that I always had females sleeping over. Then again, Cossette was almost leech-like in her attachment and Hanna was... Hanna. Neither of them counted. Come to think of it, no one really counted these days.

"Oh, come on. What's that face for?" I looked up in alarm as Hanna forcibly tilted my chin back.

"I was just thinking that I'm never going to delve into romance again after the Alicia fiasco," I replied with a helpless grin. "That and the sugar high is finally wearing off, I think." In an effort to cheer Cossette and I up, we'd been all but force-fed far too many cupcakes. Sure, they were good, but there was only so much sugar my system could take.

"Tired?"

"No, not really. I was forced to nap this afternoon." And of course, directly after that statement, I yawned. I really wasn't tired. I think my body just hated me. "Oh, wait..." If Who and the Xatu were stalking me, and Hanna was here, and Hanna had just as much of a connection to Nick as I did... My mood definitely came down from the high and I looked down guiltily. "Hanna, maybe you should've stayed at Arianna's."

"Why?" she demanded, fists on her hips.

"I... Who. He and this Xatu, they've been giving me nightmares."

"...Who, Who... Wait—"

"Yeah, Nick's Hypno."

Hanna made a sour face and crossed her arms. "Well... No matter. I'll be fine. I'd like to see him _try_ to come into my dreams—I'd _love_ to give one of his Pokemon a piece of my mind. And as for that Xatu—if it's as big of a monster as you say, then it had better stay the hell away, too." I opened my mouth to speak again, but she immediately brightened and offered me a smile. "Hey, we're not all as spineless as you! I'll teach those psychics to mess with minds."

"No, that's not it. They're planning something, and I don't know. I think it's big." It dawned on me, not for the first time, that their plans may have been why Konstantin and Ike were paying such close attention to me. If psychics knew about it, then it was very possible that ghosts did, and if Ike somehow found out...

And just like that, I ended up telling her everything. Not just a gloss-over, not just the hard facts. The suspicions, my Pokemon's behavior, my worries... She mostly stayed silent, taking it all in with small nods or frowns. I felt like I'd run a marathon by the time I was done. Neither of us saw the shadow slither back out of earshot.

The first thing Hanna asked when she was sure I'd finished was, "Where's Cossette?"

"Oh, um... She's usually in the guest room. It's... It's where Jacques is." If she wasn't with me, she was with him. It made it easier for Konstantin and I to keep an eye on her, but it also made me worry. I could see that with every passing day, her hope for him waking up diminished.

"I'm going to go talk with her for a little bit, okay?"

That was not the reaction I was expecting. I was half-hoping, selfishly, for some sort of reassurance, telling me it would all be okay. Instead, she was wandering off. I mean, I could see how Cossette was just as bad as I was, but still... She hadn't poured her heart out just now.

My mood didn't get any better when I heard a shriek and a snarl. It didn't take long to find the source: Alice and Ike, both fluffed up and hissing at each other. Konstantin floated up just behind me, and no one else was in sight, so I surmised that it was just between those two. "Guys! What are you doing?" I stepped in and flailed for a moment, wondering who to drag away. I ended up just standing between them, taking turns glaring them down.

"_She is..._"

"_He won't..._"

Neither of them finished their statements. I narrowed my eyes at them both. Alice sat back and started preening, running her beak over her cloudy wings to tame the fluff. Ike started to slink away, too, until I caught him and dragged him back. "Oh no, you're not getting away that easily. What were you two just fighting about?"

"_Nothing that you need to concern yourself with_," Ike replied plainly, ears pinned back against his skull in obvious distaste. After giving Alice a glare to make sure she didn't try to retreat, I crouched down beside him. He snorted at me.

"Ike, you've been acting weird lately. I _know_ something's up, Kostya's told me you found something out." My Luxray gave Konstantin an evil stare and I heard the ghost shy away with a whine. "No, don't start anything with him. What's going on?"

"_Nothing_," he bit out.

"Why are you and Alice fighting, then?"

"_She was being nosy and it annoyed me_," he deadpanned, lip curled.

"_It was my fault. I antagonized him_," Alice volunteered, and that sealed it. She would _never_ take the blame herself unless they were both trying to cover something up. I stood up, winced as my leg complained, and sighed.

"...Okay, fine. Don't tell me. But know that I'm keeping an eye on _both_ of you now."

Alice huffed, and Ike merely slunk off into the darkness. "_I didn't do anything wrong_," she complained.

"_You just said you antagonized him_," Konstantin pointed out with a dry chuckle.

"Kostya, you're not in the clear, either," I pointed out. He giggled again, this time high and guilty. "You know what? We'll discuss this as a team, later. When Hanna and Cossette aren't here." Maybe it was just because Hanna had blown me off, but I wanted to keep this part to myself. That and they were _my_ team, my problem. I'd let Hanna in on everything up until this point, but from then on, I could take care of it. Besides, simply letting so much off my chest was a relief in and of itself; I felt a little stronger now.

That and I semi-wanted to prove that I wasn't completely spineless.

That night, as Hanna and I laid in bed and joked about the last time we were in that situation (and subsequently hid under the covers, just in case), I felt relaxed again. She told me that she had wanted to make sure that Cossette was okay, since she'd gone through a similar tragedy and could offer more specific support. I could understand that, and immediately felt bad. "What was with the cat fight?"

"Huh?"

"Just after I left, we heard Ike and someone else fighting."

"Oh, Alice was instigating things. It was just a little tussle." My mind evidently decided that the future problems with my team really were sticking just with me. I shifted, using my arm as a prop for my pillow, and ignored the way it pressed the corner of the vest into my side. "Where exactly did you go?"

"You know, abroad," she said vaguely. Then, catching herself, she added, "I _do_ have friends outside you, you know. I stayed with a friend overseas. In this little island chain south of Kanto..."

She flopped onto her stomach and then wiggled, yanking her necklace out from under her chest. I noticed the minimized pokeball on the end of it for the first time, unable to help frowning. "Is that...?"

Hanna looked at me, questioning, until she saw where my eyes were. "Oh, it's... Yeah, it is." I didn't dare ask who. I didn't want to. I frowned guiltily and tried to think of a way to salvage the conversation. Why had I even asked, anyway? It had sort of slipped out, rather stupidly... "So, tomorrow Arianna and I are taking you out shopping."

"What?"

She grinned evilly. "You need a new wardrobe, one becoming of a Gym leader. So we're designing it, buying it, whatever it takes to make the perfect outfit for you. And we're also restocking this place. Arianna tells me that your kitchen is rather lacking, and supply-wise... Well, it could just be better in general."

I knew better than to argue with her. "Why tomorrow?"

"Because the day after that, you're also busy."

"Doing _what_?"

"It's your day off."

I blinked at her. "...What?"

"You need a day off. I'm taking you out to the beach—when was the last time you were there? To have fun? We can see a movie or something, and you can eat actual food, and it'll be _fun_." She sounded like she was scolding me. I smiled, for lack of a better reaction. "And then the day after that," Hanna continued smugly, "you're reopening the Gym."

"_What_?"

"It's fine! Everything's in working order, and you don't need anything down in that basement room right away. Or you could actually, you know, give your challengers a _break_ and let it stay empty and slightly creepy. They'd be expecting something, and nothing's there! Bit of a fake out," she said cheerfully.

It did make a little sense. And it would require the least effort. I still didn't like the prospect of reopening so soon, though. Even if I was used to Hanna running my life for me and pushing me into things I didn't want to do, it didn't mean I had to be happy about any of it. "I'll think about it."

"Oh, you will?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I will. It's still _my_ Gym, and your advice on it has been noted," I replied as seriously as I could.

She still laughed at me. "You're so cute when you try to be in charge," Hanna chirped, reaching over and placing her hands on either side of my face. I supposed I ought to be grateful she didn't pinch my cheeks to boot.

"If people would actually _let_ me be in charge..."

"Nothing would ever get done because you'd be too busy worrying about everything you had to do." She grinned again and took her hands back, using one of them as a pillow like I was.

"...Point taken."

We laid in silence for awhile. Hanna closed her eyes, and I almost thought she had fallen asleep. I was still worried about the potential psychics disturbing her, too. Or me. I'd taken the nap earlier, so I wasn't exactly tired, but I wasn't sure if I could last the entire night awake. I didn't want to wake her with nightmares, either.

"When did you give up your dream?"

I jumped when she spoke up. "Huh?"

She reopened her eyes and repeated, "When did you give up your dream?"

"What dream?" I fielded, feeling guilty and completely clueless as to _why_ I was.

"To become the Champion. When did you decide to settle with the Gym leader position?" Hanna asked airily, closing her eyes once more. I got the impression that she was scolding me again.

"What, I... I didn't. I'd still like to become the Champion." Was that a lie? When was the last time I'd even _thought_ about taking over that role? I wasn't sure I even wanted it anymore, not with all of the drama and responsibility attached to it. Then again, I didn't have much power out of Sunyshore as it was; I couldn't stop Nick like this. What if...?

"You can't become the Champion if you're a Gym leader. You can't just up and leave the Gym."

"Volkner was going to," I pointed out defensively.

"But he _didn't_," she replied firmly. Hanna reopened her eyes again, but this time, she wasn't looking at me, instead glaring at the corner of my pillow. "I thought that you or Nick would become the new Champion. I was kind of excited for you two, you know?"

"That must have been a long time ago."

"...When I first saw him facing down Cynthia, I thought he was just battling for the title," she said in a small voice. She took a breath and released it again in a sigh. "It wasn't until what he was saying penetrated my brain that I realized that... he wasn't."

I recalled similar feelings, although almost all of it had been masked by shock at the time. "...Yeah," I said softly. "He could've been the Champion if he'd actually _tried_."

"But he didn't. He was having too much fun goofing off with us."

"Yeah..."

And we lapsed into silence again.

I mused on our conversation—both the Champion issue and trying to remember the last time we'd discussed Nick. I was fairly certain that this was the first time she'd spoken of him neutrally, too, since she'd lost her team. Sela was wrong; I evidently wasn't the only one who remembered him as a friend.

"I met him once," Hanna announced, jarring me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? Who?"

"Matthew."

"..._What_? When?" I exclaimed.

"When I was on my own, training. I _did_ train some, too. I was battling random trainers, and a little kid came along. Brown hair, a little lighter than yours, and these big hazel eyes. I don't know why I didn't recognize him right away, but we battled..." Hanna told me with a faint smile. "And I mopped the floor with him. It was one of my best battles. And then, when he introduced himself at the end, I finally made the connection."

"Did you ever tell Nick?"

"And tell him I beat his little brother into the ground? Heck no!" She laughed, but I could tell it wasn't completely happy. "Even back then, I knew better than to mess with his brother. I paid him off so he wouldn't tell Nick that we'd met. I figured I could use the fact against Nick one day if we ever got into an argument or something... I don't know. I just didn't want him to know, I guess."

"And me neither?" I asked.

"You know you would've told him."

"Not-uh. ...Probably not."

"Even so, it was just a thing. It's not like we dated or anything. It was just a battle," Hanna said, and I could tell that that was the end of the conversation. So Sela and Hanna had both met Matthew, and I never had. Archie had been the trainer during the Champion's tragedy, Lola's friend had been the first death at the hands of the Abomasnow, and I was a Gym leader instead of the Champion. Fate worked in funny (and somewhat depressing) ways, I decided.

"Hanna... I don't know what I'm going to do about Nick." I curled up, hugging my knees to my chest, and hid behind them. I made all of these rationalizations and pseudo-preparations, but they really weren't getting me any closer to him.

She didn't ask me why I had to do anything. She knew better than that. Instead, she just reached over and dragged me into a rather awkward hug. "...I'll help you."

"You can't. You don't—" I was going to say that she didn't have Pokemon, but not only would that be incredibly insensitive, but it would also imply that trainers were better than non-trainers, just because they had Pokemon. "...I'm not going to let you get hurt again."

"Too bad," she deadpanned. "You're not the boss of me."

"Then what are _you_ going to do?" I asked, amused in spite of myself.

"I don't know. Whatever you're going to do. Maybe I'll use my vast resources to launch a massive manhunt and track him down before you ever do."

"Yeah, well all I have to do is track down Who and I'm pretty sure I could get to him first," I replied. That statement made me sadder than it ought to have.

"Then I'll tag along then."

"I'm not sure that'd be the best idea."

"Maybe we can appeal to him together."

"Maybe..." Still not sold on the idea. I was simply grateful for her support... in whatever I was doing.

"What are you going to do about Cossette?" Hanna asked suddenly.

"I don't know. I won't do anything until Jacques wakes up again," I said morosely. "And after that... I don't know. Send her back to her parents? She can stay here as long as she wants; I'm not going to kick her out."

Hanna looked at me for a long moment, and then released me. "We can discuss Cossette and your wardrobe problems in the morning. Time to get some sleep!"

"Fine. ...Wake me up if Who or a Xatu appears in your dreams."

"Only after I chew their heads off," she growled and rolled over. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

-.-.-

"Touch her dreams and you die," I told the Xatu point blank.

He shrugged. "I have no business with her. I'll respect your wishes." That was rather generous of the bird, but I wasn't going to trust him either way. Who had yet to appear, and this night, it was more dreamy than normal. I wasn't in the black, silent world, at any rate, and instead found us in the middle of a forest at night. Did this mean I was getting more control over my dreams? Or did it simply mean that he was letting me?

"...You belonged to Nick once," I said, after making sure he wasn't going to leave for Hanna's dream.

"Yes."

"But not anymore?"

"Not anymore," he echoed with a caw.

"Who do you belong to?"

"That is a secret for me to know and you, well, you won't find out until it's too late," the Xatu said loftily. He flapped up and perched himself in a tree, although he was far too large for it. He looked absurd. I snorted out a rough laugh and continued exploring the forest.

"What is it, exactly, you're trying to do?"

"A test." That was new. I looked up at him again, eyes narrowed.

"A test for who?"

"Trainers. Humans. Trained Pokemon." That didn't bode well. It also reminded me far too much of the ghosts' worries. They were probably connected.

"...Where's Who?" I grumbled, looking around for the Hypno.

"I don't know. Hopefully busy. Or dead."

"No love lost between you and your old friends, huh?"

"He never was my friend."

"...Was Kamala?"

"...We got along, to a certain degree," the Xatu replied, averting his eyes for the first time. I tried to think of possible... _things _to try to tie the Xatu into my knowledge of Nick. It was completely possible he was lying through his teeth—beak—but I didn't want to take any chances.

"Wait... You know Future Sight, don't you?"

"Don't all Xatu?" he mocked, raising his wings.

Something Lassie had said... Someone had told her and Kamala about the Future Sight that saw Nick as a monster. I wasn't sure if Who knew it, but I knew the Froslass and Kamala didn't. It was entirely possible that the Xatu was telling the truth and was the one who shared it with them. Then again, I had never heard anything about a Xatu—or Natu—from Nick. It could be a lie, or it could be the truth. My best bet was to ask Who about it, if he ever appeared.

"Why aren't you Nick's anymore?"

"He got rid of me," the Xatu replied, serious and cold. Nick had only ever mentioned releasing Lassie. I began to think the Xatu was lying to me again.

"Whatever."

Who never appeared that night. And while he was creepy and ominous, the Xatu actually let me stay asleep for most of the night. I woke up the next morning with a feeling of frustration and a headache again.

Over a breakfast of cereal, while we were waiting for Arianna to eventually show up and wondering whether or not to bring Cossette with us shopping, Des poked his head into the kitchen. "_You may want to come see this._"

"What did you guys do now..." I pushed away from the table and wandered out into the main room, looking around for something broken. Everything seemed okay. Hanna soon followed me, and of course Cossette pattered along, too. "Des, what—?"

We were answered as Jacques stepped out of Cossette's room, Carlita and Konstantin circling around him to make sure he stayed upright. Hanna gasped, and I couldn't even form that much of a coherent sentence as Cossette pushed past us, launching herself at her Gallade with a tearful, "Jacques!"


	144. You Can Do Anything, But Not Everything

"Jacques, oh, Jacques!" He was still strong enough to pick her up and hug her, so we all figured that was a good thing. She started crying and clung to him, trying—and mostly failing—to smile through her tears.

He closed his eyes and appeared to smile, twirling her around once, then simply holding her. He turned to me, red eyes bright, and I thought he was going to speak to me telepathically.

Instead, I heard nothing.

He blinked and furrowed his brow, glancing down at the girl in his arms. He stared at her for a couple moments. Cossette tilted her head with a, "_Quoi_?"

Suddenly, Jacques panicked. He hastily set Cossette down, and then looked at Hanna, brow knitted underneath his helmet-like thing. She stared blankly back. Jacques made a distressed sound and clutched at his head, eyes screwed shut.

And then, he disappeared.

He reappeared on the other side of the Gym, swaying on his feet. He seemed a little relieved and Teleported back, still looking a little dazed when he reappeared. It was then that I figured it out—he was testing his psychic powers again. He had lost his telepathy and was checking to see the rest of the damage.

"Oh no..." Hanna whispered, apparently coming to the same conclusion that I had.

Jacques raised a paw and lifted Carlita into the air. She squirmed and squealed, and he soon had to drop her, paws flying to his head again. "Jacques? What's wrong?" Cossette grabbed his elbow and yanked his arm down, eyes large and worried.

He looked down at her, no doubt trying to speak to her mind once more. Instead, he finally sunk to his knees, an anguished expression. "...Gall," he rasped out, and it suddenly came home for Cossette, too.

-.-.-

We predictably got a rather late start on the planned shopping trip. Hanna and I helped Jacques and Cossette go through what had happened. He couldn't use telepathy anymore, Teleportation made him a little dizzy but was otherwise okay, and he could only use his telekinesis in short bursts. I wasn't sure what other powers he had before he got shot, but that was all I could see him use now.

His vocal chords weren't in the best condition, either, thanks to years of disuse. His actual voice was quiet and hoarse, and he seemed to have trouble communicating that way, too.

Cossette took it better than we expected. Either that, or she didn't grasp what it meant for his future. While he began fighting depression, she stayed with him, brought him cupcakes, and spoke to him quietly in French. Florette, her baby Kangaskhan, came over, too. That seemed to cheer him up, if only slightly.

It was after noon when Arianna and Nathan finally convinced us to leave. With Jacques awake and Nathan staying with them, we figured it was safe enough for her. I left Konstantin, Carlita, and Zarek with them just in case. It took me over an hour of shopping and playing doll before I could get my mind off of them.

Jacques was awake—undeniably a good thing. He could still move, and fight, and didn't have amnesia or anything. He was just effectively mute and couldn't use his psychic powers as well as he could before. It could have been so much worse. I still didn't know how to handle it, though. I didn't have a psychic; I couldn't try to help him with that. The best I could do, I figured, was support them both and allow them to stay as long as they liked.

"Hm, turn around," Arianna said, chin in hand. I twirled for her. "I don't know, I don't like the way this fits him."

"I agree. It's too baggy in the shoulders."

I traipsed back into the changing room with another outfit to model for them. The last time I'd been forced into this situation, it had been solely by Hanna, and we'd had Archie to interrupt us. I looked down at the navy shirt in my hands, thinking back. Archie...

"Are you still alive in there?" Arianna asked, banging on the door. I jumped and pulled the shirt over my head.

"Yeah, just... Yeah."

"I like this shirt better," Hanna announced. I turned around in it so they could see how it fit all the way around. The shirt was met with overall positive regard, and Hanna purchased it for me before we were done. Then, to my (and the lady helping us) astonishment, Arianna pulled a small sewing kit out of her messenger bag and began working on the shirt there in the store. I thought the helper lady would pass out when she cut the sleeves off.

Hanna sent me in with another outfit, and this time, it was the pants that went under the knife. Arianna seemed to be having a blast, working on outfits in the middle of the store. Hanna seemed to be having just as much fun, but she was shopping. She always had fun shopping.

Soon, we had a crowd of other customers, watching avidly—especially after they recognized Arianna. I figured I was just out of the fashion loop. She and Hanna soon were receiving requests for customized outfits, or their opinion on a certain article of clothing or ensemble. It appeared that the employees didn't know what to do; Hanna's credit card made them want to keep us in, but the fact that we were disrupting regular sales made them skittish and surly.

I ended up being the one to drag the girls out of the store. Arianna had finished hemming the first shirt's sleeves and started drawing some sort of design in purple marker on the front, and Hanna had bought me two more shirts, a hoodie at my demand, a pair of jeans, and a pair of dress pants. It had taken nearly three hours.

And then we moved onto the next store.

The day was spent not by trying on clothes, but trying to forget about Archie and Lola, struggling not to worry about Cossette and Jacques, and attempting to give feedback to my two self-appointed stylists. It was difficult. I had little to no concept of whatever fashion trends they were following. I eventually lost track of time as the stores and outfits blurred together.

Next thing I knew, I was in another new ensemble (customized again by Arianna), and Hanna threw her arms around my neck. I stumbled and kept my balance—just barely—and looked up in time to see a camera flash. "Oh, _that's_ gonna be flattering," I groaned. "You could have warned me."

"Candid shots are the best," Arianna called languidly, holding up a dress against herself. "Also, since I have the feeling you've ignored us for the past hour," (it was probably longer than that) "I feel as if I should inform you of a couple things."

"Like the fact that you're going to be interviewed in _Trainer Weekly_ for the reopening of the Gym next week," Hanna said happily, snapping another picture when she was sure I was smiling.

"It comes complete with a photo shoot," Arianna added. She put the dress back and pulled another off the rack. "Wearing your new outfits and part of my new line. It's going to be dedicated to the new Gym leaders. Mostly you, of course, but I'll be damned if I'm not using that gorgeous red that Sela's hair is."

"You're going to do this thing _right_," Hanna told me. She then took another picture, this time just of me. I grinned awkwardly. "_Proper_ and lower key press coverage, and you're not gonna be emo for it. Let Sunyshore know about its new Gym leader."

"What's to know?" Arianna tossed me another shirt and back into the dressing room I went. I pulled the other shirt over my head, happy to be rid of it, and griped, "Best friend of Nick Sayre and paranoid extraordinaire! Sunyshore's new Gym leader in a nutshell."

"That's hardly scratching the surface," she called back. "It wouldn't hurt you to try to be likeable once in awhile."

"I _do_ try!" I retorted. I pulled the sweater over my head, and was both amused and alarmed to find that the sleeves were far too long. I came back out with the ends pulled over my hands, holding them up for the girls to see. "I feel like Kostya in this one."

"Yeah, that one's not working. Back in."

No matter what I said, it seemed as if I was locked into this interview. I was glad to have Hanna back and all, but I was still unaccustomed to her running my life. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but simply... Weird. I didn't _want_ to be productive, after all.

The good side of it was that Arianna decided that we were done shopping for me. Apparently she wanted to create most of my wardrobe, either from scratch or off of the clothes we'd purchased. The bad side of it was that the girls wanted to shop for themselves next and drag me along. As long as I'd been friends with Hanna, I had never run into this problem before.

It got worse when they tried to ask me for opinions. I couldn't even tell whether or not _I_ looked good in certain outfits, let alone them! It became infinitely more confusing when they started adding things like summer fashion versus fall fashion and what colors were in and which weren't and how short skirts ought to be. My default response rapidly degenerated into, "That's cute."

Unfortunately, it didn't take long at all for the pair to catch on. "Is that all you can say?" Hanna asked suspiciously.

I shrugged nervously. "It's, uh..." It was a summer dress with three different colored layers. "It's... nice?" I didn't know what to say! I had no idea if the colors went together or matched her or whatever.

"_What_ about it is 'nice'?" she asked, fists on her hips. Arianna had created a monster. And I'd thought that shopping for myself had been bad.

"The... color. The green in the middle. I like that." That sated her, at least until the next outfit—_very_ short shorts and a pale yellow halter top—and she wanted something other than generic words and color commentary.

And then, my rescue came in a singularly unexpected motion. Jacques and Cossette Teleported into the store and the little girl immediately latched onto me. Hanna jumped in surprise; I would've, too, had Cossette not been there. "You! I need you!" She then reached back and grabbed Jacques' paw.

"Wait, Cossette—?" Hanna began, and Arianna peeked her head out of the changing room behind her curiously, eyes widening when she saw who it was.

Then Jacques Teleported us back to the Gym. The Gallade stumbled and swayed when we reappeared, but Nathan was there to catch him. Cossette let go of me and helped him as well. "What's going on here?" I asked, unable to help all of the relief in my voice.

"These two concocted a genius plan," Nathan said, implying quite the opposite.

"What is it?"

"We want to battle you!" Cossette burst out, turning around with a bright grin. Florette toddled over and she scooped her up, holding her out towards me. "We want a Gym badge!"

"Uh, no," I replied simply. Her face fell (even if the baby Kangaskhan in her grasp continued smiling ignorantly) and she pushed out her bottom lip. I cringed and Nathan shot me a look.

"She—and the Gallade—they want to challenge you to test him. To see if he can still battle properly," he elaborated with a pained voice. Cossette's eyes shimmered with tears and I realized she had caught us both. She'd purposely left the girls behind because they'd probably be more immune to her tricks.

"Jacques, you just woke up!" In a last-ditch defensive move, I looked away from her and up at the psychic behind her. "You're in no condition to be battling so soon! Have you even been to the Pokémon Center yet?"

"Yes, because I tried that tactic, too," Nathan deadpanned.

"Still! I'm not battling you."

"You are a Gym leader! You must!" Cossette begged. She'd figured out that since I wasn't looking at her, most of her power was gone; she handed Florette to Jacques and clung to my shirtfront. After I tried to backpedal, she wrapped her arms around me completely and physically held me there. "You must battle me!" she repeated, managing an impressive mixture of tearful and firm.

"A-As a Gym leader, I have the right to refuse any battle I see fit," I fielded, looking around the Gym for some sort of help to pry her off. Sensing this, she tightened her arms. "Cossette, please let go? I'm not going to battle you. I..." I searched fruitlessly for some sort of excuse she'd take.

I couldn't come up with a reason, but Konstantin saved me with a Shadow Sneak just as Carlita bounded up to pull the girl away. I reappeared on the other side of the grand wheel. Cossette whined and tried to follow me, but I kept the wheel in between us.

"I'm not going to battle you. You only have two Pokémon!" I wasn't even sure if Florette was old or big enough to actually handle battling, either. "Besides, the Gym is technically closed! I can't legally hold any battles for the badge when it's closed." I felt marginally better with the brilliant excuse. She pouted again, but it appeared that she couldn't get around it.

"_Mais_... You are going to open it again, yes! In two days!"

"She's got you there."

"_Don't_ encourage her."

"In two days, I will battle you!" Cossette declared. She walked back to Jacques and reclaimed her tiny Kangaskhan, beaming all the while.

I grimaced. In two days, she could get rid of the closed Gym problem _and_ the fact that Jacques had just woken up. I couldn't come up with any other good reasons, either, at least none that she would listen to. I looked at Konstantin, but he only shook his head. I had two days to come up with an excuse, or end up battling Jacques. I knew that before, he could've stomped most of my team into the ground. Now, however, I would probably have to throw the match. Even if he was still physically strong, he could still get injured. I wasn't going to hurt one of her last Pokémon.

"Where do you get these ideas?" I asked her flatly.

"From my head," she replied, confused. I sighed and let it go.

It was a toss up when the girls would return. On one hand, they could burst through the doors at any moment and angrily drag me back out shopping. On the other hand, they were more or less done with me as a doll; they could spend the entire day out without me. I released the three I'd taken with me on my trip and we puttered around the Gym again, waiting to see which would happen. A half hour ticked by, and we surmised that they wouldn't be back any time soon.

Nathan and I set about to tweaking the rest of the Gym, cleaning up messes, tidying machines, making sure everything was still in working order. I had mostly resigned myself to the fact that it really would reopen. May as well make it presentable. We had Cossette run through a couple of trials for us, just to see how the grand wheel acted. Much to our collective delight, it worked perfectly. Once she rolled 'lose strongest', twice she would've went straight to Nathan, and once she rolled to play one of the game machines.

Statistically, I could live with that. Just so long as my own bad luck didn't somehow exceed the weight on the wheel; I wanted to avoid handing out free badges, thank you.

We managed to pass the rest of the afternoon in productivity. Kind of. It was that kind that didn't seem like it was productive, but looking back on it all, the little things sure added up. Aside from that empty room in the basement, the entire Gym was in perfect working order, ready for anyone. Even the gaming machines; we took turns playing them to pass the time when we got bored of doing actual work.

Nathan seemed surprised when I consecutively got the highest score. "Since when are you good at video games?"

"Since always." I was a little surprised, too. I had played them when I was a little kid, sure, who hadn't. Apparently I hadn't lost any skill, though. Nice to know I was good at _something_, even if it had no merit in the real world. "Why do you keep signing yours TWL?"

"Why do you keep signing yours TA?" he replied with an arched eyebrow. I shrugged. We both stepped out of the way for Cossette to have her turn. She didn't seem to grasp most of the idea of it, but at least she had fun.

Before she could play, however, Nathan's stomach growled. Loudly. He flushed and clamped his arms around his middle, backing away from us. Cossette giggled and I tried my hardest not to smile. "Okay, dinner time."

"You don't have to—" he started, but Cossette cut him off.

"We will go out to eat! It will be a date!" She threaded her arm through his, grabbed my hand, and marched us out the front door. I barely had time to call to Des to tell him that he was in charge.

"...Why do little girls keep dragging me out on dates?" Nathan wondered aloud, not-so-subtly trying to get his arm back from her.

I grinned at him, knowing the pain of how well she could attach herself. "I'm not sure she grasps the concept, but maybe you just have a way with the ladies?"

"Younger ladies?"

"Ladies are ladies, I guess."

"_Oui_, I am a lady. But I will treat you both," Cossette broke in shortly. We, being the gentlemen that we were, tried to argue her down, but she would have none of it. I couldn't help but wonder how much of her father's fortune she actually had access to.

As we were waiting for the light to change to cross the street, I spotted our other wayward friends exiting out of a shop behind us. "Hey! Hanna, Arianna!" I called awkwardly, half-turned around my taken hand. They trotted over to us, just before Cossette dragged us across the crossing. "I guess we're going out to eat. Wanna join us?"

"Sure," Hanna said. Arianna chuckled and gestured to the way the little girl was guiding us. Hanna frowned momentarily, and that made me frown, too. Mostly because I couldn't figure out why. She sped up and wiggled between Cossette and I, leaning down and gently pulling our hands apart. (I was only mildly jealous that she could manage such a feat.) "Cossette, you don't have to mother them. They can walk on their own."

She pushed out her bottom lip but dropped Nathan's arm regardless. For my part, I remained confused. _That_ was what she had been doing? It came off more as a clingy little girl than a motherly little girl. Cossette looked down at her feet, and I felt a pang of guilt. "Hey, it's okay. I like holding hands." I stuck out my hand again, and she gleefully took it.

Hanna rolled her eyes, but there was a smile in the corners of her lips. "She'll never leave you at this rate."

"I'm just being a good host."

"Going above and beyond the call of duty," Nathan remarked dryly. He tapped out a cigarette from his pack, sighing in relief as he lit it. Arianna scowled at him and took it from his mouth, tossing it into the street. "Hey!"

"You know what, they're right. Let's just hold hands," Arianna replied, grabbing his and preventing him from getting out any more cigarettes. Hanna laughed at them both and snuck in between the two girls, completing our absurd little chain. Nevermind the fact that we were taking up the entire sidewalk. "See? This is much nicer. Humanity, trainers and non-trainers, coming together in times of crisis and mending."

"I think someone's just wanting a man to hold hands with," Hanna said airily.

Arianna smacked her with her own hand. "Girl talk is supposed to be off-limits in the real world. Besides, you're the only one for me, babe," she crooned.

Nathan shot me a look over their heads. "See? Always getting dragged out on dates."

"You just attract the ladies," I told him simply, smiling.

"Dates are not bad!" Cossette chimed in, unable to comprehend why he kept whining about it. "You can go with Arianna!"

"Cossette, do you know what a date is?" Hanna asked, finally voicing what we were all wondering.

"It is when you spend time with friends and eat food, yes?"

"...She's kind of right," Arianna said after a pause. "Half-right. Someone else gets to explain it to her when she's older, not me."

"You planning on sticking around that long?" Hanna joked.

"Mm, I might. I like the Gym and the crazy leader."

"Gee, thanks."

"What, you don't want me around?" She leaned back and pouted at me, doing a remarkable impression of Cossette at her finest.

"Stay as long as you want. Any of you. You expect me to keep up with your whims and life updates?"

"This place!" Our conversation was cut short as Cossette jerked to the side, pulling almost all of us off-balance. I caught myself (barely) and caught Hanna before she tripped as well.

"I think we should all be independent again," Arianna said wryly. There were nods all around (Cossette aside). Still, she was outvoted, and the entrance was small enough that we had to enter in single file, anyway.

The restaurant was a fancy one, some high-end thing decorated in rich shades of red and cream. Hanna and Cossette were instantly at ease in the luxurious atmosphere, but the rest of us were not so lucky. Nathan stood up a little straighter, Arianna nervously twirled a lock of dark hair around her finger, and I tugged at the bottom hem of my shirt. Most of the other guests weren't in clothes they threw on that morning because it was clean.

"Stop fidgeting, you look fine," Hanna whispered in my ear, making me jump.

"Who's fidgeting?" I replied with a sad attempt at a grin.

She reached down and untangled my fingers from my shirt with a stern look. "If you get this nervous with the richer crowd, no one's gonna take you seriously as a Gym leader. Consider this practice for your interview."

"Ugh."

"Five!" Cossette chirped after counting us off in French. The waiter (who was better dressed than I was) led us to one of the larger tables in the back. I ended up seated between Cossette and Hanna, across from Nathan. I browsed over the menu, but half of it was in French or some other fancy foreign language I couldn't quite understand.

Hanna ended up ordering for me. This was fine with me; she knew my tastes well enough. She only told me what it was after I tried it—it turned out to be some kind of vegetable stew. I was a little unused to being able to eat a complete meal with company without having most of it stolen, but that was what I got for dining with my team so often. Still, I couldn't help but wonder which of them would like this and which wouldn't.

"You're staring at your spoon as if it offended you," Arianna announced. I started and looked up with her, smiling uncertainly. I hastily hid the spoon back in the bowl.

"Just wondering. I kinda feel bad for eating so nicely when my team isn't."

"Codependent," she muttered and returned to her own meal. I didn't bother denying it, but she didn't have to make it sound so negative. All trainers were, to some degree. It wasn't as if I was particularly bad... Okay, so what if I was. Now I was just depressing myself.

Hanna reached over and took my half-full glass of water, swapping it with her glass of wine. I opened my mouth to decline, but she simply pressed her knee against my leg and shot me a look that could rival one of Ike's glares.

"Underage drinking, just great," Nathan said flatly.

"She started it."

"Someone—or something—needs to get him to lighten up," Hanna replied primly. "Moreover, the _restaurant_ started it, not me."

"What?"

She shrugged and tried not to smile. "I'm not of legal age, either. They just like sucking up to me."

Arianna stifled a chuckle. Cossette giggled, too, although I had a feeling she just wanted to agree with the general mood. Hanna nudged me again and with an apologetic grin for Nathan, I decided to take a sip. It was bitter and had a bad aftertaste—why did people think it's good? I tried my best not to make a face and set it back down in front of Hanna.

"I guess we should be glad he's never going to become an alcoholic," Arianna pointed out.

"Even though I have enough problems to," I shot back, stealing my water back to wash my mouth out.

"Nah, that's just teenage angst. You'll grow out of it."

"At fourteen?"

"Yeah! Why not? Trainers are supposed to be so much more mature than normal kids, right?"

"Only because we get tossed into situations like these," I rationalized. "It's practically an adaptation. Or evolution. What have you."

"Hmm. ...That's an interesting way of looking at it," Arianna allowed thoughtfully. The meal deteriorated into a debate about the tragedies of trainers under a thin veil of smiles. Cossette and I were, naturally, the main arguments for how tough a trainer's life could be, not that we ever really referred to ourselves as such. Nathan played peacemaker since he fell into the middle area between us, and Hanna took Arianna's side as a non-trainer. It wasn't as depressing as I would've thought otherwise, however.

We left the restaurant entirely too late; I felt guilty for leaving my Pokémon alone for so long. And, okay, maybe Hanna had coerced me into having a _little_ more wine and all of the talk had gotten me sentimental. Cossette was practically dozing while walking by the time we made it back to the Gym, and Hanna and I couldn't stop making each other yawn.

"Do either of you want to spend the night here? I have extra room," I offered.

Nathan shook his head. "My apartment's just a couple blocks over, and if I can't sneak a smoke soon, I'm afraid I'll go crazy."

"I'm gonna head out, too. I'm not nearly as tired as you guys, actually. I'm a bit of a night Noctowl." Arianna waved as she walked back out into the night.

Hanna took Cossette and found Jacques and Florette, tucking them all into her room. I let Hanna have my room; I was curling up in the space between Des' legs and was far too comfortable to move. She sighed and tossed a blanket at me, letting me have my Pokémon bed. Carlita wedged herself in next to me, draping her cast over my waist. Alice was never one to miss out on cuddling and soon deposited Zarek on my shoulder. He scuttled around, trying to find a space to get comfortable in, while she shoved me over and took the space behind me. I was glad at that point that Ike wasn't a cuddler; there was literally no more room.

Unfortunately, Konstantin _was_. He floated around in circles above us, whining, before Des grudgingly scooted his leg forward. Carlita slid against him, momentarily offering an opening which the Duskull greedily pounced upon. By the time my fighter and my ghost were done arguing about who went where, I was just about asleep.

"Goodnight guys," I murmured, slipping off into my dreams.

Of course, the Xatu was waiting for me. I had almost forgotten about him. He didn't bother offering hints this time and instead let me have my nightmares in peace. He was very careful to never make them bad enough to wake me up; he wanted to torment me for as long as possible. Petty, stupid bird.

Konstantin was around this time, though, and soon intervened. He and the Xatu fought and my dreams slipped into something a little more normal. Although really, I was far past 'normal' dreams. I seated myself near a fence and watched the two Pokémon fight, ignoring the Mareep I was supposed to be counting behind me.

But then, the Xatu threw him into me, and we were both jolted awake. Only I woke up to find a red gaze glaring down at me. I jumped and pressed myself against Des, though my scream died in my throat when I found that it was just Jacques. I released a shaky breath and glanced down at Konstantin. He pressed himself into my shirt with a comforting murmur.

"...What is it?" I whispered. Carlita and Zarek were still asleep, even if we'd managed to wake up Alice and Des. Jacques furrowed his brow and looked down.

Then, he took out his paw from behind his back. Who's charm hung from it, swinging slightly. So that was why the Hypno hadn't appeared in my dreams—he had been getting in touch with Jacques, the only psychic who actually had access to me at this point. Who had beaten the Xatu. And his message was clear: When I was ready, he would take me to Nick.


	145. Transition That's Troublesome

I woke up the next morning in my bed. Cossette was snuggled up against my side, under my arm, leaning on my chest as a pillow. Hanna was on my other side, legs tangled in mine, using my arm as a pillow, too.

Since I was more or less locked into this position, I could only stare dully up at the ceiling and ask, "Why are there girls in my bed?"

Jacques leaned over into my view with a smile. "Gall," he whispered, voice still hoarse.

"You put me here? Why?" He didn't respond. I sighed and wondered how I could get myself out of bed without waking them. My answer floated over in the form of Konstantin. "Kostya, could you help, please?"

"_Of course,_" he replied happily. He hovered over my chest, looked at the two girls attached to me, and then shrugged. He pushed straight down on my chest and pulled me back out of the shadows on the floor at the foot of the bed. I sat up and rubbed my arm, trying to get feeling back into it.

Then, I felt something around my neck. I gingerly touched it, feeling a small chain and some sort of circular charm. My eyes widened when I remembered what it was, and I frantically scrabbled at it, trying to get it off of me. Konstantin looked at me curiously. I narrowed my eyes and hissed at him, "This isn't supposed to be a collar! Help!" He reached up and with a slightly painful yank, broke the chain. I glared at Jacques, although I was unsure who had put it on me like that to begin with. I could only remember falling back asleep on Des with it in my hand...

I held up the charm, looking at it glint in the morning light. It seemed so innocent. Ignoring the implication it brought, it was.

"...Right. Today's my day off, then." I stood up and adjusted the vest under my shirt. It was getting more and more uncomfortable with each passing day, but I couldn't bear to part with it just yet.

I strode out into the main room only to get headbutted and sent to the ground by Des. I flailed and he offered his head, allowing me to pull myself back up. Before I could ask, he nuzzled me again (nearly sending me back to the floor in the process). "_Happy birthday!_"

"...What?" I asked blankly. It was my birthday? No, it wasn't until...

As I was busy mentally counting off the days since I had last paid attention to the date, Des frowned. "_Isn't that what it is? Called?_"

"Yeah, but..." How was it that he could pay more attention to the date than I could? Granted, I'd been busy—ridiculously busy, in fact. And I hadn't checked my cell phone for awhile. Or the computer. Or pretty much any electronic. "Where's my phone?"

"_In the drawer, off, where you left it after all of the burials_," Ike said snidely, slithering past. "_But I will save you the trouble, Master Trainer—it is that day. They have been worrying themselves senseless over it_."

"Well..." I had nothing much to say to that. I still wanted to check the date somehow. Konstantin, as if reading my mind, came out with my cell phone. I turned it on (ignoring the voice mails and text messages) and saw that they were right. "...Huh. Well then."

"_Happy birthday_," Des repeated with another nuzzle. I scratched him behind the ears and kissed him on a tuft of fur.

"Thanks."

"_Happy birthday as well, comrade!_" Konstantin added eagerly.

"_...And, I suppose I must congratulate you on surviving another year. I had not thought it would be possible for you,_" Ike grudgingly remarked, tail lashing in annoyance behind him.

"Thanks," I told them both, unable to help smiling, in spite of his tone. At that point, Carlita noticed I was awake, too, and bounced awkwardly over to wish me a happy birthday as well. Her exuberant cries woke up the Pidgey chicks, who, in turn, woke up pretty much everyone else in the building.

It took all of two seconds for Hanna and Cossette to catch up on the day's event and offer their wishes as well. And hugs, lots of hugs. "I knew it was coming up, but I thought it was next week!"

This did not surprise me, since she hadn't remembered my birthday correctly yet. "Well, it's a surprise for all of us."

"How fortuitous that it falls on your day off!" she exclaimed, and I had suspicions that maybe she hadn't forgotten about it, after all. She then tried to drag me out to breakfast, but I was going to have none of it. I wanted to spend the day with my Pokémon.

"...Didn't you want to go to the beach?" I asked her, if only to get her off the trail of breakfast. She nodded, eyes big and hopeful. "Let's just go there. I can't remember the last time half my team was outside."

"_I was becoming accustomed to the horribly unhealthy artificial light and cramped quarters, though_," Ike called sarcastically.

"If I can't be antisocial anymore, you can't, either." That settled it.

It also worked out better than I had hoped. It turned out that Cossette didn't have a swimsuit, so Hanna volunteered to take her to get one. This would give me time at the beach alone with my team. Hanna made sure I had my own trunks on before more or less kicking me out the doors. Of course, I just had to return to grab the Pidgey chicks, but still. I wasn't going to fight a day at the beach. I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten to let the chicks outside in the sky to practice their flying, and the ocean would be great for Zarek. Carlita needed some sunlight and exercise, too, especially since her cast would come off in a couple days.

Alice and Konstantin had to keep the chicks from flying off, but we made it to the beach without problem. Ike slunk off as per usual. Des stuck near me, watching dully as Alice struggled to babysit both the chicks and Zarek. He eagerly skittered off into the surf, however, diving below the surface (which made her shriek in panic and try to go in after him).

"You know, this isn't so bad," I said idly, shielding my eyes from the sun while I tried to keep track of the chicks. I whistled and they all came back, so maybe they didn't need as much babysitting as I'd thought. "Guys, don't go too far off, and don't talk to any strange Pokémon. Stay within sight of me."

They chirped their agreement and eagerly flapped off again. I let Alice know that she didn't have to keep an eye on them, which she took gratefully before returning to trying to become a Golduck to keep up with her child. Konstantin floated over, also relinquishing his parental duties. Or whatever he thought they were. "_What would you like us to do?_"

"Um?"

"_We're not training today,_" Des answered for me.

"Well, I wouldn't say that."

"_It's supposed to be your day off_," he admonished. I glanced around, making sure Hanna and Cossette hadn't arrived yet, and then held up my wrist. Who's charm spun from it. Des narrowed his eyes and sniffed it. "_What is that_," he said lowly, although he knew full well what it was.

"An invitation," I replied vaguely, looking out at Alice and Zarek in the water. "...It means this is going to end soon either way. I'd like to do a couple things before I go off playing hero again, though." I smiled and shrugged. "Zarek still has to evolve, otherwise I'm leaving him behind. I don't know what to do about the Pidgey chicks. Kostya... I guess he won't evolve, but I'm still worried."

"_I can take care of myself, comrade_," he retorted, wringing his paws.

"I know, but I still worry. It's what I do."

"_When did you get this?_" Des rumbled, nosing my shirt.

"The charm? Just last night. Jacques gave it to me from Who. He won in the psychic race, I guess."

"_...I didn't think he would so soon_," he said. His ears drooped and he shuffled off. I noticed him catch Carlita and start speaking to her; soon enough, the entire team knew. This didn't really bother me, since I figured they would've found out soon enough, anyway. And I shouldn't keep secrets from them any more. Not about Nick. Not about the future.

"_You want the Krabby to evolve before this happens? What if that takes awhile?_" Konstantin asked curiously.

"It can't take _that_ long." I didn't mention the fact that I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted it to take awhile. On one hand, preparation time. On the other, I knew the longer I put it off, the worse it'd become. More people could die and I could worry myself into a nervous breakdown or something. Nick and the remaining followers had been quiet lately. I couldn't be sure of how long that would last.

I trotted out into the wet sand after kicking off my sandals. The cool water rolled over my toes. Zarek skated across the water over to me, burbling happily.

"Hey, wanna battle some wild Pokémon?"

"_Yes!_"

It, naturally, turned into a grand production. Zarek froze a small patch of ice on the surface for Alice to sit on. Then, still using Surf, he started picking Tentacool and Magikarp out of the water. It hardly took any time at all before most of the weaker Pokémon fled and the stronger, more aggressive ones flocked to him, seeking out a challenge.

If things got too tough for him, Alice would hastily intervene with a Dragonbreath. He tried to keep the battles as close to the surface as possible. I was glad of this, too, since I could better watch.

At one point, he tossed a Tentacool into the air, and two of the Pidgey chicks swooped down and picked it up. It flailed wildly, completely baffled by why it was flying, and they dropped it onto the sand. The third one—it looked like Oonu, but I couldn't be sure from that distance—soon came over as well, and they Pecked at it until it was well past the point of unconsciousness. Carlita and I broke into the 'battle' and rolled it back out into the ocean, feeling sorry for it.

"_How come we don't get to battle?_" she then asked with a pout.

"There's not any trainers out yet. It's too early. Maybe later in the day." Although I doubted Hanna would let me battle much once she arrived. I set Carlita against Konstantin for a practice match. This didn't last long, however; she got bored with him and instead went to bother Ike. I let her go, defeated.

Des busied himself by burning sand. He had apparently found out that it turned into glass, and it fascinated him. Alice was soon copying him with her Dragonbreath, although her glass creations were tinted blue because of it. Zarek, when he noticed that his mother wasn't paying attention to him, scuttled over to investigate. He tried to copy them with an Ice Beam, but it didn't work out. He tried this several times, getting more and more frustrated with each time.

Then, he did something I would have _never_ expected.

He used an Ice Beam on Alice.

She shrieked and flapped away from him, shedding frost and cloud. Her eyes were wide and she looked betrayed. "_Zarek! Why would you do that!_"

"_Battle me_," he replied curtly, blowing bubbles at her.

"_No! You are too young to be battling the rest of the team_," she said angrily. "_...Go back out into the ocean and battle fish_."

"_No! They're boring!_"

I couldn't help but watch from afar. I had known that Zarek had been a little spoiled, and I guess it would've exploded at some point. But I never would have guessed that he would've tried to attack Alice. Maybe he wanted to prove himself to her, maybe he was tired of the babying, or maybe he really was just bored.

Des had started backing up since the first shot was fired. I could tell he was nervous. I wondered just how strong Zarek had gotten; was he more anxious about the water Pokémon or the irate mother? I couldn't tell. I circled around them and made it to my starter, putting my arms around his neck comfortingly. "_Are you going to stop him?_" he whispered.

"No, I don't think so. I... want to see what he'll do now," I replied. Zarek had been taking out those Tentacool and Magikarp with ease, and he _had_ taken on that Tentacruel during the race, too... Maybe we had both been babying him a little too much. Even though he hadn't evolved yet.

I couldn't decide who was going to lose the argument. I just knew it would likely end badly.

I was proven right when Alice refused to battle him and even started ignoring him. She took to the air and flew off. He fired an Ice Beam after her, but she easily dodged it. He then tried to get one of the Pidgey chicks, but they, too, were in the sky; it would be far too hard for him to hit an airborne target. He had pretty good aim, but not that good. None of the birds took his bait, so he looked around for another target.

Des snorted out a plume of smoke, volcanoes rumbling in warning when the Krabby turned on him. He bubbled, digging in the sand thoughtfully. Ultimately, he must've decided against taking on the tank of the team, because he scurried off. We followed at a safe distance, interested.

I was proven even more right when Zarek marched right on up to Ike and grabbed hold of his tail, giving it a good yank. Alice wasn't there to swoop in and beat the feline back this time, however. Ike snarled at him and gave him a good shock. My Krabby immediately let go with a squeal and skittered back, eyes wide as he advanced on him. Fur standing on end and crackling with static electricity, teeth bared, and ears pinned flat against his skull, Ike approached until he had him cornered against a rock.

I was about to jump in when Zarek shot an Ice Beam in his face.

"_Oh dear. This isn't going to end well_," Des said. Understatement of the year. Ike yowled and shook the ice off of his face, reeling back as he did so. Zarek took the opportunity to make a break for it. Ike was much faster, of course, and caught up in no time. He batted the Krabby away from the water, making sure he couldn't escape.

"Oh, jeez—" I started towards them, but Des grabbed my shirt in his teeth and yanked me back. "Des! Let me go!" I looked from him back to the slaughter that was about to take place. Zarek had tried to freeze Ike's paws to the sand, but since it was crumbly, it was far too easy for the Luxray to step out of it. He shocked the water Pokémon again, clearly dazing him.

"_He needs to learn his lesson. Alice has coddled him far too much._"

"He's learned it! I'm not going to let Ike eat him!"

"_There is not enough meat on the scrawny, pathetic creature to make a mouthful, much less a meal_," Ike called, making us fully aware of the fact that we were within earshot.

"_Hey_!" Zarek snapped, closing his pincers on one of Ike's paws. He jumped back with another yowl, shaking the Krabby off. Zarek once again tried to escape, but Ike was done playing. He pressed his other paw against the back of his shell where his claws couldn't reach him. Zarek flailed, snipping wildly, panicking.

Ike reached down and picked him up in his teeth by the arm, still taking great care to avoid his claws. He then shook his head, snapping the Krabby back and forth. Des immediately let me go and I ran towards them, trying to remember why I had thought it a good idea to leave the pokeballs on my towel.

Before I could reach them, however, Zarek used an adrenaline-fueled Surf. The ocean rose up behind us. The only warning I got was Carlita's scream as it tumbled over all of us. By the time the water receded and I was back on my feet, Ike was soaked and snarling, Des was hardly conscious, and Zarek was long gone.

Or, I had thought so. Until I spotted him on top of the rock Ike had pinned him against earlier. He pointed at the Luxray triumphantly, before he was spotted, and fired an Ice Beam at him. With all of the water around us, it naturally ended better for him than previous attempts. It took Ike (and I) several minutes to fight his way free of all the ice, and by that time, Zarek was having fun turning the beach into an ice rink.

"You know, I'd thought that we were going to a warm beach." I looked up. Hanna and Cossette had finally arrived, Jacques and Florette in tow. Hanna cringed as I freed my other foot from the ice. "How did you manage all of this? We weren't even an hour!"

"Zarek decided to train himself," I ground out, trying to figure out how to make my way over to them without cutting my bare feet on the ice shards all around me. Des helped by exhaling steam, melting most of the ice near us. My Camerupt got back to his feet and shook his head, sending water flying. "Des, are you okay?"

"_Just... wet_," he replied unhappily. He then collapsed on his side. I started forward, alarmed, but then I realized he was just sunning himself. He lifted his legs and rolled over as far as his back volcanoes would allow, letting the sun warm his belly.

"Did you bring your camera?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yup," Hanna replied. It was already out and she was already snapping photos of the beach and fire Pokémon. "Hey, look at our new swimsuits! Since we were out, I decided to get a new one myself, too..." That figured. Cossette beamed at me and twirled in her new swimsuit, a lavender one-piece with what looked like a skirt attached.

"Uh, she has a skirt on."

"It came with the swimsuit. It's supposed to be there," Hanna replied with a roll of her eyes. I shrugged. Hanna, of course, was sporting a bikini. The difference was that this was the smallest one I'd seen her in yet.

"How can you stand to show that much skin?"

"It's easy. I can't understand why you're still wearing your shirt."

"Because I know I'll burn like crazy if I take it off."

"No you won't. Look at yourself! You're so pale since you spend all day inside now." Hanna marched over and began to fight me for the rights to my shirt. She, of course, won. I mostly let her; I wasn't going to argue with her on my birthday, of all days. "I'll make sure you don't burn. Now come on, fun time."

"Can we wait until the ice melts?"

"Des?"

He snorted out a small Flamethrower, melting a path to the wet sand and creating another small swath of glass. Cossette exclaimed something in French and gestured to it. "Yeah, he does that." He smiled and closed his eyes again, pleased. I sighed and resigned myself to no more active training. Probably a good thing. I just hoped Ike didn't want revenge. ...Which was a very silly hope, knowing him as well as I did.

"Swimming time!" Hanna declared, dragging me out towards the ocean. Cossette skipped along behind us, trying to coax Jacques into the water. She carried Florette, until we found that baby Kangaskhan couldn't swim. We left her with Carlita and Des after that.

"Gall," Jacques rasped. He stood in waist-deep water, looking utterly confused by the entire process.

"Swim! You can, yes?" Cossette said, trying to get him to do so.

"Can non-water Pokémon swim?" Hanna asked me.

"I think Carlita can. Maybe. I know Des and Kostya can't. Alice can't, either, although she sure tries..." I had never seen Ike in anything deeper than a bathtub, so I wasn't sure about him. Zarek could swim, albeit awkwardly, but he mostly chose to use Surf to get around on the surface. I tried to think of other Pokémon, but the only other ones I had seen in any sort of water deep enough for swimming had been Nick's team. "...Chase couldn't," I said tiredly. "I don't know. Probably not."

Our hypothesis was ultimately supported when Jacques refused to get in any deeper than his chest. He stood and watched Cossette paddle around him, still unsure about why we thought this was fun, undoubtedly.

Hanna conned us into a game of Marco Polo, and even if we had to explain the concept to Cossette, it turned out to be pretty fun. Zarek tried to join in, but we couldn't get it to work with him; he settled on helping me instead. It didn't take long for the girls to call cheater on that, however, so we eventually moved on to simply racing.

Soon enough, however, I was called back into reality—primarily the reality regarding my duties as a Gym leader.

Hanna dunked me and as I came up, spluttering and laughing and flailing, I noticed that she had stopped trying to gain the upper hand. I gave her a splash, but she only frowned at me and pointed back at the beach. I turned and was shocked to find two of the last people I would've expected: Sela and Vaikuntha.

"What are they doing here?" Cossette asked reproachfully.

"What's going on?" Hanna whispered in a lower voice.

"You two stay out here. I'll go check it out." I swam back to shore, shook my hair out, and tried to smile as I greeted them. Vaikuntha cheerily grinned back, waving me over exuberantly, but Sela's expression was far darker. Vaikuntha could smile through anything, but her look was what made me cautious.

By the time I made it to them, Carlita and Konstantin had already arrived to investigate. Sela flat-out ignored them and instead barked, "Hurry it up, we have to go."

"Um, can I grab my shirt?" Alice fluttered down, shirt in her beak. Helpful, but not—I had wanted a little more time to get an explanation. "Guys, what's going on?" I asked worriedly, pulling my shirt over my head.

"Oh, it is nothing bad!" Vaikuntha said quickly, shaking his head. He beamed and put his arm around my shoulders, forcing me back towards Sunyshore. "We must simply go meet with Lucian and the other members of the Elite Four."

"Hey—wait—my Pokémon!"

"You don't need them," Sela griped, crossing her arms. She scowled. "They even had the _audacity_ to tell me I couldn't bring Asher or Miles, those bastards..."

"Your Ursaring is a danger to anyone around, you said so yourself," Vaikuntha retorted with a frown. But he immediately brightened again and turned back to me. "You will be fine, brother! I promise. This is just a meeting, and if we have need of any Pokémon for self-defense, you may borrow mine!"

"Uh, that's nice and all, but—_hey_!" Sela grabbed my arm and threw us both into an Alakazam that Teleported just in front of us. Next thing I knew, I was a little dizzy and standing in a room I had only ever seen on television. We were in the Champion's room. "Woah..." I couldn't help but gasp.

"We ran your errands!" Sela snarled at the little group up near the Champion's chair. I shied away from her on instinct; Vaikuntha noticed this and moved me so that he was in between us.

"She wanted to come along so she did not have to stay any longer in here," he whispered. "She is in a, ah, foul mood."

"I noticed," I whispered back. The woman stopped well away from the group and planted her fists on her hips. Vaikuntha led me up towards the group, however. The Elite Four and Champion, and the rest of the Gym leaders—no, that was a lie. I did a double-take when I realized that while the number fit, these were not all of the people I had been expecting.

For one, standing in between Fantina and Lucian, there was Roark.

I looked at Vaikuntha and he nodded, but didn't say anything. Instead, he then inclined his head towards a newcomer. It was an older man with black hair and gray temples and a scar erasing half of one of his eyebrows. He was tall and built and entirely too intimidating. "Who is—?" I started, but he squeezed my shoulder and stopped me.

Looking around the group again, I noticed that Benjamin wasn't there. That was almost instantly answered, however, as he and Alicia, accompanied by a Clefable, Teleported into the room. "We couldn't find Keith anywhere. You know he doesn't want to be found," she said haughtily, something I wasn't used to seeing from her. She then caught sight of us, however, and grinned. "Hey! How have you guys been?"

"Yes, how _has_ the little slacker been doing?" Benjamin asked archly. Alicia smacked him. "What? He hasn't opened the Gym since—"

"Shut _up_," Sela all but shouted.

"What a ragtag group you have here, Lucian," the man spoke, for the first time. His voice was low and hoarse, and his tone was none too friendly. Sela practically growled at him. I knew we had problems when he willingly growled right back.

"Please, everyone, be civil," Lucian said icily. Sela and the mystery man didn't halt their glaring contest. I was waiting for someone to burst into flames. "This impromptu meeting has been called to introduce our two new—well, as a manner of speaking—Gym leaders. Roark has been kind enough to return to take over Gardenia's Gym for the time being."

"Thank you Roark!" Alicia chirped.

"Ah, yes, thank you!" Vaikuntha added sunnily. Everyone else remained silent.

Lucian cleared his throat rather awkwardly. He gestured to the man across from him. "And he will become Pastoria's new Gym leader. His name is Bruce Yorke. Please don't bite each other's heads off; you only have to tolerate each other when we hold meetings like this..."

Bruce grunted something that may have been a greeting, or it may have been a jab at Sela. She certainly took it as one. She stomped over to us and got up in his face, narrowing her eyes to slits and baring her teeth like Ike would. "Got something to say?" she hissed.

"Nothin' to you, rookie."

Sela threw the first punch. Unfortunately, Bruce made first contact. I knew immediately that he had to have been trained somewhere. While he wasn't exactly pinning her to the ground and generally winning, he was holding his own admirably. That was saying enough. I knew from personal experience how tough the woman was.

I thought that it would stay an isolated incident, but after some snark about women in general, Alicia joined in. Fantina, to her credit, only offered a squawk of indignation. Alicia, unfortunately, was decades younger and much tinier. Before she could do much more than kick him in the shin—creating an opening for Sela to elbow him _hard_ in the chest—Vaikuntha and I rushed in to intervene. I took the easy job of dragging Alicia out of the fray; he took the noble job of holding a Skarmory feather to the new recruit's neck and giving Sela the opportunity to dive over him at her restrained opponent.

I shoved Alicia towards Benjamin to keep her back and jumped back in, trying to get Vaikuntha—and the sharp instrument of violence—out of there before things got even worse. Thankfully, Lucian had things much more under control than any of us did. I felt myself lifted into the air by a Psychic and hung there limply.

"That is quite enough!" he yelled, managing to quiet us. Good for him. At least someone was good at his job around here. "I know tensions are high and personalities may clash, but think of the region, not yourselves!"

We all stared guiltily at the floor. Then Sela kicked Bruce again.

Our half-hour meeting took three. Lucian had Sela and Bruce apologize to each other (albeit at sword and psychic point), reprimanded Alicia, and told Vaikuntha not to introduce steel feathers so flippantly. It seemed as if he was on a roll after that, however, because he moved on to the rest of us. I was told to be more proactive instead of reactive, and Benjamin was given the same treatment in addition to the advice to not start any other fights.

Past that, we were briefed on the current situation in Sinnoh. More followers had been arrested and interrogated, but as far as they could tell, Nick seemed to be quieting down. They all attributed this to the fact that the Sunyshore siege had ended so badly (for both sides). I didn't bother telling anyone about the Hypno charm hanging from my wrist.

Lucian also told us to actively encourage challengers again. "We _want_ the trainers to resume training as normal. No one should be afraid of going near the Gyms or challenging us."

"In fact," Bertha said, "we're looking for that. I'm going to retire soon, and that means Lucian here will step back down to where he belongs."

"You don't have to put it that way."

"I meant no disrespect, but you are driving yourself to insanity with all of this stress," she said firmly. "You shouldn't have to babysit Gym leaders as well as the entire region."

"This really isn't the time nor place for such a discussion," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Adjusting his glasses, he looked back up at us. "We should take advantage of this lull in criminal activity. All closed Gyms should be reopened as soon as possible, but please, stay alert. Don't be afraid to contact any of us—or any other leaders—if you suspect something."

"I suspect he's a sexist bastard," Sela volunteered, pointing at Bruce.

"I suspect someone's a little too big for her skirts," Bruce deadpanned in response.

"I'm glad there's a region separating those two," Flint cracked. Volkner, beside him, only shook his head. Probably regretting letting us have the region to begin with.

"You know what? I'm tired of you all already. Just keep up the good job, don't let any followers run amok again, and we'll check in again in a couple weeks." With that, Lucian had enough of us and sent us back.


	146. Now's A Bad A Time As Any

"You got back so late yesterday, I guess we had counted on having you to ourselves for the day," Hanna mumbled, hands held behind her back. She scuffed her sandal on the floor. "We never gave you presents! Or took you out to dinner or the movies or anything fun!"

"It was entertaining enough seeing Sela and Bruce go at it," I replied dryly.

"Still! It was _your_ day off, and we were supposed to hog it! Not them!" she huffed. She snuck a glance back at Cossette, and then returned her eyes to me. "We were planning stuff and everything..."

"Huh? You didn't have to—!" I started, but she put her hand over my mouth to stop me.

"We know we didn't. You don't have to be a lot of things, but you still are. Anyway! We _did_, and we didn't get to do all that stuff yesterday, so—well, it's not our fault!" Hanna exclaimed. She removed her hand and instead grabbed my arm, dragging me into the kitchen. "We—well, Cossette—made you a cake!"

"For breakfast?" I cracked weakly, unsure of what else to say. Cossette climbed up onto the counter and retrieved a covered pan from one of the higher shelves. "You hid it too?"

"Well, we were planning a surprise. And since we didn't know what time you'd be back, we didn't want you to waltz back in here and see a cake."

"I guess... Thanks guys!" I used her grip on me to yank her into a hug. Cossette didn't need any further invitation than that and pounced upon us with a grin.

"I wrote on the cake!" she added happily.

"She started it in French, so don't ask about the 'J'," Hanna whispered. I nodded and smile. They led me over to the cake and Cossette unveiled it with a flourish. It was covered in light blue icing, and across it in black, loopy writing was (excusing the crossed-out 'J') "_Happy birthday_".

Konstantin floated over, paws full of candles. "_It is a little late, but surely the custom could still apply?_"

"Yeah! You have to blow out candles and make your wish!"

"For breakfast?" I repeated.

"Pretend it's a giant chocolate muffin," Hanna replied without missing a beat. "Des, come here, please! Your assistance is needed!"

He waddled into the kitchen, Carlita riding on his back between his humps. She jumped off with an excited cry and helped Konstantin and Cossette put the candles into the cake. They even had fifteen of them; the last time I'd had a cake with my actual age in candles on it had been when I was six. Des sat down near the table, his head easily high enough to light the cake. He didn't, however.

"Des," Hanna growled.

"_Not until the rest of the team is here_," he responded stubbornly, ears laid back. "_It is the least they can do._"

"_You heard him! Get in here!_" Carlita screeched, making us cringe. Ears ringing a bit, I was suddenly given the job of making sure everyone would fit in the small kitchen. It was a good thing Des was already in there. He shuffled over and sat nearer the wall as Alice and Zarek fluttered in. She deposited him on the table and Cossette nervously scooted the cake away from him. I sat the girls down in the chairs to get them out of the way, just as the Pidgey chicks swooped in.

Carlita climbed back up onto Des, nestling in, and two of the chicks perched themselves on the backs of the one free chair. The third—it looked to be Vi—tweeted in irritation and instead perched herself on Zarek. He bubbled and waved her off, and with an even angrier tweet, she flitted over and nestled herself on my head. Konstantin remained floating over the table, seeming smug about his ability to hang in midair with little effort.

By the time Ike slipped in, I could only point to the last free corner and command, "Sit." He curled his lip but did as he was told, although he made sure to lash his tail behind him to let us all know he was displeased.

"Ready yet?" Hanna deadpanned.

Des nodded and leaned forward, blowing out a tiny little Ember. Carlita whacked the light switch until she managed to turn it off, just as the last candle was lit. "_Happy birthday, Trainer_," he said.

"_A little late_," Ike reminded us.

"Thank you guys," I replied, making sure to give Ike a most gracious nod. "Really. Thanks. I haven't had a cake properly in years, and this one looks awesome. Plus..." Okay, now I was just getting sappy. I had my friends, I had my entire team, I had a home and a job and my health and so many other things to be thankful for. I leaned forward, half-over Cossette, and used my hands to brace myself on the table.

The Hypno charm on my wrist caught my eye, gleaming in the candlelight.

For the first time, I pushed it completely out of my mind and instead blew out my birthday cake. A day late, for breakfast, with a 'J' on it, in a cramped little kitchen—but all that was okay.

"Aw." I leaned back again, frowning. All but three of the candles had been blown out. I hadn't remembered to make an actual wish, but they didn't need to know that. Looked as if I wouldn't have been getting it, anyway.

"It only counts if you blow them all out on your first breath," Cossette said smartly, but then, a moment later, realized I'd failed.

Hanna nudged her with her elbow. "Only if he gets them with one breath, right? Well he used his." She smiled and took a breath, holding it, letting it puff out her cheeks. Cossette caught on with a giggle and mimicked her. Carlita nearly fell over Des to join in as well, and they blew out the rest of the candles for me.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that's cheating," I commented, sliding past Alice to get to the silverware and plates.

"What's life without a little cheating?" Hanna replied with a laugh.

"Breakfast!" Cossette cheered suddenly.

"_Breakfast! Cake for breakfast!_" Carlita joined in at once. The Pidgey chicks added to the noise with chirps and whistles excitedly.

"Yeah, for breakfast," I said again, sitting sideways in the chair as to not upset the chicks. "I can feel the cavities already."

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad." Hanna smacked me with her fork. I resisted the urge to start a food fight. "We didn't use chocolate frosting for that reason exactly. See? We always have your well being in mind."

"Wait, so then what is it?" Zarek answered me. He stuck his claw into the cake, swiping a large chunk of frosting from the middle—and then stuck it in my mouth. I flailed and reeled back, sticking out my tongue to try to get the rest of it off my chin. "Aha, yeah, thanks Zarek. Mint. Thanks." I ran my wrist over my mouth to get the rest off.

"We _all_ have your well being in mind, I suppose," Hanna said. She then paused, and, glancing at Carlita, whispered, "Hey, is it okay for them to have chocolate?"

"They've eaten chocolate in the past..." At this point, it was too late to say no to any of them without starting a riot, anyway. "Just give them small pieces. _Especially_ Carlita." The last thing I needed was her on a sugar high.

The festivities were interrupted by a knock on the front door. I was closest to the door, anyway, so despite protests all around, I managed to get out and make it to the door. I was expecting Nathan—or maybe Arianna had gotten up earlier than usual.

What I got, instead, was Sonya.

"Can I come back and work in the Gym with you _please_ the Elite Four is too hard!" she said all at once, batting tear-filled eyes up at me.

"Um." It wasn't the most logical of responses, but she was one of the last people I had expected to see. "Wait... What?"

"The Elite Four are too tough," she whined, forgoing the sad Growlithe look for a pout. "They're stomping me into the ground every time I take them on. I need more training, and Victory Road sucks. Like, it sucks _hard_. So! Since you're finally reopening this place proper, I decided to come back and kill two Starly with one stone!"

Too late, I noticed the small knot of people behind her. Her words finally got to me—reopening the Gym. It was to be reopened after my day off—_yesterday_. The meeting had thrown me off; I had completely forgotten that I was supposed to be a Gym leader again.

"Crap," I hissed, wondering if I could still shut the door in their faces.

Sensing this, a male trainer just behind Sonya narrowed his eyes and said, "We've been waitin' forever for this place to open again! You can't cop out on us now, man!"

I knew I couldn't. I had responsibilities, even if they sadly weren't to my cake. "Ugh, fine. Although _for the record_, according to the official hours, it still shouldn't be open."

"By ten minutes!"

"Does this mean I can work here again?" Sonya asked.

I sighed. "Yes, fine. You can start by fighting those guys while I go tidy up a couple things..." I propped the door open and let them inside, dragging my feet back to the kitchen. I should've wished for another day off. Or two. Or a week. "Sorry guys, I forgot that the Gym was reopening today. The trainers didn't..."

"They're already here?" Hanna asked with a frown.

"Well, yeah, but Sonya came back, so I'm letting her stall a bit."

"I can help!" Cossette said at once, jumping out of her chair.

"Wait, Cossette—"

"I will help and train for our battle today!" she said and raced out of the room. I buried my face in my hands; oh yeah, I had to wiggle out of _that_ battle, too.

"Eat your cake and go," Hanna said brusquely.

"Thanks." I morosely took my plate and fork and went back out into the main room. Sonya was sitting on one of the arcade machines, watching as trainers went through the grand wheel. One got kicked out right away, and another had already started playing games on another machine. At least I was still good at stalling.

"Cake?" Sonya asked curiously.

"Breakfast."

"I wish I could be a Gym leader. Eat what I want, when I want..." she said dreamily.

"You should've spoken up. We'd been looking." Not that they probably would've taken her, but still. Undoubtedly Sela would've rejoiced at another female and a lack of Bruce Yorke. "Besides, you're a trainer. Even if you're still a kid, it's not like your parents are telling you that you can't eat cake for breakfast on your own."

"My parents are dead."

I flinched and tried to hide behind my cake. "Oh, jeez, sorry..."

"Don't be. I'll forgive you if I can have a piece," she said with a grin.

"...Fine. One piece. But don't be advertising it; I don't want to give out cake to anyone who comes in." She pranced off and as more trainers trickled in, my actual and legal Gym trainer arrived. "Just a warning—Sonya's back."

"Stick her in the basement," he said at once.

"It sounds mean when you put it that way—" I was interrupted by the trap door's first victim. I only caught flailing hands and long, chestnut brown hair before she disappeared. I couldn't help but grin.

The next trainer in line stared at the spot where she'd disappeared for a long time. Then, finally, "Are you allowed to do that?"

"My Gym, my rules," I replied proudly.

"Hey, Gym leader, you have chocolate on your teeth," the guy from before said, glancing up from his arcade game. "How high do I have to score to challenge you?"

"Score doesn't matter. There's certain power-ups in the game that'll unlock that." After the Gym was officially open according to the clock, the trainers started flooding in. It was like the first week all over again, only with a slight grace period of fabricated bad luck. It was nearly noon before I got my first challenger. It was the girl who'd fallen into the pool first—I only knew that because her waist-length hair was still dripping from her second dip—and she looked frustrated.

"Your Gym is crazy!" she burst out as we walked over to the arena.

"Thank you."

"Hey, Abby! Don't forget to ask him!" the guy from before (still stuck at the game) called. I glanced back at him, then back to Abby. They had come in together? Nick had gone with me through what, three Gym challenges? Four if I counted the time he kidnapped me...

I jumped as I was jarred out of my thoughts. "Hey! That's right! Do you remember me?"

"Uh?" I stared at her in confusion.

"We battled once! It was years ago, but yeah! You asked me if I had a Rhyhorn." I could place the vague time period, but I still didn't recognize her. She had long hair—but that could have changed. I squinted and studied her face. Glasses, a mole under her left eye, brown hair, dark eyes, kind of generic trainer clothes. She had to have been a couple years older than I was, sorta pretty I guess, but she rang no bells whatsoever.

"Um... No, I don't. Sorry," I said awkwardly. I glanced around, subtly calling Des and Konstantin over for the upcoming battle.

"Yeah... I guess you wouldn't. I mean, I only remember you 'cause you're famous now. I bet if I was a famous trainer I wouldn't remember you," she said, trying to cover for the awkwardness. She fidgeted for a moment, clearly saddened. I wished I had remembered her, although how was I supposed to remember every trainer I'd ever battled? Frankly, it was a miracle she remembered me, famous or not. "Uh, so anyway! Battle time?"

"Sure."

"Haha, Joey! I'm battling him first! You owe me another grand!" she called over to her friend, pulling a pokeball off her belt as she did so. Traveling the Gym circuit with a friend and betting on it? Now I was just going to depress myself with the memories. "What're the rules?"

"Oh, two and two is fine."

"A quick battle then—a quick win!" Abby said with a grin, tossing the pokeball into the air. "Come on out, Lassie!"

And just like that, depressing memories weren't the issue.

The Froslass swung in the air, tiny little paws covering her mouth. A thin veil of frost was already forming in the air and on the ground below.

"L-Lassie?" I repeated dumbly.

The ghost tilted her head and surveyed me coolly. "Lass?"

"...Hey, are you alright? You look like you've seen a—well, you know!"

"Y-Your Froslass is named Lassie?" I called over to her in a voice too high for my liking. She nodded. "Wh-Why would you name her that?" I asked with an even shakier voice.

"It's a pretty common name for Froslass. Fros-_lass_, Lassie, get it?" Now she seemed worried by my reaction. I couldn't help it, though. I'd run into my share of Garchomp and Medicham and Froslass and everything else that had ever reminded me of Nick and my failings. But this was the first time a name had coincided so directly. "A-Are you okay? Should I switch out to another Pokémon?" She seemed really concerned then, dancing from foot to foot.

"N-No, it's fine." I gestured weakly and Des waddled onto the field. He exhaled, melting a lot of the frost in the area that had begun to build up. It was okay, it was just a coincidence. Lassie was dead. My Lassie, anyway—okay, well, Nick's Lassie. She was gone and this was only my bad luck ruining my good morning. "O-Okay. Okay. We can do this—this'll be easy. Des, Flamethrower!"

I was right—it was easy. An icy ghost stood little chance against my Camerupt. She may have had levitation at her disposal, but she wasn't a bird; she wasn't fast enough to dodge all of the fire.

As I stared at the scorched spot where she'd been returned from, I couldn't help feeling a little hollow.

"Well, no problem. I still have a Pokémon left!" Abby just grinned and withdrew a great ball from her pouch. I was half-expecting another coincidental name or memory, if only to further fuel my paranoia and depression. Instead, I got a Quagsire.

I hurriedly recalled Des and instead let Konstantin have it. This battle took a bit longer; Konstantin didn't have the sheer firepower, so to speak, that Des had. He kept the battle long-range, using Shadow Sneak to dart around. The Quagsire was a tank, though. It took his hits stoically and tried following him with an Ice Beam. The 'ghosts are not birds' thing was then reversed on me and he was unfortunately taken out.

I seriously debated forfeiting the match then and there to spare Des. But he would get huffy, and it wouldn't look very good for a Gym leader to forfeit any match, let alone his first in awhile. I cringed and waved him back onto the field. "Try..." Fire would be utterly useless, and it was part ground, so that wouldn't be exceptional, either. I had one shot at still winning this battle. "Try using a Fissure!"

He tried. And he missed. The Quagsire gurgled in laughter and knocked him out with a Surf. I returned my unconscious Camerupt and dug around in my pocket, pulling out a badge. Abby squealed and jumped up and down, clapping excitedly. "I challenged _and_ beat him first! Two grand, Joey!" She took the badge and held it up against the light, grin relaxing into a softer smile. "It's pretty. Last badge, wow. ...Did you feel this way when you finished the Gym circuit?" she asked, pocketing it.

Considering I had had a breakdown in Volkner's Gym and couldn't remember most of the battle... "Uh, yeah. It's something. But now you have Victory Road and the Elite Four to contend with."

"How tough are they?"

"Victory Road takes forever, but it's not exactly difficult. It's just a marathon." I rolled my shoulders back and looked away awkwardly. "I never actually ever challenged the Elite Four. I got as far as the interview and gave up."

"Interview? They interview you?"

"Well, yeah. Ever since... Nick."

"Oh. Right."

"Hey, no cutting!" We both turned at a couple of outraged shouts. My day was just steadily going downhill. Cossette had indeed cut in line and waltzed right up to the grand wheel, and was currently watching it spin.

"Cossette, what are you doing?" Thankfully, no more challengers had lined up for me specifically during the battle. I jogged over to them, giving her my best stern look.

"I was here first." Technically speaking, yes, but still.

"Cossette, you can't challenge me. You have two Pokémon. I'm not sure one of them can even battle."

"You only had two when we met," she replied with a sniff.

"I was a lot younger then."

"I am young now!"

"You—You're not challenging me! Not right now. These other trainers have been waiting to try the grand wheel, so let them go." As we were arguing, the wheel stopped. I ignored it; she squealed happily and leaned up to read what it had landed on. I put my hands on my hips and tried to get her attention back, but she was too busy trying to read it, head tilted to the side.

"Why aren't you gonna let her challenge you?" Sonya asked, finally returning from her cake run. At least she'd had the sense to not bring out a piece into the main room in front of everyone.

"She has one Pokémon that can battle, and he just recovered from a gunshot wound to the head," I replied flatly. She winced and nodded. "Cossette—no, get back here, don't play that game! You're not challenging me!"

"Everyone has the right to challenge a Gym leader!" she replied stubbornly. Unfortunately, she'd played that game before, and knew its tricks. I could already see that she was running right through the levels.

"Stop it! You are _not_ challenging me!"

She finally turned from the machine, glare fierce and bottom lip pushed out in the fiercest pout I'd ever seen. "_Pourquoi pas_?" she all but snarled.

"I don't want you to get hurt!" I snapped, picking her up and physically carrying her away from that machine. "Nathan, go reset the game. Sonya, take care of her."

"Why am I left to babysit?" she complained.

"Because it's this or you're exiled to the basement," I hissed. It probably sounded a lot worse than it was, especially because she had no idea what was down there aside from the pool. "Cossette, we will talk about this later. Right now, I have to fight my way through this crowd and try to get the Gym to a normal challenging rate again."

She crossed her arms and sulked, refusing to be moved by Sonya. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "I want a Gym badge." I was sorely tempted just to _give_ her one. "I want to be a trainer."

Good! I could work with that! I crouched down so that I was more level with her. "Then that's what you do. You _train_. You don't go challenging Gyms right away, and especially not the eighth. They're numbered for a reason, and the first one—that's Vai. You remember him?" She bobbed her head grudgingly. "You get to challenge him first. And then Roark, and then Maylene, and so on and so forth."

"I do not care about them. I only want your badge." So much for becoming a traditional trainer. I had other trainers to tend to, though, and her tantrum wasn't helping that. I glanced back and saw that Nathan had picked up a battle; if he lost, then I'd have a new challenger already.

I flailed around for some way to stall with her. I could promise her a battle after hours so everyone was gone, but that still put me in the position of having to battle her. _That_ was what I was trying to avoid. I could lie and say there was some sort of age requirement, or minimum Pokémon number, but the latter would only be cruel... Just as I made up my mind to bite the bullet and see if Zarek or Carlita could lose out to Jacques, I received a different form of stalling as another trainer burst through the front doors.

I recognized her immediately, of course. I slowly stood up again, eyes on her as whispers broke out around us. She was a little thinner and more haggard looking than when I'd last saw her during the Gym race, but she was familiar to all of us. Kaili Schoff marched right up to me, ignoring everyone else and the grand wheel, and spat, "Challenger is dead and I've had an attempt on my life as well. They're targeting _us_ now. What the _hell_ did you do to piss him off?"

"Why hello, Kaili, lovely to see you, and thank you for completely undermining me and my control in my own Gym," I snapped in reply. My mood hadn't been great since I remembered what day it was, and it had plummeted since then, but this was just ridiculous.

"I have fought my way through three routes with a sprained ankle and a dead Pokémon. I do not give a Rattata's ass what you're doing holed up here in your cozy little Gym," she shouted. "I have had it up to _here_ with you—you stupid _Gym leaders_! You were supposed to _change_ things, remember!" She seized me by the front of my shirt and leaned up in my face. I took that as all the invitation I needed. I ripped her hands off and pushed her back, trying not to completely snap and hit her or something.

"Excuse me, but this hasn't all been rainbows and Butterfree, you know. You have no idea what it—"

"They're _hunting_ us!" Kaili screeched. I glanced around; the entire Gym had gone silent and most of its inhabitants were watching avidly. She drew my attention back to her with another shout. "It was bad ever since the Gym race, but it's never been _this_ bad! So _what did you do_."

"I haven't done anything," I hissed at her. I stomped over to her and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her off into one of the adjacent rooms. We didn't have to be doing this in front of everyone else. It would only end even more terribly. "You come into my Gym and start telling me to change things? What a new and exciting idea you have there."

"Challenger is dead," she said lowly.

I sighed, deflating. I sat down on the bed, looking down at my feet. "...I know. I heard, I mean. I just... didn't want to believe it. How do you know?"

"After the debacle here, we booked it out of here. We joined up for awhile, if only for safety. Other trainers weren't above attacking us," Kaili said, much more composed. She sat down in my chair and idly kicked her feet. "But it's never been... bad. They weren't out for our hearts or anything."

"And that changed?"

"Yeah, it did." Her glare narrowed. "We'd just decided to go our separate ways when this chick with a Xatu showed up. It wasn't like a normal battle. There weren't rules or decency."

"Did this girl have brown hair and black bangs? Sunglasses?"

"Yeah." She didn't ask me how I knew. Kaili blinked suddenly, furrowed her brow, and hastily buried her face in her hands. "O-Oh god. It was just... What did you _do_ to start this."

"Thank you for your blame. I'm sure I deserve all of it."

She looked up at me through her fingers. "You know what I mean. You Gym leaders were supposed to take care of all of this."

"I must have lost my magic wand."

"So you're just sitting here, ignoring the outside world? More trainers have been dying—not just us," she said warningly.

"I know. I've seen it in the news every night. And it's Nick and his forces, I know."

"But you're still not telling me what you've been doing to fix this."

"Trying to keep the public calm and not rise up against me, for starters. Thanks for all of your help with that."

"Excuse me if I was a _little_ riled up."

We glared at each other, but that really wasn't getting us anywhere. I wrapped my arms around myself and said quietly, "Did you know that Archie and Lola are dead?"

"So this has been going on for awhile then, huh?" she replied scathingly.

"We stopped that one." I glowered at her. "At least Keith came back to help." Wait—that meant that he, Kaili and Alicia were the only ones who weren't Gym leaders left. They were the targets left to go. And then what—go after the Gym leaders again? No, they had done that, too; Crasher Wake and Gardenia were both dead. They were going after all of us, it was just that the Gym leaders had a little more protection. "...I'll take care of this."

"Will you now." She didn't sound terribly impressed with my vow.

"_Yes_, I will. I'm a Gym leader and that means I have to magically fix everything, right?" I snorted, but then added, "No, seriously. This has gotten too far out of hand. He—They all have to be stopped."

"And what are you going to do?" she asked sullenly.

I looked down at the charm on my wrist, nearly hidden by my sleeve. "I'm going to use my magic wand."

-.-.-

"Everyone, out!"

"Why?"

"Gym's closing."

"So as he said—_out_!" Hanna was helping me herd the challengers out, much to their collective rage. Still, with Kaili's outburst, it wasn't as if they could say I didn't have a good reason. Nathan and Sonya helped, until I turned around and ordered them out, too. I decided against sending Cossette with them; I wanted her with Hanna and both of them in a safe place. The rest of them were trainers, so they didn't need quite so much coddling—or so I hoped.

"We will battle now?" the little girl asked hopefully, Florette in her arms.

"No. You're going to go with Hanna for a little while."

"And what will you have me do?" Kaili asked, hand on her hip.

"You are going to go to a hospital, or a Pokémon Center, I don't care which. Get your team healed up, fix yourself up, and stay out of sight." I didn't share the fact that I wanted a strong trainer like herself in one of those places, just in case of a repeat of last time. "Guys, come on! We're going?"

"Where are you going?" Hanna asked.

"...You know where," I fielded.

"By _yourself_?"

"With my team." I looked up as Zarek skittered towards me. I frowned. "...Zarek, you and the Pidgey chicks are staying here with the Gym."

"_No_," he said at once.

"Yes," I replied, rushing past him and into my room. I grabbed a hoodie, just in case. I didn't know where I was headed. I shoved my cell phone into my pocket, too, but when I came back out, he was still sitting on the floor, bubbling angrily.

"_No_," he repeated.

"Zarek, you're still young and you're not very experienced. That's my fault, and I'm sorry. But I'm not taking you with me on this one."

"_I'm strong_!" he burbled, waving his claws.

"I know you are, but not for this." He was as bad as Cossette. I once again passed him, waving Ike out of the shadows, and started shoving the remains of my healing items into my backpack. Since I'd had the healing machine in the building, I had gotten lax on buying replacements. Still, it was something.

"_You need my help_!" Zarek insisted, crawling over.

"You're staying here! And that's final."

He narrowed his eyes at me. I should've taken that as a warning sign, but I was too busy thinking about what I was about to do to really notice.

Next thing I knew, I heard a Surf rise up behind me. He knocked out Des and turned and fired and Ice Beam at Alice, freezing her wing to the ground. She shrieked and tried to flap free, but another Ice Beam and she was unconscious. I could only stare at my Krabby, shocked.

"_I am strong_."

"You... No, that's not strong, that's hurting your friends—your family!—and exploiting weaknesses! Why did you do that?" I returned the both of them and set their pokeballs on the healing machine, hands shaking as I did so. I didn't need a temperamental Krabby on my hands right now. "Damn it, Zarek, you're making us waste time."

"_Then take me with you! I can fight!_"

"No! And definitely not after that little... display."

He blew a stream of bubbles at me. "_Stop babying me_!"

"I am _not_ taking you with me!"

"_Well, this is a productive way to spend out time. What is it exactly we are trying to do_?" Ike asked conversationally, sitting down by the water Pokémon.

"We're going to go get Nick!" I shouted, snatching the pokeballs off the machine as it dinged.

"Who is that?" Cossette piped up behind me.

I rounded on them and snapped, "Get her out of here!"

Cossette looked up at me, taken aback. "You... do not want me?"

"Hanna, take her and leave. Go some place safe. Go—Go find Jude." Even if he hated me, he didn't hate them.

"And what, let you worry yourself into a frenzy and then go kill yourself trying to find Nick?" she asked simply, eyes hard.

"I know where he is. I don't—I mean, I can get him." I held up my arm, the charm swinging. "Who will come get me."

"How do you know?"

"I think it's pretty obvious."

"I mean, how do you know this isn't a trap? He would be waiting for the chance to kill you, o-or your team."

I looked away. "I know him. He wants to see me, I don't know what for. I can still stop him."

"You don't have a plan at all."

"I don't really need one." I ripped the charm off my wrist and swung it, calling, "Who, come here." Immediately, the Hypno Teleported in. I gave a Hanna a look that said 'see?' and turned back to the psychic. "Where is Nick?"

"_Currently in a bad place_."

"Don't be so cryptic!"

"_He is in the north, on a large island. You were there once_," Who said, reaching up for his charm. He took it from me and swung it a few times experimentally. "_...You will not like it._"

"What won't I like?"

"_Any of it_."

"_What_ won't I like?"

"_Um... If I may intercede_..." Konstantin floated in between us, paws clamped over his teeth. I glared at him but bit back my knee-jerk snap. "_...I smell blood._"

"_I have too, for some time now. I was curious as to where it was coming from_," Ike said casually, flicking his ears back with a smile.

"Kaili, she was bleeding a bit—" I knew it wouldn't be that easy or simple or lucky. I was near hyperventilating by that point. Zarek wasn't cooperating, Who was being vague, Hanna was worrying too much, and now there was blood.

"_I told you that you would not like it_," Who said sadly, averting his eyes. Finally, the cold calm of dread took over. It was a blessing by that point. I could finally breathe again and my mind had a sudden clarity. Find the source of the blood. That was all I had to do. Zarek could wait. Hanna could wait.

"_It smells... near_," Konstantin said, swinging through the air, eye darting back and forth in his skull.

Ike sniffed the air nonchalantly. Then, however, he froze. He immediately was on his feet again, ears laid back with his tail lashing behind him. "_No—do not look for it. Stay here_."

"You cannot expect me to sit still after you two are doing this," I replied flatly. Konstantin looked at Ike curiously, but the feline would not be calmed.

"_You are staying in here lest I repeat the act_."

"What are you talking about?"

"Um..." Hanna's voice sounded far too high for my liking. I turned and found her staring at the glass doors. She had already taken Cossette and shielded her face. I looked out the doors, confused for a moment—but there. At the top, slowly dripping down. A thin line of red.

"_Do not look at it!_" Ike roared, leaping at me. He pinned me to the ground and sat on my back, using his paws to press my head against the floor. I fought and struggled, but it was Who who lifted him off of me. He continued yowling and fighting back, and I realized then that he was being protective again. He knew something I didn't, he knew what this was. I glanced at Konstantin, but he seemed as clueless as ever.

I ignored my heartbeat thundering in my ears and tried to, as calmly as possible, walk over and push open the doors. There was already a puddle of blood in front of it. I looked up.

Keith was hanging from the eaves of the Gym, bleeding out onto the building and ground below. I couldn't tell where exactly he was bleeding from; he seemed to be covered in scarlet. I felt the bile rise in my throat and I fought it back, clamping my hand over my mouth. Keith was dead, Challenger was dead—and then I saw what was sloppily written just below his feet in his blood.

'COME FIND ME'.

They were all but screaming the message at me.

I had put this off far too long. This was my fault; I had only been stalling again. It was my fault for thinking I could continue Gym things as normal. I staggered back, still trying to hold my breakfast down. I heard a sound and looked back up at the body, and was not surprised to find the Xatu there, perched on the roof. He tilted his head to one side and let out a single squawk of a laugh. He then pointed with his wing.

I turned around, and Tessa swung the shovel at my face.


	147. Your Dreams Are Full Of Dragons

"Who says I died?"

I could only stare at her. This white world, this ghost, I had been dreading seeing it ever since the battle. The Froslass put a tiny paw up to her mouth, sighing out frost.

"I want to know who told you I died," she said flatly.

"You died. I saw the body."

"You saw a dead Froslass. How do you know it was me?"

Her voice echoed around me, accusatory and sad. She was always sad.

At least he had that much right. I crossed my arms and glared out into the white world. Ignoring the ghost in front of me, I called out, "This isn't her. You can't scare me."

"What are you talking about?" the Froslass demanded, floating closer. I could feel my skin tingle from the drop in temperature.

She was a very good copy, but not quite convincing. "Xatu, I know you're out there. This isn't Lassie." The Froslass huffed and disappeared into a flurry of snowflakes. The world around me dropped into blackness. The Xatu appeared next to me, looking disappointed.

"How did you know?" he asked without preamble.

"She spoke differently, and she was usually... Softer, I guess. She's dead. You can't fool me. Even ghosts stay dead," I replied. "Why are you here now?"

"Just checking in," he said with a laugh, and then disappeared completely.

-.-.-

I awoke with headache and sore jaw. I worked my mouth and brought up a hand to touch what I could tell was a bruise—no, there was a bandage there. Either really bad or it had been bloody. I suddenly moved my jaw in a direction it did _not_ like and tears sprang to my eyes. I shut my mouth and blinked them back, staring down at my lap. White blanket... I didn't own a white blanket.

A cursory glance around the room and I found myself in the Sunyshore hospital. I couldn't help but groan and roll over, burying my face as carefully as possible in my pillow. So much for my grand plan to stop Nick. That had been a pretty bad fail, even by my standards—getting beaten on the steps to my own Gym? Nevermind the death that they were dumping on me. I couldn't think about that part.

What had happened? How long had I been out? I slipped out of the bed and checked the stand next to the bed. None of my pokeballs or things were there. I frowned, but hoped they were back at the Gym or something. I padded out of the room, cautiously, trying to find my way out or a familiar face or at least a mirror.

I got one of them, at least. I turned a corner and ran right into a surprise—Ike. He was sitting in the middle of the hallway, tail curled regally around his paws, head tilted back as haughtily as ever. "_I knew you had awoken. You seem admirably calm, considering the fact that you woke up in unknown territory without an ally in sight_," he said flatly.

"I see you," I replied with a weak smile. He huffed and flicked his ears back. "Ike, how long have I been out?"

"_A day, that is all_." That was plenty. That was too much, actually. So much could have happened in a day, especially with Tessa loose and Nick on the rampage. Ike must've sensed this, because he told me, "_Do not get so tense. Do you believe I would have the blackness of heart to not inform you should something have happened to our beloved comrades_?"

A sudden thought struck me, brought on by how calm he was acting. He wasn't calm, I could tell. The tip of his tail kept twitching and his eyes were too narrow. Back at the Gym, he had known something was up before anyone else. He was being protective and had been for far too long without me asking. "Ike... What do you know?"

"_I do not understand the question_," he lied, "_please be more specific, Master Trainer_."

"I don't really like it when you call me that. I thought you would've—nevermind. Ike, back in the Gym—yesterday—you knew what was going on. You tried to stop me from going outside. But... You smelled the blood and you didn't care then. It wasn't just trying to prevent me from seeing the blood—you _knew_ what it was."

"_I did not_," he scoffed. I stared at him flatly. He wrinkled his nose and averted his eyes. "_...I did not specifically know what lay beyond those doors when you stormed out. I only knew it was put there to harm you._"

"Since when do you care?" He sulked. I knelt down beside him, pulling his face towards mine again. "No, I'm serious. Ike, since _when_ do you _care_. I know you're not out for my blood or intestines or whatever you were going after, not anymore, but something changed. You found something out. I need to know what it is."

"_You won't like it_," the feline told me waspishly. I was reminded too strongly of Who.

"Ike, tell me. I don't like not knowing more."

"_...They have been trying to get a rise out of you. They want to harm you. They are trying to incite your rage and violate you in any way they can._"

That sounded far too personal for my tastes, but it wasn't exactly anything groundbreaking. There had to be more to it. I relaxed my grip on his fur a bit, instead scratching him behind the ear. It had been so long since he'd last let me touch him like this. "Ike, pretty please, tell me what's really going on," I said lowly, trying and failing to smile.

"_It's a test_," he said shortly.

"For what?"

"_I have my suspicions as to that, and nothing more. I would not fill your head with these thoughts, if you please. I simply know that you must not fail it. It was what the bloodless ones were warning you about._"

"The ghosts? This has to do with the warning?"

"_Of course. It all does. The difference is that the consequences have changed and I do not—I have finally chosen a side._" With that, he stood up, shaking my hand off of him. He turned his head, ears perking up, and said, "_The ghost is finally coming to check in on you. It was miraculous he left your side for this long. ...Be careful around him._"

"Kostya? He's part of this team, Ike. He has been for years."

"_Oh, that I know and believe wholeheartedly_." He sure didn't sound sincere about it. I sat back on my haunches, giving him another look. Ike rolled his eyes. "_You may not believe me, but I have come to understand what it means to be part of a greater team. I do not like it, but I at least understand it now. I would trust the ghost with personal matters because of it—but not this. This is too grand for him and I do not care which side they say they have taken. They have done nothing to stop the forces against us._"

"Ike, what are you talking about? What is this?"

He smiled, glaring down at the floor near his paws. "_Petty and nihilistic._"

I stood up again and opened my mouth to say more, but Konstantin rushed through the wall at that point. I shut my mouth and let him hug my shoulder, murmuring comforts and apologies. I trusted Konstantin. I had known him for years and when it counted, he had never let me down. He wouldn't betray me.

But something made me keep quiet and let Ike slink off.

"_You are fine? You are not upset?_" Konstantin asked worriedly, running his paws over the hospital gown.

"...I'm fine, Kostya," I said with a smile. I followed Ike down the hall, although where he'd finally disappeared to, I didn't know. I did find Hanna (with the rest of my team) and a couple explanations, however, which was just what I needed and wanted at that point.

Tessa had only gotten one shot in with the shovel before Konstantin and Who caught up with her. They couldn't catch her and the Xatu Teleported her away. She hadn't been seen since. Kaili had been attacked (again) as well, and she was in critical condition, but she was still alive. I made a note to ask the nurses there to get someone to guard her room.

Keith's body had been taken down and they tried to clean the blood off, but with the craziness of getting me to a hospital and trying to figure out where Tessa and the Xatu had gone, it had dried a fair deal. As we returned to the Gym, I noticed that there was still some faded red. I imagined that I could still make out 'COME FIND ME'.

No one had seen Who since he'd Teleported off after Tessa. This didn't worry me at first. It didn't worry me until I figured out that he'd taken his charm with him. I hardly waited for any privacy before calling out, "Who!"

He didn't come.

I had just lost my ticket to Nick.

-.-.-

"Come on, eat something."

"I'm not hungry. Zarek, Ice Beam." With the forced downtime without Who and with Hanna acting motherly, I was using the time to train Zarek. If he was so bent on joining us, I may as well give him a chance. The deal was that if he could evolve before we left, he could come. At least then he'd stand a fighting chance.

Unfortunately, the Pidgey chicks took the deal as an open invitation.

And Oonu promptly evolved.

"Are you kidding me? No! You chicks cannot come!" I soon had three angry birds pecking and clawing at me, but they were different. They were still young and even if I had a Pidgeotto, that wasn't fully evolved, not like a Kingler. They had also never had any real formal training, also not like Zarek. Zarek came to my rescue with his Ice Beam and chased them off, at least for the time being.

Hanna watched us stoically. She didn't even try to help, but instead continually insisted I eat something. I just really wasn't hungry. Even if I had lost Who, I was sure he'd come back. Or the Xatu. I would somehow make my way back to Nick, and all it would take was time. Infuriating, frustrating, unwanted time. "Cossette's already in the kitchen."

"I don't think she'll burn it down or anything," I replied, waving an arm. Zarek followed the arc with a Water Gun, nearly perfectly. His aim was actually quite good, better than Des', in fact. Of course, Des had fire; he didn't have to be so precise. He could simply bathe the area in flames and it would work just as well. Zarek _was_ skilled, and probably really strong for a Krabby of his age. But he was still just a Krabby. Tiny and relatively fragile and he couldn't pack that much punch. Not the kind of punch I needed for this, and if he couldn't do that, then I couldn't take him.

"I think she's making soup. She'll be heartbroken if you don't eat it," Hanna pointed out.

"I can't indulge her every little whim. She has to grow up, too."

"You're being cold."

"I don't care right now. I really don't. I can't get to Nick, the Pidgey chicks need to stay _here_, and Zarek is—" He was right in front of me, which meant I couldn't freely say how annoying it was to try to train him into evolution right then. I didn't want to sit around and play with water and ice. I wanted to go out and _do_ something, something to save lives.

"You don't have to be so mean. To her or to anyone else," Hanna snapped. She looked away, glaring at the door instead of me.

"I'm not being mean—I'm being practical. I can't play tea party or whatever she thinks she's doing any more. I—I just _can't_, Hanna. I have to go out there and do something."

"Like almost get yourself killed again?"

I huffed and searched for proper retaliation. Nothing came to mind. "...Zarek, Ice Beam. The far top window." It shattered the glass easily. I watched as the glass fell to the ground, making a tinkling sound as it broke. "Hanna, this is something I have to do."

"Why, because you were his friend?"

"Yeah, actually!"

"I was his friend, too!" she shouted, stomping over to me. She looked like she was about to hit me, but instead, her shoulders slumped and she glared down at the zipper, just below my neck. "You think I don't feel responsible for this, too?"

"You're not. You aren't! The ghosts didn't warn you, they didn't put you in charge of him. You don't have to do anything—he's already..."

"Killed my team. Go ahead, say it," Hanna hissed. "And you think, because of that, I can't do a damn thing to help."

"Yes!" I burst out. Finally. She stared at me, wide-eyed, and it was my turn to look away. "I don't want you to get hurt. Not again, not by him. Please, just stay here. I need someone to watch over Cossette, she can't handle being alone, I don't want her to become a target again..."

Hanna tugged on her necklace, looking away and suddenly blinking quite a lot. I gave a guilty start when the first tear dripped down onto her cheek. Before I could start apologizing, she said in a shaky voice, "O-Okay, I get it. I'm useless because I'm not a trainer. I'll just... stay here then." She turned on her heel and strode quickly away, scrubbing at her eyes.

"Hanna, wait—!" I started after her, but my afternoon just kept getting worse at that point.

"_Coupe Psycho_!" I whirled around just as Carlita screamed. Jacques knocked her out with a single blow, and in a fluid movement, tossed her body into Ike. He then threw himself at Konstantin and knocked him out as well. I looked around wildly, wondering what the hell and how do I stop it, when Cossette shouted, "_Lame-Feuille_!"

Jacques ducked under Ike's leap at him and slashed at him as he landed. My Luxray snarled and shocked him with a Thunderbolt, but Jacques managed to get away with a well-timed kick at him. He then turned his red gaze on me.

I yelped and ran for Des, but the Gallade caught up with me first. He pinned me to the ground with his knee, pulled my head back by the hair, and slid his blade under my neck.

Cossette's feet came into view. "You... You think I am still some little girl, _non_?"

I didn't know how to respond. Moreover, it wasn't as if she was actively going against the image of a little girl.

"I can battle!" she stressed and knelt down so I could see her face. "Jacques is not crippled, he is still strong!"

"Cossette, that's not what this is about."

"I am not some liability to be left behind!"

"Wait—_no_. You are _not_ coming with me," I snapped, finally fighting back against Jacques. He hastily withdrew his arm blade as to avoid slitting my throat—at least he didn't want to do that quite yet—but maintained his position on top of me. "Cossette, this isn't some battle. It's dangerous. Look, I'll battle you when I get back, I promise."

"It is not that!" she growled, shaking her head, blonde hair flying. "You believe I am some weak little girl to be looked after!"

Again, she had not been arguing that image up until now. "You—I don't mean to. It's just... I don't want you getting hurt—"

"It is too late for that!" Cossette said. She bit her lip and looked up at Jacques. Her glare hardened and she returned her eyes to me. "I know I am young, I know I am not a great trainer like you. But I am trying. All I want to do is try. I want to become a great trainer like you, _un jour_, but even now... You refuse to see me as one. I have lost things, like Hanna. But this is no excuse!"

Touching, and it made me rethink my position on a couple things, but it did not change my mind on the main problem. I narrowed my eyes and told her in the flattest, coldest voice I could muster, "You are not coming with me. You may stay in the Gym if you'd like, and I would prefer that, but you are not coming with me. Now order him off of me before one of my team members does it for you."

It took a tense moment, but the Gallade got off of me. I got back to my feet, dusted off my pants, and ignored the guilt in my stomach as Cossette stormed off. Nick had to be the priority here. I could apologize until I was blue in the face later (and boy, I knew I would have to).

"Zarek, Ice Beam," I said hollowly. He nodded and shot out another window.

-.-.-

Cossette and Hanna had just gone to bed—sleeping with each other and completely ignoring me—when Jacques found me. I knew it had been coming. I simply stared at him as he shoved me up against the wall and pushed his blade against my throat again.

"You would rather I let her follow me around again?" I deadpanned.

He looked away, eyes narrowing.

"We're going to have a communication problem unless you let someone translate for you."

His gaze snapped back to me, looking indignant. He grudgingly allowed me to wave Alice over, however. She pecked him for threatening me, but I stopped her. Frankly, I deserved it, anyway. Finally, Jacques spat out, "Gall."

"_...He says go_," Alice said grudgingly.

"Go where? I can't go anywhere."

Jacques responded by throwing a golden charm in my face. "Gallade, g-gall-_ade_, gallade gall," he rasped angrily.

Alice fluffed up and pecked at him again, but he still didn't release his grip on me. "_He wants you to leave Cossette alone. He says he warned you once already._" Yeah, he had, back before the Gym race. He'd told me if I broke her heart, he'd break me. Maybe I had been a little too soft on her to begin with, but it wasn't as if I wanted any of this.

"I know. I'm sorry. But I can't have her following me or getting into trouble again. Neither of us want her to get hurt."

"...Gallade."

"_He says that it already happened._"

I looked down. "...I know. I'm sorry, I really am. How did you get Who's charm, though?"

"Gallade gallade-lade."

"_He says that he followed him—_"

"Alice, I _know_ it's him saying it, so you don't have to start it with that every time," I couldn't help but snap. She fluffed up again and looked away with a low whistle. I backpedaled. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just stressed. I'm sorry, Alice."

"_...You're overworking yourself with this_," she said, still looking away from me. "_But the Gallade said that he followed him and demanded it._"

"Gallade!"

"_To get you to leave._"

"...I will, then. Tonight." Jacques finally released me, letting me fall back onto my feet. I rubbed my throat with a wince. "Alice, go tell the others. Jacques, please stay here with the girls. I know you don't like me, but I don't care. Stay with Cossette, and Hanna too, if you can manage it. I'm leaving the Pidgey chicks—and Oonu—here, too, so the Gym should be fairly secure. If nothing else, they're a great alarm system." Alice slithered off. Jacques nodded curtly and disappeared as well.

I was stuck in the darkness, staring at the Hypno charm in my hands. I had my ticket again. Good thing I had a psychic on my side—even if his helpfulness towards me was fueled by hatred. I could live with that for now. Everything else would have to wait until after Nick. Everything.

Alice fluttered back over to me, jarring me out of my thoughts. "_I told everyone, but... I don't want Zarek to go._"

"He didn't evolve, so he's not."

"_What!_" Zarek skittered out of the shadows, frothing at the mouth. "_I will evolve! I just need a little more time! My shell tells me that I will evolve soon, so please—let me come!_"

"You haven't evolved, so no, Zarek."

"_You're not going! You are too young and too weak_," Alice chimed in.

I could see where it was going before it happened. I tried to step in and intervene, but he was closer to her than I was; he shot an Ice Beam at her. "No, Zarek!" I immediately clamped my hand over my mouth; I was too loud and I didn't want to wake the girls. Still, the damage had been done.

And got worse as my Krabby began to glow. The final push he needed was defeating his own mother. I stood there and glowered at him until he was done evolving, and the second it wore off, I knelt down and seized him by the arms.

"Zarek, do you realize what you just did?"

"_I evolved—_" he started happily, but I cut him off.

"No, you hurt a teammate. Your _mother_. Why do you think I should let you come with if I can't trust you around your own family?" I hissed at him.

"_...She's not my real mother, I know that_."

"I don't care! She hatched you from your egg. She wouldn't let anyone else even _near_ that egg, and do you even remember how much she took care of you when you were younger? She _is_ your mother, and you just hurt her for your own gain." I was hoping to guilt him out of the deal, but I already knew it would be fruitless. He shook me off and crawled over, gently picking her up. I hadn't realized how large he had gotten until then.

I buried my face in my hands and wondered how I had ever made such a monster. Only a few moments later, however, I felt a tug on my pants. He had returned, without Alice. "_I need her great ball_," he told me matter-of-factly.

"What are you doing?"

"_The machine you always use._" I sighed and followed him over to the healing machine. He had set her in front of it. I returned her and set the ball on top, glaring at him as it worked its magic. He didn't seem at all perturbed. "_...Don't look at me that way._"

"And why shouldn't I?"

He looked away, dropping his larger claw onto the ground. "_...How else was I supposed to accompany you and protect her?_" I leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. I couldn't really fault him if he was only trying to protect her, but still. Now I had to take him along. I only hoped he could hold his own against the likes of Chase and Vasudeva.

...And with that, I suddenly wondered where Who would fall. He was taking great pains to help me, but did that mean he'd betray his own trainer?

"Zarek... Fine. You can come, and you better take care of Alice. It's your job to explain yourself to her, though. And apologize."

"_Fine_," he said contentedly. He was far too smug, but I couldn't break the deal. I looked around and made sure that the Pidgey chicks (plus Oonu) were still asleep. Maybe my luck would hold out and I'd be able to sneak out without rousing anyone else.

Konstantin and Des came over. My starter nuzzled his nose into my side, and I scratched him behind the ears. Konstantin whined but gave us room. "_Are you truly ready for this?_" Des asked.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Are you guys?"

"_The same_."

I started returning them. It only started hitting me then—I was really about to go see Nick. I could feel the weight settling in my stomach the more I thought about it. Nick, Nick, Nick. The serial killer, mass murderer, ex(?) best friend. I felt sympathy and pity for him during the jailbreak, but he'd said that he'd stop killing. He hadn't. The feelings were still confused there, but I knew that seeing him would clear everything up. For better or for worse, I didn't know, but I had to end it somehow.

Finally, alone in the dark Gym, I swung the charm. "Who, come back."

The Hypno appeared instantly before me. "_Are you ready?_"

"I am." Nevermind the fact that I was slowly breaking out into a cold sweat, my stomach was revolting against me, and I wasn't sure for how much longer my shaking legs would support me. I peeled off the bandage on my face, just so he could see what he'd ordered upon me. He could see the pain he'd caused.

As we Teleported away, I didn't see Hanna watching from the bedroom doorway.

-.-.-

We reappeared in a place I knew well. It was the pathway leading up to Stark Mountain. Steep and winding and great, I'd be out of breath and probably about to pass out just as I saw him again. Provided Tessa or one of her cohorts didn't find me first. It was full night, but the moon and the stars were bright, so far away from civilization. The volcano before me gave off a warm red glow, too. It was plenty of light to see by.

I started trudging up the slope. Who walked along beside me, swinging his charm. "_...I warn you again. You will not like what you find._"

"Why not?"

"_It is convoluted and not at all pleasant._"

"You're being cryptic and vague. Why is it that everyone wants to do that around me?"

Who smiled thinly, eyes narrowing to slits. "_Psychics do not wish to help you and ghosts are too spiteful to try._"

"...So Kostya knows what's going on?"

"_Your Duskull? I cannot be certain._"

"Ike knows. I think. Kostya has to know something. I don't know about Jacques... If you're a psychic, why are _you_ helping me?" Because he was probably leading me into a trap. I knew the risk, but he was my only real way to see Nick. Maybe it'd all end happily ever after, too, or maybe I was deluding myself to the point of self-destruction.

"_I am not allied with the rest of them. The Gallade is similar. We are for our trainers, not for death_."

"Death. Is it really that serious?"

"_It is much more grave than you realize. Legendaries have long been involved._" I knew Giratina had, sort of, but I didn't like the idea of more of them being involved. "_Trainer is up there now... He wishes to be alone. He is trying to incense Heatran until he erupts the volcano._"

"What? Why?"

"_He wishes to be alone. He wants his own land, to himself._"

"That's..." Not good. I may have to deal with an irate legendary in addition to Nick's army of a team. Just great.

I never felt more alone than in that instant. I had six Pokémon and I knew Nick had much more. He outnumbered and outclassed me. This could very well be a suicide mission, my only hope being that he still cared more than a whit about me. I wasn't so naïve to think that Who would simply Teleport me away once he turned me over to his trainer.

"_...There are others. I believe you know this._"

"Yeah. Tessa and... others." I didn't know any other followers that were still alive. Definitely none as prominent as she had been. I was hoping to avoid her altogether; I didn't know what I was hoping for with her. She and Alicia had a past, I knew little of her as a trainer, and I probably couldn't talk to her rationally. There was also that Xatu to contend with.

I glanced up, panting, and saw the mouth to the opening in the volcano. Silhouetted in the red, there was a figure in a black hoodie. My breath caught in my throat. This was it. This was the end, one way or another.

I broke into a run. Who disappeared behind me. My heart was thundering in my ears, drowning out everything else, and my eyes were only for Nick. As I neared, he must've heard me, because he turned around.

I stopped so short I literally tripped over my own feet. Thrown to the ground, I shakily got back up, just feet from the figure in the black hoodie. I looked up, confused and lost and betrayed and _oh god why the hell did this just happen_.

It wasn't Nick staring back at me from under the hood. It was Lola.


	148. Let Slip The Dogs Of War

I stared up at her. She stared back down at me. The silence seemed deafening around us, ringing in my ears like my heart had done just prior. Lola Gram was alive and well and here in front of me, wearing a black hoodie. She always wore black, but—no, she was wearing baggy jeans and a baggy hoodie and that couldn't be any sort of accident. I was expecting Nick. I hadn't expected anything else from the figure until she had turned around.

"...Lola," I croaked, struggling back to my feet. "Y-You're alive."

"Yes, quite alive," she replied simply, inclining her head towards me.

I couldn't help the way my heart leapt into my throat. I stepped towards her, resisting the urge to throw myself at her. "A-And Archie?"

She looked down. "He was... He was dead immediately. There was nothing I could do for him," she said in a low voice. And just like that, my heart sank again. I blinked back tears, the memories assaulting me, and tried to focus on the present. My entire plan had just been derailed, but at least this was a good thing! Lola was still alive, and she was a very strong trainer. She could help me.

"Oh. Well, you're here! A-And you can help me."

"Yes, I can. I'm here to fix everything," Lola said with a small, sad smile. "Vina, kill him."

Next thing I knew, a Nidoqueen charged at me. I froze on the spot, still staring up at Lola. I had misheard her. What was going on? I was still processing the fact that she was _alive—_and then the Nidoqueen swung her tail into my side and the pain put me back into reality. I landed heavily on my shoulder on the other side of the path, nearly sliding off into the rocks below. I groaned and rolled over onto my other side, holding where the Nidoqueen had hit me. I had the terrible feeling that there were broken or cracked ribs in here. It hurt to breathe and I couldn't catch my breath.

I finally steeled my nerves and sucked in a breath—only for it to come up again in a fit of coughing. Wet coughing. I bent over and spat out a mouthful of something dark. Oh, how naïve I'd been. I had known since I saw her up there, in that hoodie, that she wasn't here to help me. I didn't know what she _was_ here for, but she was here for a reason. A bad one.

I staggered up to my feet, still holding my side. Well, that hadn't worked out so well. I dug my free hand into my pocket, but a tingle in my nose was all the warning I got before two furry fists collided with my back. I skidded to a stop at Lola's feet, coughing and sneezing violently. Her—my—the Electabuzz swung his fists, yellow fur crackling with electricity, as he advanced on me again. "N-No," I protested weakly. What else could I do? I reached for my pockets again, but she brought her boot down onto my wrist. She didn't press hard enough to break it, but just enough to keep it from moving. "Lola... Why are you doing this."

"Because it needs to be done. I was the first, you know?"

I spat out another mouthful of blood and looked up at her, ignoring the burning in my throat. "Th-The first what?"

"The first one picked! ...Sort of." Her voice suddenly got faint and shaky. I furrowed my brow and tried to focus on her, but the red light from the volcano, the general darkness, and the pain were making it hard. "I already have the second choice under my control, but _you_. Prancing around like a little saint, doing all these heroic acts, pretending like you're some broken little songbird who bears the world on his shoulders," she spat, crouching down. Her Nidoqueen lumbered over and open her mouth. I could see the Hyper Beam charging.

It all seemed so anticlimactic. Alone, my team useless and tucked away, broken and bleeding and betrayed. I would never even make it as far as Nick. I tried to pull my arm from under her boot, but she responded by putting more weight on it. I could—_would_ die here tonight. Without accomplishing anything.

"It would be funny, if it weren't so damn annoying. But you know... At least Vaikuntha didn't pretend like you. You're both senseless, stupid saints—"

Lola grunted and fell over, and her Nidoqueen was tackled to the ground by a flash of green. I leapt to my feet, swallowing heavily as I tried to regain my balance and my bearing on the situation. Speaking of saints.

Vaikuntha had her pinned against the wall of the opening into the volcano, a shining steel feather pressed against her throat, teeth bared in a snarl. Oviya was tussling with her Nidoqueen, both of them roaring and snapping at each other. "You hurt one more of my friends and I will cut you down now!" Vaikuntha snarled at her. Lola only tilted her head back a bit, staring hard at him.

"V-Vai! What—Why are you here?" I gasped, rubbing my side. It was getting a little more manageable, since I was used to the sensation.

A strong hand clapped me on the back, nearly sending me to the ground again. I looked up and found Sela grinning down at me, although her eyes weren't in it. "Looks like I'm playing cavalry again, huh?"

"Why are you here?" I turned and looked over my shoulder. Roark and Bruce were there, too. Cavalry indeed.

"Why else? To stop all the shit that's been going on in Sinnoh!" She said it so simply. The most obvious thing in the world, right?

Up ahead of us, Lola had pushed Vaikuntha away, although she had a cut just above her collarbone to show for it. She shook the hood off her head and glared down at us—actually glared. I was still getting used to her being so open with her expressions. "This was supposed to be a private affair," she said coldly.

"We got an invitation," Sela replied, just as cool. "Long time, no see, goth. Is Archie with you, too?"

"Are you all idiots?" she asked, an edge of laughter in her voice. "He got his _brains_ blown out on live television!"

"And we saw you get shot, too! Or was it all a ruse?" Bruce demanded, stepping up beside Sela. She sneered at him and stepped away, pushing me behind her.

Lola looked away, visible eye wide with innocence. "Oh no, he really did shoot me. It hurt, you know. And I would say it was all part of the plan, but... It wasn't."

"Then _what_ is going on?" Vaikuntha shouted, glaring at her Raichu, which had tried to sneak up on him. "You are talking in circles!"

"You could say I'm stalling," Lola replied with a slight laugh. Bruce started forward, but Roark pulled him back. "It's not as if I'm a liar, for the record. I've never lied. Nick Sayre is in there, pissing off Heatran right now. This volcano could erupt at any moment."

"Then why are _you_ still here?" I asked sharply. Who had mentioned the Heatran, so it seemed like she really was telling the truth about that part. It was a little too dangerous to doubt, anyway. Still, there had to be some reason she was stalling if all that awaited was lava in our faces.

"I was waiting for _you_," she said calmly. Then, with another unstable chuckle, she added, "And do you really think I don't have an escape route?" She gestured, and the Xatu suddenly Teleported behind her. He offered me a crow of laughter. "I believe you've met Ato before."

"_You_ own the Xatu?"

"Of course. Well... not always. He once belonged to the psychopath inside, as you well know. And he's the one who sort of started this entire war!"

"War?" Bruce asked at once.

"Between trainers and non-trainers, trained Pokémon and those not trained, psychics and ghosts, good and evil, what have you. It's all semantics."

"You are speaking of nothing again!" Vaikuntha burst out, pointing at her with his sword. "Give us straight answers, now!"

Lola looked him up and down, eye narrowed and calculating. "...I never took you for one with a temper. If only you were as valuable. But, unfortunately, you aren't." Her Raichu finally got close enough to wrap its tail around his ankle, and shocked him. He yelped and went rigid, dropping his sword as he collapsed. Lola dove for the blade. Behind us, her Nidoqueen finally kicked the Flygon away, and all hell broke loose.

Lola came up with the sword, grinning triumphantly, and Sela and Roark started releasing Pokémon. I reached into my pocket, pulling out pokeballs and throwing them on the ground without a care as to who came out first. The rest of her team appeared from inside the volcano, unleashing a torrent of electricity. Koel swooped in and rescued his trainer, beating back a Jolteon and her Raichu. She was outmatched, even if it was hectic—and just as I was thinking that, _her_ cavalry arrived.

Tessa Teleported in with another guy and an Alakazam. Without waiting for any sort of sign, she took her shovel and swung it at Bruce's head. He crumpled under the blow and she wasted no time by focusing on anyone else. She got another blow in before I could direct Carlita and Ike on her.

Konstantin stuck close to me, circling and whining, and I shouted orders for Des to try to keep the newcomers away from us with fire. Carlita dragged Bruce over to us, and I winced at seeing him. His face was bloody and he had a bad gash in the back of his neck. I could only yank up his shirt collar and press it into the bleeding.

I glanced back up to keep track of the battle. Tessa had released her Shiftry and a Quagsire in addition to the Alakazam. The boy beside her—wait. The white ghost next to him, the Quagsire in front of her, the fact that he looked so familiar... He had been the guy with Abby from yesterday. He caught my eye and winked with a grin, and the Quagsire next to him easily extinguished the flames. Tessa swung her shovel indiscriminately, catching person and Pokémon alike.

"Des, watch out for the water! Carlita, take that Quagsire out! Ike, zap away! Shock, zap—people or Pokémon, just not our side!" He turned and looked at me incredulously, but I just made a shooing motion. That was all the invitation he needed and he jumped back into the fray with gusto. "Zarek... You stick close to me, okay? Snipe with Ice Beam or Water Gun! Keep any birds out of the air—especially that Xatu! Alice, you snipe, too, with Dragonbreath or whatever! Just—take care of these people!"

"_What about me?_" Konstantin asked, hovering near my shoulder.

I looked towards the entrance of the volcano. "...Sneak in there and see if Nick really is in there. If so, see what he's up to. Then you come _right back_, okay?" He saluted and sunk down into my shadow.

More Pokémon came out on either side. With Bruce out of commission, we were just about even. I debated searching him for wherever his team was, but I couldn't take the time; the battle was too widespread and too chaotic for me to take my eyes off anything for long. I was constantly calling Carlita back or warning Alice or keeping Zarek from scuttling away. I think we were starting to win, however. The tide definitely turned when Sela released an absolutely massive Charizard and an Ursaring, both of which were all too happy in tearing their opponents apart. I had no idea when it had gotten so bloody. Well, at least from our side. I still wasn't quite ready to order to kill, but I had no problem with letting Ike loose.

I saw Lola go down from another one of Vaikuntha's attacks. Her Raichu, screaming, was thrown back by his Lucario, and none of the rest of her Pokémon were close enough to help. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that she could die—again. I wasn't sure why, since she had long since left our side of the so-called war, but she had been a friend. And I didn't want to see Vaikuntha kill anyone.

I didn't have to worry, however, and I wish I had, actually.

A Garchomp swooped out of the mouth of the volcano with a roar. It swung Vaikuntha away with its tail and bit down on Ranga. Vaikuntha yelped and started hacking at it with his sword and it let go of his fighter, only to snap at him. I started forward with a shout of, "Chase, don't!" Carlita ran after me and Des called after me, but I was on more familiar ground now. I was still hoping to be able to talk some sense into _someone_.

Konstantin caught up with me, flinging himself at me out of Koel's shadow. "_That is not Chase! There are two Garchomp!_" he cried, trying to pull me back towards Des and Zarek.

"What?"

Over the din, I could hardly make out Lola's orders. "Charlotte, wipe them out! They're the ones who killed your trainer!" I turned with horror and stared at her through the fighting—and sure enough, recognized a Pelipper and Walrein amongst the rest of the fray. She was using Archie's Pokémon. She was turning them against us.

"Alice, go—Talk to Charlotte! Tell her the truth! We didn't kill Archie!"

"_You want me to go and talk to a hostile Garchomp?_" she asked in a high voice.

"Would you rather battle one?" I shot back. "Kostya, go with her! Explain it to them! We can't—we can't just fight those Pokémon with them not knowing the truth!" And if we could swing them back to our side, then it would be all that much better. We continued fighting our way back up to the front, only to find Sela and Joey locked in a fistfight. Sela would've been winning, had it not been for an obviously broken arm.

"Don't give me that pitying look," she snarled at me before I could even start. "I got this punk, don't you worry!"

"Oh, you think so, do you?" he retorted, his Froslass swinging around and aiming an Ice Beam at her. Her Charizard blasted it with fire, however, successfully stopping it in its tracks and knocking it out. "Lassie!"

"I don't need your help!" Sela shouted at me. "Go help someone else!"

"A-Alright." I wasn't in the mood to argue with her about her pride. We pushed past her and deeper into the battle royale. Everywhere I looked, it was insane. There were already some bodies on the ground, trainers and teammates too busy defending or attacking to bother caring. Up ahead, Charlotte roared again, trying to chase Alice out of the way. I couldn't see where Ike had gone, and there was so much electricity in the air thanks to Lola's team, so I couldn't track him.

Des set Tessa's Shiftry on fire; I hadn't noticed it sneak up on me. It shrieked and flailed away, trying to put out the flames creeping over the white fur on its body. I grimaced and tried not to think about that too much, instead tangling my fingers in his shaggy fur. We made our way back up towards Lola. Alice circled overhead, diving low to give me a reassuring whistle. Did that mean she had won over Charlotte and Archie's other Pokémon?

My answer came just as I broke out of another tussle. The Garchomp turned and picked up the Raichu by the tail, throwing it into the volcano behind them. Lola growled unintelligibly and shouted, "Ice Beam!"

"Des, counter it with a Flamethrower!" He barely managed to catch the Nidoqueen's attack before it hit Charlotte. Alice swooped down and unleashed a Dragonbreath, trying to draw them away. Unfortunately, the Ice Beam worked just as well on her. The Nidoqueen turned her attack on my Altaria, trying to shoot her out of the sky. Des couldn't keep up, but she was saved by her child. Zarek used his own Ice Beam to freeze the Nidoqueen's tail and leg to the ground, catching her attention.

"Stop it!" Lola shouted at me.

"You stop it!" I yelled back. What else was I supposed to reply with? "Lola, why the hell are you doing this?"

"To finish what she started!"

"Stop lying!" Vaikuntha broke in. He seemed distraught. His hair had fallen out of its ponytail and he was more worked up than anyone else, and that was saying something. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

"I'm going to end everything!" Lola said at last, throwing her arms wide. Her Nidoqueen finally broke out of her stalemate with Zarek and shot Charlotte out of the sky. "Samael, Thunder!" Alice narrowly avoided the electric attack and dove down lower, weaving in and out of the battling Pokémon.

"Des, fire! Set things on fire! Keep her—keep her there or whatever! Carlita, go get that Nidoqueen! Help Zarek!" She bounced off and Des started breathing fire, setting up a wall between Lola and Vaikuntha. I heard the clatter of steel on stone, however, and remembered too late how Vaikuntha acted around fire. "Des, stop! Wait!" Vaikuntha had pressed himself against the far wall of the opening, arms tight around Koel's neck. I hurried through the flames and caught up with them both. "Vai, come on, this way!" The fire started dying around us, and Lola wasn't about the waste that opportunity.

"I-I am sorry, but—what about her?" he cried, gesturing to her. She marched right through the flames and picked up his sword from where he'd dropped it.

"Kostya!" I shouted, and we were both pulled down into our shadows. We reappeared on the other side of the opening, watching as Koel easily beat her back with his own feathers. "Vai, this is getting too crazy! We have to finish this fast!"

"I know! But how?"

I didn't know. I was still coughing up blood and could hardly keep track of my own team. I wasn't a strategist. He was supposed to be one. "I... don't know. But—" Lola didn't want to give us any time to plot. My back had been to her, but thankfully, Vaikuntha had been keeping an eye on her. He shoved me roughly to the ground and jerked backwards, narrowly avoiding the blade that was thrust where my head had just been. He kicked her in the stomach, sending her back onto the ground and hastily helped me back up.

I thought he had avoided it, but I saw that his hand was clamped over his neck. Cutting me off, he quickly said, "Do not worry, brother. It is only a scratch." He pulled his hand away and showed me a smear of blood. It was just a scratch, but it was a scratch on his throat.

"A scratch for now," Lola said lowly. "Just you wait. By the end of the night, you will all be dead, and finally, Sinnoh will be fixed."

"Is that what you think you're doing? _Fixing_ it?" I snapped at her.

"You have no idea!" she replied. She called her Electabuzz over and I pulled my sleeve over my nose. I had unzipped it due to all of the fire, and was glad for it now; I practically had to wrap my face in it to avoid the allergies. And even then, I knew I was only buying time. "Noe, ThunderPunch!"

"Buzz!" The Electabuzz started towards us, but Des knocked him down easily with a Magnitude. The two started growling and going at it, but Des clearly had the upper hand. Koel made it back over to us and gave his trainer another feather. He even offered me one, but I knew it would be futile. I didn't know how to use one. Des knocked the Electabuzz down again, this time breathing out a jet of fire to force him to back up.

I heard a bellow behind us and turned to see Charlotte, finally grounded. The Xatu was helping the Nidoqueen and they were freezing her to the ground. Zarek was trying to get at the psychic bird, but an Alakazam was blocking his every move. As I watched, he changed tactics, instead soaking the Alakazam and area around it with a Water Gun. He then switched to an Ice Beam again, and even if it wasn't a direct hit, it was close enough to freeze some of the water. The Alakazam quickly broke it and shook most of it off, but it was distracted just long enough for Carlita, with a running leap, to vault over it and land squarely on the Nidoqueen's head. She sent her to the ground and jumped over to Charlotte, shattering a large chunk of the ice on the dragon with a well-aimed kick.

"I've had enough of this!" Lola suddenly shouted. My head snapped back around to her, glare hardening again. "Kill them!" I didn't know how that changed anything—until I saw the Electabuzz give up on fighting Des and strike down Archie's Pelipper with a Thunderbolt. Even as it fell, he shocked it again, and this time, it was obviously a killing move. She was taking out Archie's Pokémon before they could help us any more.

"Des, stop them!" I shouted. I whirled around, looking for another one of my team within earshot. Carlita had her claws full with the Xatu and Nidoqueen, even if she was backed up by Charlotte, and Ike had disappeared again. Zarek had teamed up with Alice and were taking out the Shiftry and Alakazam. On cue, however, Konstantin appeared. He wasn't what I needed, though. I needed someone with raw power to work with. I groaned in frustration and pointed to Carlita and Charlotte. "Help them!"

He didn't immediately fly off. His eye shifted back and forth thoughtfully as he placed a paw against his mask. I was about to shove him in their direction, until he sunk down into my shadow. He proved to be a smarter battler than I was when he didn't directly attack, and instead yanked the Xatu down into his shadow. I didn't see where the bird was shoved back out, but it allowed Carlita and Charlotte to concentrate on the Nidoqueen. He bought them just enough time for Charlotte to finally knock her out.

Only she didn't stop there.

Carlita danced back, eyes wide, as the Garchomp tore into the unconscious Nidoqueen. Vaikuntha gave a start and ordered, "Koel, break them up! Tell the Garchomp to concentrate its power elsewhere!" His Skarmory darted off, narrowly ducking under a stray Razor Leaf.

The Quagsire beat him to them, unfortunately. With a Dig, it came up beneath Koel, tripping him. It then turned on the other two, and grounded Charlotte again with an Ice Beam to the wings. She fell limply to the ground, the ice finally having taken its toll. Carlita screamed and dodged another Ice Beam, but the second one struck. She lobbed a couple of Seed Bombs in its direction, however, which kept it well away from her.

Koel, having regained his footing, took over the fight with the Quagsire, just as the Xatu reappeared. Konstantin made another dive for him, but he wised up and easily flew out of the way. It seemed as if a lot of this widespread battle was turning into running in circles. I grit my teeth and looked around for some way to turn the tide (again).

My eyes alighted on a Hypno, sauntering calmly through the battling. Who. "What are you doing? Help or get out!" I shouted at him. He turned to me, ears perked up.

Lola spotted him just as soon as I did. "You touch one thing in this battle and I'll break him!" I turned to her, hoping that my guess as to what that meant was wrong. Who sneered at her and Teleported out. So she definitely had something over Nick; there went my miniscule chances at talking some sense into them and having them join us.

"Why are you doing this?" I called over to her. She turned to me, eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth to reply, but a bark from Sela behind us drew our attention. I whirled around, just in time to hear a _clang_ and see Tessa's shovel bounce off of Roark's hard hat.

He stumbled back, holding his head, and she raised the shovel for another strike. Sela ran forward—we were too far away—but a knee to the stomach from Joey halted her. I yelled for Konstantin and Alice, but the latter was still stuck in a battle, and I couldn't find my ghost anywhere. Roark's Onix roared and reared back, but her Shiftry beat it back.

And then, the rest of our cavalry arrived just as Tessa brought the shovel down. She froze on the spot, shovel just inches from the newcomer's neck. Benjamin, beside her, ignored them and ran towards Bruce, while Tessa dropped the shovel's blade to the ground. "Alicia," she mouthed.

Alicia stepped forward, and it was as if her presence physically pushed Tessa back. "Tessa, what are you doing here? No—what do you _think_ you're doing here?" she challenged.

All around them, I couldn't help but notice that the battle was starting to quiet. Roark's Pokémon rushed to him, and he snuck off to help check on Bruce during the lull. Tessa's pokémon had completely backed off, her Staraptor landing on the path just behind her, staring at Alicia. Neither she nor Benjamin had released their teams yet, but the arrival of more of our side was enough to calm a lot of the fighting as each side pondered this development.

"I'm helping. It's—confusing, don't look at me that way," Tessa fielded. It was now quiet enough that even we could hear her.

For a brief, hopeful moment, I entertained the notion of the fighting stopping altogether. We could finally talk this out, and after we had some answers, beat their heads in if need be.

"Shit," Lola hissed. The hope inside me swelled, just a bit; if Lola was worried, then maybe Alicia really did still have some power with her friend. "Tessa, back—"

"Shut up," she snapped at once. She took off her sunglasses, and kept backing away from Alicia as she advanced. I couldn't help but watch and _hope_, really hope, that this could change the situation for something better. "...I didn't want you to get mixed up in this."

"But I did. And now, it looks like I'm here to stop you." Tessa had finally reached the edge of the path; below was nothing but sharp rocks. She froze, but Alicia didn't go any further. "Are you going to give up quietly, or are we going to have to fight? Do you want our reunion to be violent?"

"No, of course not."

Lola tried again, "Tessa, stop this!"

"She told you to shut up, heifer!" Alicia shouted back at her. By now, almost all of the fighting had died down as the Pokémon took note of their trainers and the changing situation. Konstantin finally reappeared by my side, attaching himself to my shoulder.

"_Comrade, what is going on?_" he whispered.

"Shh. I... don't know just yet." It was confusing, but still a good thing, right? I could now carefully tally up the damage. Two of Archie's Pokémon weren't moving; only his Walrein was still conscious. Or alive. Bruce still hadn't awoken or moved from where he'd fallen at the beginning. I finally caught a glimpse of Ike as he slunk through the battlefield. He was covered in blood and dirt, one of his ears tattered.

Carlita limped towards me. She sat down by my leg and leaned against it. Des was still going strong, only a little roughed up, and Zarek looked to be fine, too. I couldn't spot Alice.

"Why are you doing this?" Alicia asked.

"I'm trying to fix things."

"With fighting and violence and terrorism?"

"No. With calculated casualties and psychic warnings."

"That sounds like a lot of crap," Alicia scoffed. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at me, Vaikuntha, and Lola. "Why don't we just end this now? You can explain yourselves back in Canalave or Sunyshore or wherever. And it had better be a _damn_ good explanation, too—"

"No."

Alicia turned back to her, brown eyes narrowed dangerously. "No?"

Tessa met her glare easily. "I'm staying here, and we're finishing this. Tonight. Go back with Ariala and stay safe, wherever you were holed up."

"No! Never!"

"Just get rid of her already!" Joey shouted, picking up Tessa's shovel from where she had dropped it. He swung it at Alicia, and already, I was running forward with a yelp of "No!"

Tessa rushed forward, too, but we were all too late.

The Xatu plucked Alicia off the ground by the shoulders and Teleported away with her. Joey swung at air, narrowly missing Tessa. I stumbled to a halt, looking around in confusion, but Vaikuntha's outraged snarl behind me told me all I knew. Lola had Alicia pinned against her, the Skarmory feather pressed up against her neck. "That's nice," Lola deadpanned, "and it was very touching. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to reminisce later, though. Right now, we're just a _little_ busy, if you have all forgotten. So let's do this with a bit more flair and grace than we have been.

"The two saints up here are coming with me. Joey and Tessa and their teams will follow. If anyone else follows us into the volcano, I'll slit her throat."


	149. Blaze Forth The Death Of Princes

"Just... put the feather down," I said slowly, putting my hands up. Beside me, Vaikuntha dropped his feather as well. Lola nodded at it, and he kicked it away. I glanced sideways at Konstantin, locking gazes with him for just the briefest of moments. He slowly started floating down towards my shadow.

"Don't even think about it," Lola commanded, tightening her arm around Alicia. "I'm not stupid. I know you both have ghosts, but if either of them come near me, she's dead, got it?"

"Kostya, back off," I said lowly.

"Pollyanna, please, stay with Koel," Vaikuntha whispered. I caught Lola looking at the Gengar for a moment with a frown.

"...Both of you, step away from your Pokémon and walk slowly towards me. No one makes any funny moves or else," she said after a pause. Alicia huffed and tried to wriggle out of her grasp, but the sword against her throat restricted her movements.

As we advanced, it was Tessa who spoke up next. I wasn't really surprised. "Lola, you said she wouldn't get hurt."

"And she's not, is she?" she replied sedately, curling part of Alicia's light hair around her finger. "She will be completely fine, just so long as no one's stupid. I promise." I did feel a little better about this situation then; she really _couldn't_ hurt Alicia without losing Tessa in the process. So it meant that she wouldn't kill her once we were inside the volcano and separated from everyone else.

"Why are you doing this?" Alicia asked.

"It has to be done."

"That doesn't answer anything!" At least we were all now on the same page in the fact that Lola was talking in circles, and still apparently stalling. She walked backward, her Raichu and Xatu close by, and led us into the volcano. The light got steadily redder and hotter the further into the tunnel we went. I glanced backwards, once, and could see that Des was restraining Carlita by the tail. Alice had perched on one of his volcanoes, Zarek beside them. Ike and Konstantin weren't in the picture; I dearly hoped Konstantin wasn't in my shadow.

While that would probably be a blessing, it could also be a curse. I appreciated the backup and his loyalty, yes. But I didn't want him in here alone with any of the hostile Pokémon. Even Zarek outclassed him in raw power now. He would only be good for getting me or Alicia out of here, but if Lola caught on—well, I didn't want it to come to that.

Vaikuntha shot me a shaky, reassuring smile. It was the first time he'd smiled since he'd come here. I tried to give him one in return, but I had a feeling I rather failed at it. "O-Okay, so, Lola. The others are probably out of earshot now, and I don't see how heading _in_ to the volcano with an angry legendary in it is going to serve anyone's plans," I said, turning back to her.

"_She's still hoping to make you lose your temper_," Who said conversationally, appearing beside me. I jumped and nearly landed on Vaikuntha. As I backed away from him again with a mumbled apology, I could have sworn I saw a wink from his shadow, too.

"Get out of here, you traitor," Lola snapped.

"_I'm in the volcano, and so are you. I'm with my trainer, and you cannot order me anywhere else in the world_," he drawled, swinging his charm. He suddenly let go of it, letting it fly at me, and I caught it out of reflex.

"Drop it!" Lola barked at once.

I dropped it and put my hands up again. "I'm not taking sides in this! I just want Alicia safe at this point."

"_You're not taking sides?_" Who asked curiously.

"No, not right now," I replied through grit teeth. He ought to know that I would be on his—and Nick's—side, just so long as he wasn't actually a mass murderer behind all of this. But with Lola in the picture, that seemed a little less likely. She certainly fit the mastermind type, anyway.

"Good for you," Joey said with a grin. Vaikuntha and I both glared at him.

"Why did you come to my Gym, anyway?" I asked him. Very minor in light of the situation at hand, but if I could just start one of them talking...

"To scope it out, and in case we needed the location for the Teleport. And in all honesty, we wanted to see what you'd done with the place in all that time you were holed up," he replied simply. If they were that willing to answer questions, maybe this wouldn't be that hard, after all. He looked up at Lola with a lopsided smile. "I told you, your disguise worked. Even with that ridiculous performance."

"Ridiculous?" she snorted. I looked up at her, confused—and then I groaned. She chuckled when she caught my realization. "We really _did_ make a bet about it, too. Whether or not you would catch on."

"Then why take such a stupid risk?" I asked flatly. A wig, her hair out of her face, glasses, and a change of clothes; she had been Abby.

"For the heck of it. And... Do you know how _hard_ it is to get you out of that Gym? Seriously? It's like you were fighting tooth and nail to stay away from Nick."

"I had _tried_, until that one used her lovely little shovel _on my face_," I retorted, jerking my thumb at Tessa.

"That was... insurance," Lola responded with a thin smile.

"I do not understand—you are talking in contradictions. You speak of how you wanted him to come here, but then you purposely stalled him?" Vaikuntha broke in. "I understand that you are stalling, but I still do not see what you have to gain from that, either."

"It's all in the mind. We needed a certain attitude for this." Ike and Who had told me the same thing; they were trying to make me mad. I could get that mad people made mistakes, but they put a _lot_ of effort in that cause. Far too much for it to be that simple.

Suddenly, I remembered part of the ghosts' warning: do not become bitter and angry at the world.

Lola was trying to work against that. So I supposed that it was important, but I still didn't understand _how_ or why it was. I really didn't get how my attitude was supposed to have a grand impact on things, unless I was supposed to be a happy little saint that would calm Nick down from his unfiltered rage and save the day that way. I coughed again, spitting out another mouthful of blood, and wrapped my arms around myself once more. I wasn't sure I could play the happy little saint part right then.

As she led us deeper into the volcano, and as it steadily got warmer, we continued trying to get answers. Vaikuntha rolled up his sleeves and I peeled my hoodie off, tying it around my waist. I couldn't help but snicker; Lola's black hoodie had to be all but suffocating her. At least there was _some_ justice in the world. "So... Three of you. Is that all?" I asked, gesturing to them.

"All that's here right now. You could say we're the higher-ups."

"Is this an actual organization?" Vaikuntha asked.

"Oh yes," Joey replied, shrugging. "Under Sayre's flag, but still. It's amazing what people will believe out of a good actor in a black hoodie. It didn't hurt that we've been... guiding him for quite some time."

"How much of the killing has Nick actually done?" I finally asked. I had to know.

"Very little, lately. He's been sidetracked," Lola answered. We finally broke out of the tunnel into the large cavern. The light intensified, easily bright enough to throw shadows onto the wall, and so did the heat. I wiped my brow and squinted out into the large area—and my breath caught when I saw another figure in a black hoodie. He was across the cavern, standing on another platform of rock jutting out from the side, a rickety bridge made of rope and planks separating us. His hood was down and he appeared to be talking to Chase—no more tricks. It really was Nick. "And here we are."

True to her word, Lola released Alicia. She ran toward us (pointedly ignoring Tessa) and stood beside us. "You realize that I still have my team with me, right?" she asked seriously.

"Of course. And I'm not so stupid as to think that the others did not follow us at a distance in that tunnel," Lola replied easily. She reached back and tied her hair back into a loose ponytail, unzipping her hoodie a bit as well. This heat was going to be bad on any battlers, especially Carlita. Ike's fur wouldn't be great in this situation, either. "But I just wanted a change of scenery. And, like you, a chance to talk frankly."

"Then stop your stalling and do so!" Vaikuntha exclaimed.

"Okay." Lola shrugged and sat down on a rock, scratching her Raichu as it sat near her boots. "What would you like to know?"

It couldn't be that easy. It had to be another one of her tricks or traps, but it was also too good of a chance to waste. "Okay... What are you trying to do here?"

"Reunite you with Nick, further piss off Heatran—and who knows what other legendaries—and generally end all of the guerrilla warfare that's been going on." She was far too relaxed. I snuck a peek at her allies. Tessa looked sulky, probably because of Alicia, and Joey was sitting on another rock. None of them looked immediately threatening or aggressive, but I still couldn't believe that it would be this simple.

"Why is it so important that they meet?" Alicia asked suspiciously.

"I want to see what their reactions are at how much they've both changed." Probably not a lie, but an obvious dodge.

"Then why is Heatran involved?" she asked instead, not falling for the argument bait.

"That one is Nick's doing, not mine. Apparently, he wants to make a new island, and I suppose pissing off a Pokémon dealing with volcanoes is one way to go about it..." That couldn't be a lie, either. I remembered when Nick said he wanted to go away with me. He wanted to be alone.

"Why are _you_ helping _him_?" I asked, irritated at the vagueness.

"We have similar goals, even if he doesn't know it," Lola replied cryptically, and with a smirk. She knew how much it was annoying us. And, as if to win our good favor, she elaborated, "It would be great if he could find his own little land to rule over and go crazy on. But I know it's very unrealistic. So aside from some gentle encouragement, I haven't actually helped him with this."

"What have you helped him with?"

Her smile grew into something sinister. "I hid some security tapes from a certain prison incident."

A cold chill went down my spine, despite the heat all around us. It had long been a shadow of a doubt in my mind—_why had no one come after me—_but I had since brushed it off as Nick or his team's doing. No wonder it had been so easy, though. She had been helping, possibly even helping with the breakout itself. I wouldn't have recognized any of her Pokémon at that time, and it had been chaotic enough. Which meant she had been around for several months. No, longer than that—she had to have been helping before that, in order to even know about it.

"What prison—when Sayre broke out of prison? You helped him?" Alicia demanded angrily. I ducked my head, staring down at my shoes. Guilt bubbled in my stomach, churning nastily with the pain.

"Only a tiny bit. I'm not the main one you should be accusing, however," Lola said, voice light.

"Shut up," I told her. Even if I was damning myself, I had to change the topic. "What else have you done to him?"

"Nothing direct. I mostly pointed him in the right direction. I've meddled more with _you_ than he."

"Me?" That caught me off guard. Sure, our paths had crossed several times in several years, but I couldn't place any points that stood out to me. During The Tournament, I certainly hadn't had any help. Snowpoint, she was on her own there, too. Which left the Gym race...

That night I awoke after that dream, when I saw the figure in the black hoodie walking away from me... How I had somehow gotten first place...

"You... You were helping me in the Gym race?" I asked faintly. I swallowed, tasting copper again, and repeated, "You did, didn't you? I saw you."

"Aha, yes, there you go." She tilted her head to one side with a roll of her eyes. "Did you _really_ think you could have gotten to first place on your own? That's laughable. Not counting your horrid team structure and discipline issues with them, your rotten luck would have gotten you out for sure. So I rigged it a bit."

"How? You had to have been just as busy as the rest of us. You could not have had time." Vaikuntha accused.

"I have a Xatu." She waved a hand at the psychic bird behind her. "I'd put my necklace on Samael for a bit and sneak off during the night when there weren't any cameras around. It wasn't difficult, and it wasn't exactly a foolproof plan on their part. A little sabotage here, riling up wild Pokémon there, it was easy. I didn't even have to do anything for a couple of you."

"...Keith?" Alicia asked.

"I had no hand in that tragedy," Lola replied, eyes downcast. "I honestly didn't want anything that drastic to happen."

"But you are killing now! And you killed him regardless!" Vaikuntha snapped. "You cannot pretend to feel sorry for our fallen brother's loss when you have done so much worse for so much less!"

"So high and mighty again. It's really irritating."

Interrupting more of her argument baiting, I asked, "You said you were the first, sort of. You were the first what? And why sort of?"

"The first chosen, the first test. I say sort of, because I wasn't exactly the first." Her tone got sad again and she kept her eyes down. She was either a marvelous liar or legitimately telling us the truth. I still couldn't figure out _why_, though. "Nick was the second, the do-over."

"The test? What test?"

"A litmus test, if you will."

"For _what_?"

Lola smiled, meeting our eyes once more. It wasn't a happy smile, but neither was it her sinister smirk, either. She still looked sad. "For trainers. For humanity."

"..._What_?" Alicia exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "What the hell are you on? Give us an actual answer!"

"That _is_ an actual answer."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes, it was."

"No—"

"Guys, let's just get on with the questioning," I cut in, reigning Alicia back in. "Whose test is this and why are people being chosen for it? I don't exactly understand."

"Which is too bad for you, because now we're actually running a little short on time." She stood up, dusting off her jeans. Her Xatu chuckled behind her, flapping into the air. "Alicia, I'd suggest getting out of here."

"No way! I'm staying here!" she snapped at once.

"Ali, go," Tessa said softly. She nodded over in Nick's direction. We all looked and were horrified to see that a couple of Nick's team were attacking what seemed to be some sort of large red and silver lizard. I knew at once it had to be Heatran. "This is going to get messy."

"Well then stop him!" she replied hotly, glaring at Tessa for the first time since we'd entered. "Help us!"

"I can't—"

"_Someone_ is going to have to stop him!" I shouted at them both, pushing past Vaikuntha and heading towards the bridge. I heard a couple of protests behind me, but I managed to make it to the beginning of the bridge before I was picked up by the Xatu. "Let go of me!"

"Get back here, you dolt. You really think running over there right now is going to fix anything?" Lola called flatly.

I growled at her, but they had forgotten about my shadow. "Kostya, go get Nick! Smack some sense into him, or at least get his attention—oof." The Xatu threw me to the ground, back in front of Vaikuntha and Alicia, and I couldn't help but curl up and grit my teeth. My ribs were protesting, but at least he had dropped me on my good (well, better) side. I tried to spit out the blood in my mouth, but it came out as more of a dribble instead.

By the time I looked up, Konstantin and the Xatu were tussling in midair over the bridge. Vaikuntha called out Pollyanna from his shadow, and she eagerly bounced over and tipped the scales in our favor.

That seemed to be the call. Like Lola had predicted, our allies had been in the tunnel behind us. Most of the bigger Pokémon had to be returned, of course, but we still outnumbered them. Vaikuntha helped me to my feet as Koel ran up. As I steadied myself and tried to adjust to the chaos of a wide battle once more, I could see that Alicia had taken the time to run over to Lola before releasing her team. As her Ninetales fought with Lola's Raichu, they wrestled each other. Lola had size on her, though, and it soon became one-sided—until her Armaldo stepped in and separated them.

"What is Sayre doing over there?" Sela demanded, coming up beside us.

"Making Heatran mad, like everyone's been saying," I deadpanned in response. "He wants to make his own island. He wants to be alone."

"He can do it without making the whole damn volcano explode," she snarled, pulling Dana away from a Razor Leaf. "...Wait, he's not joining the battle. He's just... staying over there."

"Are you complaining?" I snapped back. "Let's just focus on this for now." Not that I didn't plan on running over there are the first chance I got.

I jumped when Konstantin leapt up through my shadow. "_The Hypno chased me off! He does not want me over there and refuses to let anyone pass._"

"Why is everyone being so contrary tonight? Go—" I was cut off by a high scream. I looked around in alarm, and was even more surprised to see that it was Tessa. I whirled around just in time to see Lola fall off the edge of the stone platform—and took Alicia with her.

Tessa and I both dove for her. Alicia caught herself on the edge, and we each grabbed one of her hands. I could see that Lola was hanging on to one of her legs. "Let go!" I shouted down to her.

"As if," she shouted right back. "Pull us both up, or drop us both to the lava below."

"Hold on, Ali, I got you," Tessa hissed, pulling. I coughed and tried to mimic her, but laying on the stone and holding their weight was putting too much pressure on my chest. Lola shifted her weight, making Alicia grunt and shifting the pressure on my chest. I cried out and her hand nearly slipped from my grasp. As such, it was still enough to shift the weight _again—_and I realized that I was slowly being dragged forward.

"Ack, hold on—!" I tried to hook my shoes around anything, or at least dig them in, but it wasn't having much effect. Tessa tried to compensate for the swing, but I could tell that she was straining, trying to hold up their combined weight.

As I slid forward, a rather sharp rock slid into my ribcage. It caught one of the bruised or broken (or otherwise painful as sin) ribs, and with a yelp, I finally let go. I coughed up more scarlet, already flailing for Alicia's free hand again, but it was too late. Tessa swore at me as she slid forward, and then over the edge—and then disappeared.

The three appeared behind me, the Xatu still holding onto Lola's shoulders. He wobbled dizzily for a moment, and then collapsed on her lap. Tessa tried to pull Alicia into some sort of hug, but Alicia would have none of it. She pushed her away and got shakily to her feet, dusting off her dress. I pulled my knees up to my chest, trying to curve my spine, hoping it would work. It only led to another coughing fit, however.

I glanced up, hand clamped over my mouth, and saw the battle resume. The Xatu, weakened, proved to be an easy target for Ike and Pollyanna. The Gengar, cackling gleefully, bounced over and caught the bird by the wing before he could get away. She snapped it without ceremony. Ike sent a Thunderbolt down on the both of them, not caring that Pollyanna was still attached, and the bird finally fainted. Lola returned him with a snarl, just in time to avoid another brutal Thunderbolt.

Lola had picked up the Skarmory feather again, I noted with some apprehension. Vaikuntha matched her for it, however, continuing his crusade against her. I got gingerly back up to my feet, tightening the hoodie around my waist, and looked around for Konstantin. I barely caught a glimpse of him diving into a shadow to avoid a Rock Slide. I didn't see where he popped back out.

Alice swooped over and dropped Zarek at my feet. I could tell that she could hardly lift him now, and despite the situation, I couldn't help but smile at it. "_Keep him out of the direct battle!_" she snapped at me.

"_Hey! I'm doing better than you are! You need me out there!_" he replied at once, waving his larger claw at her. "_Trainer, I've been doing well, haven't I?_"

"Uh, sure. But Zarek, she's right. You're supposed to stay on the fringes and snipe, remember?"

"_See! Now listen and be a good boy, and stay here!_" She turned and raised her wings to take off, but a Thunderbolt struck her down. She shrieked and tried to get into the air to avoid the second one, but she wasn't fast enough. She swayed and finally collapsed in front of us.

I sneezed out a very nasty mixture of blood and snot, the force of which made me double over in pain. I looked up, arms still wrapped around myself, and was unsurprised to find the Electabuzz advancing on us. "Z-Zarek—!" It was meant to be a call of retreat, since he had the disadvantage, but he took it as the call for attack.

He managed to score a direct hit with an Ice Beam, but the Electabuzz simply shook the ice out of his fur and continued closer. One Thunderbolt and Zarek was still standing fairly strong. Another Ice Beam, this time to the face, and at least the electric Pokémon faltered. He scrubbed furiously at his eyes, trying to get the frost out, and Zarek took the opportunity to start freezing his feet to the ground.

The Electabuzz snarled and as he came closer, my allergies got worse. Each cough and sneeze was agony with my ribs, and my eyes were so watery I could hardly see. Not good. I looked around, trying to pick out the giant mass of red-orange that would hopefully be Des, but there was too much chaos and movement for me to find him. I heard more than saw Zarek continue to try to freeze the Electabuzz, but finally, the type advantage won out. My Kingler collapsed next to his mother.

"St-Stop it! Don't you r-remember me? I was your trainer once, t-too!" I called out between allergy attacks. I could dimly make out the Electabuzz shaking his head. I fell to my knees in front of him, choking out more snot and blood. I felt his paws come down on me, and I could feel the electricity already tingling.

Just when I thought I was about to get fried to a crisp, however, I heard a shout of "Brother!"

I looked up, blinking rapidly, and saw Koel swoop in. He beat back the Electabuzz, until he got zapped. He backed off, but thankfully, Vaikuntha's Lucario jumped in. Vaikuntha had turned around to face me and his Pokémon, and directed Koel to go back out into the main fray and help them.

His Lucario must have been tired, though. The Electabuzz paralyzed him, and then with a well-aimed ThunderPunch to the jaw, the fighter was out.

"No!" Vaikuntha shouted, just as the Electabuzz grabbed hold of me once more.

Unfortunately, he had turned his back on Lola. While he outclassed her in combat skills, he had left an opening for her. And she took it.

I saw the blade slide into him and come out his chest. His own feather clattered to the stone below, and for a moment, he stood there, sword in him and expression shocked.

Then she yanked the feather back out of him and he dropped to the ground. The Electabuzz finally zapped me, and I had the brief sensation of my body locking up before falling into blackness.


	150. Chance May Crown Me

"I'm dead." I looked around me. This world wasn't black or white, but a static-y gray. I had to be dead. I remembered, with vivid clarity, what had happened just seconds before—but what already felt like years. It felt so apart from me. I felt detached from everyone, everything, even myself. It was odd, but even that, I couldn't bring myself to care much.

"No, you're not. Not quite yet." I looked down and found Who sitting in a meditative pose next to me. He was suspending his charm in midair in front of him, swinging it with his mind.

"That's a relief," I deadpanned, hardly meaning it. "Another dream?"

"Of a sort. You are actually in some physical danger, but then again, that has never stopped others from waltzing into your mind, has it?" I gave him a pointed look, and he chuckled. "I'm only here to attempt to raise your spirits once more."

"Why?" I sat down next to him, crossing my legs.

He cracked open an eye and frowned. "...Because I am not nearly as suicidal as my brethren, that's why. I wish for you to come out of this and try to talk some sense into my trainer. Is that so wrong?"

"No, I guess not. ...You're about the only nice psychic I've met."

"The Gallade isn't out to kill you."

"Only because it'd make Cossette cry."

"At least he is still with his trainer and on your side," Who sniffed. I nodded in reluctant agreement. "That is not something to be understated. Most psychics are not so helpful to this cause."

"But you and Jacques aren't? Because you value your trainers more," I replied wonderingly. It was his turn to nod. "No, wait, that can't be. You're saying every other psychic in the world wants this disaster or whatever to happen rather than love their trainers?"

"Oh, no. We're far from the only ones. And it's not as if everyone is privy to this information, either. Some sway their trainers, some ignore their trainers, some believe they're helping their trainers. It is all—good and evil, this side and that side—a matter of perspective."

"Can't anyone talk normally?" I griped.

Who offered me a wry smile. "I've often wondered that of humans as well."

"We do—ah, nevermind. I'm not feeling an argument right now." I leaned back on my arms, looking up at the blurry gray. "...So why are you in here again?"

"To keep you company. To gauge your attitude."

"Why is does everyone care about my mood?"

"Didn't part of the ghosts' warning pertain to that?" Who asked, confused. I nodded halfheartedly. "That is why."

"So the ghosts and the psychics are in on this."

"We have most direct access to the legendaries involved."

"So they _are_ involved," I said, triumphant at last.

"With Heatran in front of you and Giratina in your memories, you have not figured that out yet?" I glared at him, but he couldn't hide his smirk. "My trainer was the second choice for the test and you are his best friend. You are a player in this as well."

"What was this test for?" I asked, hoping to get better answers out of him.

Instead, I got pretty much the same. "It was for humanity."

"Is there anything I can ask you that I won't get a vague answer for?" I asked him in annoyance.

"I'm sure there is."

Suddenly, a deafening sound echoed all around us. I jumped and looked around wildly, but we were the only ones here. Who didn't look disturbed in the least. I couldn't even tell what it had been, except maybe that it had been human. "Wh-What was that?"

"Probably something going on outside your mind," he replied nonchalantly. He stood up and plucked the charm out of the air. "That would mean that we're running short on time for this talk of ours."

"Oh, it was supposed to have a purpose?" I asked with a scowl.

"Yes. Maybe." My scowl hardened. He looked away, almost appearing to be embarrassed. This was getting to be ridiculous. Who sighed and looked me in the eye, and I couldn't help but notice how tired he looked. "This is going to be rough. I am prepared, and I have tried my best to prepare the others on my team. I _am_ trying to help you and my trainer both, no matter how it may seem at times. Just... Please. When the time comes, do the right thing. And as for the dark-haired monster—"

Another jarring, overly loud sound and I was awake. A moment later, I realized that the sound wasn't what had woken me up, however; that turned out to be Pedestal's fault. My face burned and I quickly wiped away the moisture there, wincing. I turned back to him, opening my mouth to stop him from licking me again—when I realized that he hadn't licked me.

He was crying.

A couple more near-boiling tears dripped down his nose, this time onto my neck. I jerked and sat up, scrubbing them away as well, staring at him in... fright. He never cried. The only time he ever showed actual weakness was when I made him angry or frustrated, but he never cried.

Carlita threw herself at me, sending me back down to the ground with enough force to make me bite back a snarl. She didn't get off of me, even as I coughed up scarlet onto her hat, and only sobbed out broken phrases. "_Everything's dead! You were—I was so scared!_"

"Carlita, get—ugh, get off of me," I wheezed. Konstantin pulled her off of me, against her wishes. I held out an arm and she greedily clung to that, sniffling into my sleeve instead. "Ow. What happened? Why are you all crying? ...Why is it so quiet?" I looked around for the first time. It was just about silent. This wasn't the chaos I had just left.

"_You were_..." Des started, but paused. I turned back to him expectantly. Ears low, he mumbled, "_We thought you were dying._"

I cracked a smile that fooled no one. "Psh, I-I'm fine." I broke off to choke on another bloody breath. Thank you, body, helpful as always. "It was just a little shock..."

"_Hmph. As oblivious and self-destructive as always_," Ike growled, tail lashing angrily. He reached around Carlita and yanked on my t-shirt's shoulder. I yelped and jumped—that had _hurt_! I looked over and found that my shirt was scorched, my skin red and blistered underneath. As long as I didn't move it (and spiteful Luxray didn't jerk the fabric over the tender skin), the burn seemed fine. Carlita gingerly prodded my other shoulder, reminding me that the Electabuzz had burned me with both paws. I rolled my shoulders experimentally. They were stiff and sore and didn't like it, but it didn't hurt as much as I had expected.

"If I just stay away from direct contact..." I looked up at Des' angry snort. He glared down at me, eyes still looking a little watery. Okay, maybe I had scared them a bit. Ike had never shocked me to that extent, and it was rare that I had the injuries piled on like tonight. "So I'm in a right state. I've almost had worse. It's not like it can get any worse, at any rate..."

I heard the sound from before, quieted, again. I looked up, and finally identified it as a cry of anguish. Maybe a sob, but the dry kind, the half-sane kind. I found out why the battle was so quiet; it had reached another lull. One brought on by blood and bodies.

The sound had come from Benjamin. He was crouched down next to Bentley, both of them covered in blood. His eyes were wide and unseeing, his mouth trembling. He let out another little cry. Sela was hovering over him, unsure and frantic. When she spotted that I was awake, she almost gratefully trotted towards me.

"At least someone's conscious again," she said, feigning her usual strong voice.

"What just happened," I asked numbly. This hadn't been what I had been expecting. I looked around further, seeking answers. Lola was on her side, arms sloppily tied together, her back to me. I wasn't sure she was still breathing. Near her feet, however, I saw Joey—and knew for sure he was dead. His eyes were half-open, glassy, and there were several gashes in his throat down to his chest.

Heart hammering, I sought out Alicia. She was sitting on a rock on the other side of the natural platform. Aside from a dark look and disheveled appearance, she seemed alright. Tessa was sitting near her, arms crossed, sunglasses cracked and one shoulder bloody and burned.

Vaikuntha—where was Vai.

Sela had been talking ever since my question, I suddenly realized. Even after that realization, however, I found it difficult to concentrate and hear what she was saying. I had finally found Vaikuntha. He was laying down, hands folded neatly over his stomach, eyes closed, head resting on one of Koel's legs. His Pokémon were all crowded around him, broken and bloody and heartbroken.

"He's not dead yet." Sela finally broke through to me and I looked up at her, uncomprehending for one terrible moment. Then it penetrated—Vai was still _alive_, still alive, not dead _yet_. "She got him through a lung. We bandaged him up, but he's probably bleeding on the inside, too. But with him out cold, we can't do anything about that. I just hope he doesn't drown."

"O-Oh—can't you wake him up?"

"His team won't let us get near him anymore. They're worried sick."

"What _happened_?" She sighed, having just realized that I hadn't been listening. She seemed more exhausted than angry, however, which was something I was unused to seeing from her. I didn't like it. "Well, let's see here. After you and Vai went down so nobly, both of your still-conscious teams freaked out. After the boy died, it wrapped up pretty quickly."

I looked over across the bridge. Nick was still there, although I couldn't spot Heatran. It wasn't wrapped up, then.

"Benjamin's freaking out, too," Sela said flatly. I turned back to her. "He ordered the attack on the boy that took him out. First kill." Knowing how cut and dried Benjamin tried to force his morals to be, I could understand his reaction. I certainly hadn't been in a very coherent state of mind after the Ariados. "But hey—at least you're awake now. Even if it doesn't do us a whit of good."

"What do you mean? I'm not _that_ useless—"

"You don't have a Teleporting Pokémon on you." I didn't have one at all. She moved her good arm, setting her fist on her hip. "Alicia's took a nasty hit in the fight and we're not sure if it'll make it. Roark already left with Bruce to get him to a hospital. We're running out of options on how to get back in time to fix who we can..."

I thought of Who—but no, he wouldn't leave Nick when he finally had us both in the same general area. That left Lola's Xatu, but he was injured, and hostile anyway.

"Tessa has an Alakazam," Sela said innocently, nodding towards the two girls. "And she's even offered to help."

"Help Alicia, I bet."

"Trust issues aside, what else can we do? The problem is that they won't stop arguing about it. Tessa says she's staying here, and Alicia won't go unless Tessa goes with them and turns herself in. They're both stubborn and while Alicia's in the right, she's pressured by the fact that our saint is dying. I'm sure she'll buckle soon, even if it means losing Tessa again."

Lola gave a low chuckle, startling us both. She rolled over so she was laying on her stomach. Her black hair still hid half her face from me, but from what I could see, she was grinning lazily underneath a bloody nose. "How is it you got here with such poor planning?"

"We had some help," Sela replied defensively. I frowned and looked up at her, wondering the same thing. How _had_ they known to find me here?

"Wait, Sela, how did you know...?"

"What?" She looked down at me with a scowl. "Your little cheerleader called us, like you told her to. The little girl's Gallade helped get everyone here, too, once we showed him where it was."

"Hanna and—" I thought I had left them sleeping, but past that—they had helped? Hanna probably could have deduced where I had gone, and she may have thought that since I wouldn't let her help me, she could at least get others... Still. I had wanted them to stay completely out of this.

Lola laughed again. I glared across at her. Her eye, barely visible due to her hair and the angle, narrowed. "If Ato weren't so injured, I would offer to help," she said airily.

"Liar," Sela shot back at once.

"No, I'm being serious. And as I said—I've never really lied to any of you. I suppose I'll admit to a lot of things as of late, but still not to being a liar." She shook her head, wincing. "You've won your battle against me and mine. All that's left is Nick Sayre, the Champion slayer. Or almost, but still. Look at you all. You're reduced to nothing."

"We still have enough Pokémon among us to put up one hell of a fight," Sela snarled. Lola had a point, though. Vaikuntha was out of it, and his team was injured—they probably wouldn't fight without him, anyway. Benjamin was out for the count, and I didn't know the status of his team. Alicia was down at least one Pokémon, and I certainly didn't trust Tessa enough to ask for her help.

"...She's right," I said quietly.

"What?"

"Look, Nick is still my friend." The lie tasted bitter, but it was a necessary one. I pushed myself carefully to my feet, using Des as support. "I can still talk to him. Lola's the evil one here, so I think—I think he's just lost."

"You can't be serious," Sela said incredulously. She shook her head, red hair flying. "I think you've gotten a concussion from that last hit, or something. You're crazy."

"No, I'm trying to be practical." Wait, that wasn't right. I shook my head and glanced at Des. "I'm trying to fix things, I guess. What are you going to do against Nick? Snarl and hiss and watch as his Pokémon rip yours apart?"

"Is that what _you're_ going to do?" she retorted.

"No. I told you, I can still talk some sense into him. His Pokémon are on my side—his Hypno brought me here himself. They just want him to come down from whatever... I don't know. I just know that he's in a bad place, and I can help him out of it. More than you or anyone else can. I won't fight him."

"You're still crazy."

"And you have a broken arm. Do you really want to put Dana up against Chase? I at least have a dragon on my side."

"Who's unconscious," she deadpanned.

I looked away, hurt. "Y-Yes, but I brought some healing items with me. It's not as if I'll be limping over there right now."

"...He's telling the truth. Sayre isn't as dangerous as Sinnoh likes to think," Lola spoke up again. I turned to her, unsure as to why she was on my side. "He was something for people to follow, but let's not kid ourselves. You know it was me doing everything. I'll admit to it."

"I'm still not letting a kid go out there and kill himself with that psychopath!"

"He's not a psychopath!" I burst out. "He's my friend. I _can_ do this, Sela. It won't turn into another fight, I promise. Who—Who, get over here." The Hypno obediently appeared between us, indeed showing that he'd been eavesdropping. "See? His Pokémon just want him fixed. Once I talk him down, I can—I don't know. I'll return to Sunyshore, okay?"

"_All he needs is some sense back in his head_," Who added helpfully.

Sela bit her lip, clearly still not liking the idea. It was a horrible idea, anyway, but I was playing on the fact that she didn't have many other options. Benjamin and Vaikuntha needed to get to a hospital, it looked, and Alicia seemed to be sticking close to Tessa. Pokémon were injured, too, and they needed tending to. She was on the clock, and as hurt as I was, at least I was volunteering.

"This is a suicide mission."

"I'll come back. You're underestimating me." She looked down at my various injuries pointedly, but I just grimaced and waved her off. "I've had worse. At least I'm not hallucinating due to an infected stab wound."

Sela huffed and avoided my eyes after that. I realized then that I could play more off her emotion than what I had originally thought.

Pressing my advantage, I continued, "Look, I need someone who's still conscious to look over Vai. Take him to a hospital and make sure he's alright. Not that I don't trust Alicia, but we both know that she's going to be fighting with Tessa for the rest of the night, whether she comes along or not. I want someone who won't be distracted like that."

"So you're putting the responsibility on _my_ shoulders? Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm going to play nurse for you so you can run off and be a stupid hero again!"

I hastily shook my head, putting up my hands in surrender. "No! Of course not! It's just—you're strong. One of the stronger trainers here, and broken arm or not, you can handle yourself in a fight, too. There were only three of Lola's people here, and they've admitted to more. What if they attack Vai or anyone else once you're back? I want—no, please. I need someone to guard them. I can't lose anyone else tonight."

That finally seemed to wear her down a bit. I couldn't downplay the absurdity of my idea, but I could at least point out the good parts. Sela glanced over at Vaikuntha and Benjamin. The latter offered another one of his half-sobs. "...Fine." I honestly hadn't expected her to give in so soon. Even Who seemed surprised. Sela offered me a glare through her bangs. "Go be an idiot. Go off and die for all I care. Break your cheerleader's heart, make Vai guilty that he couldn't save you. Ruin things even more in the name of hope. I'm saving who I _can_."

With that, she turned on her heel and stomped off. She gently explained something to Alicia, who immediately looked at me with shock and anger. After a bit of soothing from Sela and some remark from Tessa, she didn't come over here and smack me like I'd thought. Instead, she stood up and started returning Pokémon. She was careful when searching Vaikuntha's pockets for his, although after evidently explaining that they were helping, his team let her be.

I started going through my own pockets, rather sullenly. I couldn't help their attitudes, but this was something I had to do. I pulled out a couple of Revives and woke Alice and Zarek up, and then started using Full Restores on whatever injuries I could find. It would only start and boost the healing process, but it was something. I had to hold Ike still to get his ear, and Carlita was still too busy fussing over me to hold still, but it wasn't terribly hard.

What was harder was ignoring all of the looks I was receiving. Sela and Alicia, judgmental and angry. Des, worried and angry. Lola, amused and probably plotting.

As the Pokémon were packed up, Sela helped Alicia bully Tessa into some sort of agreement. I wasn't sure on the details, since they were making it clear they were ignoring me, but Tessa didn't look happy about it. I just hoped that she would wind up in jail. Even if she was helping them, even if she was still friends with Alicia, she had done a lot of terrible things. Still, that was their problem now. Alicia helped Benjamin up while Sela picked Vaikuntha up. He groaned a little, and a pang of fear suddenly struck me. I only hoped it wasn't too late.

There were no goodbyes. As Tessa walked over for Lola, instead, I hastily said, "No—leave her. I need to find out the rest of her plans." A terrible and blatant lie, but Tessa only shrugged. I hardly had to win her over, after all. She certainly didn't care about me.

As they arranged themselves to Teleport out, Sela spotted that they were leaving Lola behind. She only got out a "Wait—!" before they vanished, however.

I turned to Lola irritably. "I thought you said you weren't a liar. You were lying to her face."

"You started it," she replied flippantly. She looked up at me, reproachful and guarded. I still wasn't used to seeing her display emotion so openly. "So you wanted me left behind. Going to kill me off yourself?" She grinned wickedly with those words.

"No, and your stupid ploy at trying to corrupt me is getting old." I knelt down beside her, wincing as my ribs protested. "Before I go over there and see what's up with Nick, you're going to answer some questions."

"Go ahead. Shoot." I didn't like the double meaning, which I was sure was on purpose. She was being devious again, but only in the annoying, subtle ways. Lola looked up at me, half her face still hidden by that black hair of hers.

And suddenly, it hit me.

The dark-haired monster—

"What do you want to know?" Lola asked calmly.

"A test. For humanity. By a legendary?"

"Yes."

"How were you _sort of_ the first? Why does it matter?"

"I was privy to more information than Nick was. As far as I know, he's unaware, aside from the psychics and ghosts flocking around him. Or the ones that had been. They're dead now, aren't they?" Lassie and Kamala—yes, they were dead. He only had Who left, who seemed to be fairly reliable. "Even so, they can only speak in rhymes, or hints, or whatever. They received a jumbled version and weren't sure what was true and what wasn't. It was them withholding information that eventually backfired into what we see now."

"How did they—?" Her Xatu had to have been the one who made the prophecy to begin with. And for all I knew, he could have messed it up on purpose to confuse everyone. "Nevermind. What do you have over Nick?"

"Only lies." She paused, considering the irony to her words. "Well, fine. It seems as if I am a liar, but only for him. That said, he's in for a rude awakening that may go against your goals of snapping him out of it."

"So he really is crazy?"

"Half-sane, and very choosy about what he's realistic about," Lola replied matter-of-factly. "He's perfectly aware of what he's doing now, for example, even if the reasons are a little twisted. He knows his team, knows who he is, and he knows what he's done."

"How bad is he?" I growled, leaning in close. She only smiled, not at all intimidated.

"...You really _could_ get away with avoiding a battle with him, if you're delicate enough," she told me. And there it was again, that niggling little seed of hope. I was aware that she could be lying to me, but I still wanted to believe her. I _wanted_ Nick to be redeemable. With her pulling the strings and bloodying her hands, I had a convenient scapegoat for all of the violence and horror. In my mind, he could be saved again.

I looked over at the figure across the volcano. He still didn't seem aggressive, and Heatran was still nowhere to be seen. Maybe it had managed to escape him. Maybe this really could end wonderfully, or at least better than everyone was expecting. There was the hope, and that meant that there was a chance. I would take it.

I got back up, once again using Des. I scratched him behind the ears like he liked, murmuring apologies for making him worry. I knew he would only worry more, especially since he knew what we were getting into, but I also knew he would be strong for me. For the others, too. He was still our grounding. "_Are you really ready for this?_"

"I think I have been for a long time. Lola, I'll be back for you once this is over. In one way or another." I spared her a halfhearted glare before approaching the bridge. My chest still hurt, even if my cough had died down, and I wasn't sure it was just from my ribs. I was apprehensive and nervous and I did and didn't want to do this in equal measures. But for all of my confusion, I still took the first step forward onto that rickety bridge.

I didn't dare look down, but the heat was starting to get to me. Even just a couple steps out, without the rock below me to block it, it felt like I was in an oven. Clinging tightly to the railing with one hand, I wiped sweat off my brow. I sincerely hoped that it didn't come to a battle. It was too dangerous of a territory. I tightened the hoodie around my waist again, and glanced back at my team. Konstantin and Alice were completely fine, floating lightly over us, but the rest of them were nervous. I was simply glad it held Des' weight with nothing more than the tiniest creak of protest.

After everything that had happened, I was finally going to face Nick. For real. It seemed incredibly surreal.

We made our way across the bridge, panting and sweating. Who had Teleported back over to Nick, not bothering to take me with him, and we were far enough over that his Pokémon were starting to take notice of us. Really take notice, anyway, not just a passing, dismissive glance. My heart seemed to pound harder and harder the closer I got.

Finally, when I knew I was within earshot (because I could hear Chase's growls), I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to have him turn around and finally acknowledge me. "N-Nick!" My voice broke and I cleared it, spitting out one last mouthful of blood and mucus. "Nick!" I called, stronger.

He turned around. It was terribly anticlimactic this time around. No surprises, just him. He needed to shave and his hair was longer than it had been, but when he broke into a smile, it only made me think of my best friend again. "I'm so glad you could finally make it!" he exclaimed happily.

Lola had been telling the truth. There was no hatred or defensiveness here. I _could_ actually talk him out of this, and I wouldn't have lied to Sela. I couldn't help but smile weakly in return, still clinging to the rope railing. "Nick, I..." Words failed me.

Not him, though. He was always a little better with speaking, though. "I've missed you so much, Matthew."

And I suddenly realized how hopeless this really was.

-.-.-

Ending Note: I feel like I shouldn't have to clarify, but I'm going to, anyway. The narrator's name is NOT Matthew; that is Nick's (dead) little brother's name.


	151. A Little More Than Kin

The first message was _frantic_.

"Nick? Nick, pick up this phone right now! Pick up, Nick! I—I know what you did—_how could you do that_—but please, come back here and we can talk about it! _Please_, Nick, please just come and talk to me! I—I just want to know _why_, Nick! J-Just come back and we can talk about this! I just want to know what _happened_! Please pick up, please call back…"

-.-.-

"Yeah mom? I'm kind of busy right now—" All around him, Pokemon were screaming and screeching at each other. Kamala had finally snapped, by the look of it, and he needed to fix that _now_. Everything else could wait. Lassie was back again, too. Somewhere, some part deep inside of him was glad for that. He knew he'd made a mistake in releasing her, in ordering her to do that… And now it turned out that she'd been following him all along. It was heartbreaking.

"Nick, Nick, he's dead! Your brother—Matthew's dead!" his mother, barely coherent through her crying, sobbed into the phone.

The blood in his veins froze. Nick's eyes widened slightly, and he suddenly didn't hear the fight going on around him anymore. Straining to hear better, hoping he'd been mistaken, he repeated flatly, "…What."

"There was an attack—a Pokemon attacked him—oh, Nick, Matthew's dead!" his mother continued quickly, wetly, hopelessly. There was a note in her voice he'd never heard before. Lassie following him wasn't heartbreaking; his mother's voice was heartbreaking.

"Mom—calm down, t-tell me what happened." There could be _no way_ that was true. Something had to have happened. It had to be a mistake. Someone else was dead, _anyone_ else was dead. Just not his brother. Maybe an attack—sure, that wasn't that uncommon these days, and no matter how terrible, people _lived through them_. "_What_ happened to him…?" An attack he could live with. Death he could not.

"Nick, your brother—Matthew is _dead_. He was attacked by that rogue A-Abomasnow that's been in the news l-lately. H-He was trying to catch an ice Pokemon, and _it killed him_."

Nick hung up the phone with a click that was loud enough to be a gunshot. So it was true. Matthew was dead. He was _dead_. Nick had lost Pokemon before, once or twice, but never a member of his human family. Never a brother.

He felt a light, hesitant touch on his shoulder. He jumped, turning to face startled blue eyes. That boy—_he_ had been attacked and _lived_. He, who was so much like Matthew, lived through the attack. Nick swallowed past the lump in his throat and turned away from him, burying his face in his hands. He took a shaking breath and tried to stop himself from completely breaking down.

Matthew was dead, Matthew was dead, Matthew was dead. Dead dead dead. Dead and gone, never coming back, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Nick stood up, nearly losing his balance. His mind swam. That Abomasnow had attacked before. It had killed before, hadn't it? Why hadn't it been taken care of before this? It had stolen _two human lives_ and nearly more before and no one had stopped it. No one had prevented it from taking Matthew as well. "That damned Abomasnow," he moaned around grit teeth. "Why, why, that damned Abomasnow…"

No one had stopped it. No one would stop it, either, he could see that. It had taken Matthew, someone else, attacked others, and _no one was stopping it_.

He was outside before he realized it. Chase was curled around him, eyes searching his. Nick whistled for Serling, already knowing what he was going to do without admitting it to himself. His Staraptor appeared in her usual flurry of feathers. He climbed on, and they took to the night sky for Snowpoint.

-.-.-

The second message was _sad_.

"Nick, _please_, I'm not angry with you. I'm not, I'm really, really not. I promise I'm not mad at you. Just… Please come back. I want to talk to you again. I-I know Kostya doesn't like you, and Ike doesn't either, but I do and Des does and Carlita does and we're all here for you. We're still here for you. We don't think you're a bad guy. Please, just come back to us and talk. That's all I want. Don't you at least owe me that much?"

-.-.-

Snowpoint City was bustling with activity. Nick slid down from Serling, legs weak from so many hours in the frigid air. He was immediately shivering, missing any sort of jacket and only in his pajamas. He absently dismissed Ser and marched into the town with Chase following him.

Candice was outside, under spotlights and the falling snow, talking to a large group of people. Nick pushed past them, his Garchomp helping, until he was standing in front of the Gym leader. "Where is it," he demanded hollowly.

"Nick, I know he was—"

"Tell me where it was last seen."

"Please don't do this," she said softly.

Nick clenched and unclenched his fists. "Candice, you tell me where that Abomasnow is or this will get ugly very fast."

"What do you plan on doing after you find it?"

Nick turned away from her. He wouldn't be getting any answers. He'd just have to search the forest around the city. It wouldn't be that hard to track a giant Abomasnow. He wasn't even aware Candice was following him until he heard her boots crunch through the snow, far away from the crowd and leaving Snowpoint. He turned and glared over his shoulder, but she frowned at him.

"Nick… You need a jacket. Won't you come back and warm up in the Center? We can get you some proper clothes while we organize the capturing party—"

"Candice, shut the hell up," he snapped, continuing his march through the snow. Chase added a growl and kept protectively between them. They were now fully out of Snowpoint and entering the forest surrounding it. "Chase, see if you can't sniff it out. I'll get Kamala to—" With no small amount of surprise, Nick found that he didn't have any other Pokemon with him. He must have left them behind in Pastoria. Well, he could meet up with them again later. He didn't strictly need them for this.

"Don't do this. I know what you're planning! And don't do it!" Candice called in a high voice. Nick looked down at the snow, trying to find tracks. There—those had to be Abomasnow tracks. He and Chase silently made their way between snow-covered trees, shivering but not complaining, and Candice followed them.

It took not ten minutes to find the Abomasnow. It was huddled over in a den made out of snow, apparently sleeping. Nick and Chase stopped well away from it, half-hiding behind a tree. It was larger than he'd have thought. Candice finally caught up with them, cheeks red from running through the snow. "Chase—"

"Nick, I can't let you do this. You know that, right? I actually can't let you do this," she interrupted breathlessly. She placed a hand on his arm, but he only wrenched it away from her and continued glaring at the Abomasnow.

"Are you really going to try and stop me? Tell me I'm wrong? You _know_ I'm not and you can't stop me." He motioned Chase forward, and the dragon slithered through the trees—until Candice once again ran forward, standing between the Abomasnow and the Garchomp with her arms spread wide. "Candice, get out of the way!" Nick barked.

Behind her, the Abomasnow lumbered up, blinking at them with bleary, pink eyes. It rubbed a blunt paw over them with a yawn. Nick noticed the dark coloring of frozen blood on the dark green of its paws. After that, he hardly remembered what happened. "Nick! Don't do this!" Candice yelled at him, glancing back at the Abomasnow warily.

"Chase, Flamethrower!"

To his credit, the fire attack didn't hit Candice and went over her head. The Abomasnow took it in the face, roaring in pain, trying to bring its arms up to defend itself. Candice screamed and turned back and forth between the Abomasnow and Chase.

When Nick was aware of himself and the situation again, Candice was at his feet, not moving. He didn't know whether she was unconscious or dead. Chase was standing over the charred corpse of the Abomasnow, staring at him levelly.

Nick sunk down into the snow, wrapping his arms around himself. It was so cold. His Garchomp sauntered over, still smelling of fire and burnt things. Nick, struggling not to cry, reached up for his starter. Chase growled reassuringly, wrapping his wings around him. What had he just done? "Chase… I'm so sorry. I-I just… snapped. I couldn't help it. Why did you _listen_ to me?"

"_You are my trainer. I will always listen to you. This is how it had to be,_" he said firmly, nuzzling the top of Nick's head.

"But… _why_? I—I'm a terrible trainer. I did this to Lassie, and now I did it to you, only this is _worse_, and are they both dead?" There was a note of hope, for one last chance at getting away from this, in his voice.

"_It will be okay,_" the dragon murmured instead.

-.-.-

The third message was _angry_.

"Nick, pick up the phone! I don't _care_ what you think you're doing, but unless you're in prison right now, you an-and all of your Pokemon need to get over here _now_ and _talk to me_! I need to know what's going on here! What _did_ happen, Nick? Just tell me that! Just tell me what the heck happened to my best friend!"

-.-.-

The funeral was small and quiet and sad. Too small of a body was being buried. Nick's father held his mother while she cried. Nick stood apart from them stonily, refusing to look at the gaping hole in the ground and the coffin laying in it. He didn't say any words; he couldn't.

Matthew's remaining Pokemon were left with his parents.

It was only the next day when Nick had to leave. He hadn't unpacked his bag for the funeral, since he didn't plan on staying very long. As he passed the living room, the TV was showing footage of the Abomasnow's body. They had only just found Candice's body that morning, too, and the police were trying to figure out who did it. He shut off the television and left.

His parents were both ex-trainers, so they understood when he said, "I have to leave for awhile. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm going to go train again." He almost smiled, too, just to make sure they wouldn't worry about him. He kissed them both goodbye and left with Serling. The rest of his team had caught up with him several days ago, so he had nothing left to do there.

His parents gave him watery, brokenhearted smiles and waved goodbye to him.

Then they watched the news that afternoon and watched their last son try to kill the Champion and her team.

-.-.-

The fourth message was _painful_.

"Nick, _please pick up the phone_. I just want to hear your voice again. I want to hear your side of the story. Won't you do this much for me? I-I just have to hear that you're not the bad guy in this. I _know_ you aren't, but I need to hear it from you, please. Th-The news is saying you're a villain, and I know you're not, but just come out and prove it to them. For me? …Won't you do that much _for me_, Nick? Or are you just leaving me behind like Lassie?"

-.-.-

"Vasudeva, _Teleport_!" Nick screamed, lunging at his Magmar. He had managed to return Chase and Harlan, and he and Jules, his Mothim, hit Vasudeva just as he vanished. They reappeared far from the Elite Four and broken Champion in a heap, panting and hurting.

He had had to leave Kamala and Patru behind.

Kamala had been obviously dead, but he hadn't been sure about his Aerodactyl. He had gone down, though, and hadn't gotten back up.

And he had _left them behind_.

Nick clutched Vasudeva for dear life, struggling to get his heart rate under control and ignoring the Magmar's burning skin. Vasudeva tolerated him and stared off into space. If anything, he was ignoring his trainer right then. Jules flitted around both of them, making incoherent, high-pitched squeaks.

"_Trainer is hurt?_" he asked nervously, alighting on Nick's hair.

"I'm fine. Are you two okay?"

The Mothim giggled uncertainly and didn't reply. Vasudeva just nodded. Nick reluctantly let him go, but only because he obviously wanted him to. The Magmar bobbed his head again and stepped away from him.

Nick had withdrawn all of his cash, items, and Pokemon prior to it. His backpack was full of stuff. It was illegal to carry more than six Pokemon with him, but it wasn't as if he gave a damn right then. It was the least of his legal problems.

Still, he wouldn't drag this out more than need be. He dug around in his backpack and started taking out the pokeballs, great balls, ultra balls, and various others. He knew not all of them would like what he did. And realistically, he couldn't keep all of them.

Nick returned Vasudeva and Jules, and started releasing others one by one. He talked to them, explaining the situation, asking them what they wanted to do. They could be released, kept, deposited again (where they would undoubtedly become the police's Pokemon, perhaps to be adopted at a later time). He left the decision entirely up to his Pokemon. He told them that they would not be harmed, since they were not part of the onslaught against the Champion. They would be safe, no matter what they did.

Four wanted to be released into the wild.

Nine wanted to be deposited and be handed over to the state to take care of.

The rest of them wanted to stay.

Nick found himself crying, heartbroken, and grinning up at the large team that would not abandon him. He had lost fifteen Pokemon. The rest had stayed with him. He would not catch any more; he would not subject any Pokemon in the world to be a criminal's Pokemon.

They all held a funeral for Kamala, Patru, and Lassie. No one objected Lassie being included. No one commented on the lack of bodies. Vasudeva was the one to speak, since he had known the three the longest. Nick presided mutely over the ceremony.

Before they all settled in for the night in that dark forest, alone and separated from the world, Nick spoke. "I'm so sorry, guys."

No one replied.

-.-.-

The final message was _broken_.

"…Nick. Please, please pick up. Please answer me. Please call back."

-.-.-

Nick made himself listen to every single message everyone left on his phone. His parents, the police, the Champion herself a couple times, his friends, everyone. Each one hurt worse than the last. It was only after the shortest, most defeated one of all that he snapped his phone in half and tossed it off a cliff.

The months passed quickly. He withdrew from the world and lived off of the land—which, really, wasn't something he was unused to doing. He stuck to thick forests and dark caverns, never going near cities or trainer paths or other human beings. It was alarmingly easy to avoid pursuers.

His items ran out. He had no more Revives, or Potions, or anything else. Two more Pokemon left to become wild. Both of these events were fine with him. He didn't need anything but what he had.

That was until Chase broke his leg.

"How did this happen?"

Of course, everyone that had witnessed it spoke up at once. Nick raised his hands for silence and made his way to his starter, checking the wound. There was a gash as long as his arm down Chase's leg, and the bone gleaming out was obviously broken. This could not be healed properly with time and Berries.

"_It was a Rhydon. I'll be fine,_" Chase growled softly, struggling to get back onto his feet.

"_I-I'm sorry, he w-was trying to p-protect m-me!_" Harlan squeaked, wringing her tail. The Smeargle skittered around them, rapidly nearing tears.

"Harlan, calm down. Chase, you are _not_ fine and we're going to find a way to fix this." Nick started returning his Pokemon until only Chase and Vasudeva were left out. He glanced over his shoulder at the Magmar. "I'm going to need you to Teleport us close to Hearthome. Then, you're going to have to come with me."

Nick, Chase, and Vasudeva left the rest of the extended team (in their balls) with Who. He had orders to Teleport them both far, far away if anyone came across them. Nick reluctantly returned his Magmar, since it would look weird to have him out, and pulled his hood over his head. It had been a year since he attacked the Champion. By letting his hair grow and not shaving for awhile, he hoped that he'd have enough of a disguise to sneak into the Center and get his Garchomp healed.

Nick made it all the way to the Nurse Joy without mishap. She informed him that his Garchomp would need stitches and a cast, and the procedure would take a little over an hour. Nick thanked her quietly and snuck out of the Center. He hoped she estimated well; he would be back in an hour.

Nick did not expect to find Hanna, of all people, leaning outside the Center. She was busily texting away on a phone, a thoughtful frown on her face. She had grown, but he still recognized her easily. The Shiny Leafeon by her feet didn't hurt. She glanced up at him and then back down at her phone.

She didn't look back up at him until the Leafeon started hissing and growling at him. Hanna's frown deepened and she looked down at her Pokemon, then back up at Nick. Too late to stop it, he saw the recollection spark in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but he took a step forward and clamped his hand over her mouth. There was now terror in her eyes. He looked around himself and dragged her into the nearest dark alley, praying that they weren't noticed.

The second his hand left her mouth she spat, "You!"

"Be quiet," he commanded, narrowing his eyes. He didn't know what to do now. He'd been recognized, and he still had an hour before he could get Chase out of the Center. He would _not_ leave his starter behind, which meant he had to stay in or near Hearthome until then.

Which would be very, very hard, thanks to the teenage girl glaring daggers at him.

Hanna then said something that surprised him. "He's still looking for you, you know." Of all the things in the world she could have done—scream for help, kick him, swear at him—and she had to go and do that. Nick didn't need to ask who she was referring to.

He ran a hand over his chin, feeling the scratchy stubble. Some disguise. "…Call your Leafeon off. We can talk this out like civilized people."

"Alexander, return. Nick, you are an idiot. He's still looking for you. He's disappeared from society as much as you have, and he's not even challenging the Champion until you and he sort this out."

"Sort _what_ out?" he snapped, shoving his hands in his hoodie's pocket. Chase's empty pokeball and Vasudeva's filled one were both there, minimized. "There's nothing to sort out. Nothing at all." He carefully slipped Vasudeva's ball into his sleeve, then withdrew his hands from his pocket.

"He—We—Everyone is worried sick over you!" Her voice was rising. That wasn't good.

"Yeah, because they're worried I'll try again," he muttered with a scowl aimed at his shoes.

"Well, yeah! You did a terrible thing, Nick Sayre, and those followers you got are just as bad—"

"_Followers_?"

"Yes! Those horrible people who are killing the trainers with you! Just because they 'don't deserve them'—what crap! Training isn't about who deserves it and who doesn't—"

"Keep your voice _down_!" he hissed. He tried to process what information she'd just given him. This had gotten all out of control. He hadn't meant to be some sort of martyr or idol for others to flock to him—and who the hell was flocking to him, anyway? What sort of twisted souls _agreed_ with what he'd done?

"I can do what I want!" Hanna snorted, crossing her arms. "And unless you promise to go see him, I'm going to start screaming."

"What—Why?"

"Because unless he gets some closure, he's not going to do anything ever again! He's gotten all eight badges, you know. He could have tried the Champion, but _no_, you had to go and ruin that! I could have known the Champion! An-And now he's only going to keep following you around until someone finds him and kills him to stop him!"

That stopped Nick cold. "…Why would they kill him? I don't want him dead. If—If anything, he's more deserving of a team than the rest of us."

"Because he's going after _you_, their _hero_. Just go and talk to him so he'll stop being such a kicked Growlithe about the entire thing!" she demanded.

"I… can't do that."

"Why not? Or—Are you going to kill him too to put him out of his misery? I'm going to start screaming unless you start giving me some answers!" Hanna stood on the tips of her toes to glare up in his face, forcing Nick a step back.

"Stop asking so many then!" He was still stuck on the fact that he had homicidal followers. Were they actually killing other trainers? He hadn't meant for any of this to happen… He had to get the younger boy to stop following him, then. If he continued, it sounded like he'd get killed. "…Where is he now? Here?"

"He hasn't been to a city since you left," she replied scathingly. "Do you know how messed up you made him?"

"Tell him to stop following me. Call him and tell him."

"He won't answer the phone anymore. We only text each other."

"Then text him and tell him to stop it!"

"He wouldn't listen to me! Just go _see_ him!"

Nick paused, thinking. If she was right and he wouldn't give up come hell or high water (well, the water might actually stop him…), then he had to get a message to him somehow. People were dying. _Trainers_ were dying. He had to shock him into stopping. He could attack him—no. No, no, no. Nick shook his head. He didn't have that in him. Not his friend. Not the only one who was still trying to find him. Not the one who reminded him so much of his brother.

He looked down at Hanna. She and he were still in contact, they were still friends. She wasn't a trainer. She just kept her Pokemon as pets. She wasn't a _real_ trainer, she never had been.

She might just be the one to get him to stop, after all.

-.-.-

"I'm turning into a monster," Nick moaned, holding his head in his hands. Several of his Pokemon made comforting sounds, but none of them reached out to try to comfort him physically. They didn't know what to do or say. "I killed again. I'll only kill again, won't I? And—And there are those damn fools holding me up on some sort of sick and twisted pedestal… I wonder if they realize that their hero is such a monster."

"_Calm down. This is not the end of the world_," Chase said gruffly.

"I can't kill _him_, but I'm killing others to try to warn him off. How isn't this the end of the world? Pretty soon, I'll only be half-sane and I'll _really_ start killing. I'll go completely insane and turn into a serial killer. Th-There was that book I read, the one about Pokemon killers. It said that once you kill, it's likely that you'll kill again. Doesn't that mean that I'm practically guaranteed to keep killing by this point—?"

"_Trainer, shut up_." It was not Chase, but Vasudeva who spoke. Nick turned his head over to stare at him, eyes hooded. "_You are worried about killing more, yes? Then simply leave. Don't give yourself the opportunity to kill more._ _It's really that simple_."

Chase growled at the Magmar, lip curling. They both knew that Nick, once upon a time, had tried to track down Giratina. He had been interested in Giratina's world. They both knew where he'd turn to in order to get away.

Nick broke out into a wide, if slightly disturbing, grin. "…That's a good idea. It really _is_ that simple, isn't it? It always has been. Let's go back to Sendoff Spring."

And so they went back to Sendoff Spring. Naturally, the wild Pokemon of the area didn't like this and attacked at every chance they got. Chase kept nearly all of them away single-handedly. Nick knew his Garchomp was strong, but sometimes, he awed even his own trainer.

"Chase, keep them all away, okay? We need to find Giratina. Harlan still needs its Shadow Force!" Nick called, picking his way through the rocky shore to the opening of the temple.

He was almost _happy_. He was finally getting away. He wouldn't have to worry about anyone else's safety, he wouldn't have to worry about killing more, he wouldn't have to worry about hiding anymore. He could be alone and free and only with his team. It didn't even occur to him how dangerous of a plan this might be, how suicidal it would be to go after a legendary.

It didn't even occur to him that he was steadily losing his sanity.

Nick barely made it to the entrance before large, gray hands shot out and held him up by the neck. He smiled politely down into the single, red eye of an angry Dusclops. "You are not welcome here," it told him.

"I don't care. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

The Dusclops narrowed its eye and tightened its grip on his throat. "You have been warned."

"So have you. Chase, Crunch!" Nick wheezed. His Garchomp stopped his fight with a Golduck on the shore and shot over to them, sinking his jaws into the Dusclops' side.

The two fought their way through the temple, until they found a massive room. It was devoid of ghosts—and of legendaries. The stone pillar in the middle had a mirror on it, however, and Nick peered into it. There was only his reflection staring back at him blankly. Giratina was not here.

They fought their way back out, this time much more violently. He was furious that Giratina wasn't here, wasn't paying attention to the temple, wasn't roaring angrily at them that very second. The ghosts had been guarding an empty treasure chest. They probably knew it, too. "Tell me where Giratina is!" he demanded of one of the injured Dusclops.

"…You are a foolish human," it responded wryly before collapsing.

"Chase, kill it."

It was then, when Chase was ripping into a Dusclops at the edge of the temple's entrance, that the water behind them burst open. One of the largest Pokemon either of them had ever seen erupted out of the lake's surface, raging and bellowing and waving its wings at them. Nick turned in awe and enchantment to finally see Giratina.

"Chase, we need that Shadow Force."

The fight didn't last very long. Neither did Nick's state of mind. Giratina vanished, but as he was digging around for Harlan's pokeball, he saw Chase carrying something back to shore. And when he dropped the stunned boy on the shore, Nick's sanity came crashing back down around him.

He kept his guard up, as best he could, and tried not to make much eye contact. He hadn't shaken him off his trail. If anything, killing Hanna's pets had made it worse. He tried to keep himself detached, keep himself the bad guy he knew he was, and kept the younger trainer at emotional arm's length. He _had_ to be the villain there; he was one, after all. He'd just killed how many more in order to get away to _stop_ himself from killing? Something definitely wasn't right with him. And he had to stop himself from doing something to the boy who reminded him so much of his brother.

Nick threatened him, tried to keep him away from him. He scared him. He did everything possible short of punching him in the face to keep him away.

And yet it was still Nicholas Sayre who ran from that encounter.

-.-.-

"I'm getting worse." And he was. He was completely indifferent to killing now, be it Pokemon or human. He had found one of his followers—or maybe it was the follower who found him—and naturally, Nick wouldn't stand for someone so hopeless and cruel to announce to him that he had killed two undeserving trainers and teams, expecting approval.

Some days, he found himself daydreaming about being alone in Giratina's world, or any other world, just him and his team and no one else to worry about.

Some days, it was just him, in that black world that reminded him too much of death.

The Shadow Force hadn't worked as planned. Only Harlan would disappear into that world, no matter how tightly he held onto her, and she always had to come back. The longest she would stay there was a couple minutes. No one in the team could figure out how to make it work for Nick as well, and it hurt him to find out that his hunt for an escape route was nothing but a waste.

It was awhile after that before he noticed a curious trend. He was an expert at hiding himself, but occasionally, he'd venture close to trainer paths. He had noticed long ago that the trainer population seemed to be shrinking, and there were not a lot of friendly battles out in the open anymore. There were more groups of two, but rarely any groups of three. There were a lot traveling in the direction of the nearest city. A _lot_.

It took him a little while before he figured out that this was some sort of mass exodus. Trainers were gathering—for what? He felt a little left out, if he was being honest with himself. _He_ was a trainer too, wasn't he? He was the one who had so many supporters, so many who believed in him, so many trusting him and his ideals about training. Right?

So why didn't he know what the other trainers were up to?

He knew it was stupid and petty and cruel to think all of those things, and he tried to ignore those feelings, but it was hard to. Nick, whatever wrongs he'd done, was still a trainer. That's all he was now. So why couldn't he at least be that, at least know what was going on in the world?

Several times, he almost went into a city to find out. He was nervous, though. Last time, he'd seen Hanna. This time who would he see? A Gym leader? With that many trainers in one area, the odds of someone recognizing him skyrocketed. He didn't feel comfortable trying to sneak into a town just for some scrap of news.

Many of his Pokemon were too recognizable. Chase, Vasudeva, Jules, and Harlan had all been with him when he'd attacked the Champion. He had challenged the Elite Four with even more. There were very few Pokemon he could trust to go into a city alone and find out what was happening.

Eventually, he ended up sending Who. The Hypno could Teleport out of trouble if need be, and while he wasn't exactly a common Pokemon, he wasn't synonymous with the name Nick Sayre.

Who came back with grave news. "_There is some sort of tournament. Trainers are organizing it. Trainers who are following your example._"

"_What does that mean?_" Chase grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"_I'm not sure of it myself. The two on the television merely say that they are following Nicholas Sayre's example._"

"What else did they say?" Nick asked, feeling rather cold. He shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored the feeling, concentrating instead on his Hypno.

"_It's going to be held in Jubilife. There was some rule about the rounds and Pokemon in one's team, but I didn't understand it. They are stopping others from interfering because they have one of the Gym leaders held hostage._"

"_Wh-What sort of rule was it?_" Harlan asked curiously. The Hypno looked at her irritably.

"_Did I not just say I didn't understand it? It was something about earning a Pokemon every round a trainer won, or something to that effect._"

"Earning one? That… doesn't make sense."

They packed up and left, heading to Jubilife. This sounded suspicious—but exciting. Nick had participated in a couple of tournaments before, but never one this massive. With the influx of trainers, it actually wasn't that hard to get into Jubilife. He tied a bandana around the lower half of his face, pulled his hood up over his head, and blended in with the crowds easily.

The televisions were all playing the same thing. The first round of the tournament was underway, or finishing up, by the look of it. There were a lot of tears from the losers. Sure, there were bound to be tears when winning and losing were involved—but this was excessive. Nick doubted he saw a single dry eye from the three battles he watched. Even one of the winners cried and apologized. Something was off about this tournament.

"…And that wraps up the first round! We hope everyone had a great time watching such great battles!" a disheveled blonde told the camera, looking a little worn out. Had she participated as well? "We'll get on with loser's ceremony after a short break."

"Loser's ceremony?" Nick asked aloud without realizing he'd spoken.

"Yes. Now they kill the losers' teams. No one's quite sure how they're going to go about it, especially with half of Sinnoh having just lost, but no one can stop them until it gets underway and they get Byron out of there, can they?" He jumped and turned to see a girl standing beside him, calmly watching the television. She turned to him with a polite incline of her head. He stepped away from her, mentally frowning at the solid black she was wearing.

Then he realized what she'd said.

"Wait—kill! They're killing teams?"

"Oh yes. They've been saying that quite a lot recently, haven't they?" the girl said, turning back to the sheet of glass separating them from the wall of televisions. Something about her seemed faintly familiar, or perhaps faintly _off_. He wasn't sure which. "They're figuring out who deserves teams and who doesn't… I admit, a tournament-style selection process wasn't very smart of them. There could be quite a number of simply unlucky ones they're going to off."

"They're—really? They're thinking they don't _deserve_ their teams?" That was not what he had planned. Not at all. He had only meant to punish Cynthia for not doing anything, for letting so many get hurt and killed by that Abomasnow, for sitting back and relaxing while trainers suffered around her. He hadn't meant to get _others_ thinking that way—especially about other trainers!

Sure, there were some trainers he'd met who really didn't deserve their Pokemon, but there was no reason to _kill_ them over it!

This had gotten too far out of hand.

"Byron is being held in the TV station building. No one's strong enough to try to rescue him, since he'd undoubtedly get killed in that process. Of course, all it takes is the proper high-level trainer…" the girl remarked.

Nick turned and ran. The station—it was down this street, wasn't it? He didn't see the girl release a Xatu, and he didn't see them both watch him leave. Half of Sinnoh was about to lose their teams. _Half_ of the trainers in the region would lose their Pokemon. What sort of sick freaks thought this was a _good idea_?

Killing was suddenly wrong again. He hadn't meant to inspire others to do the same thing he had, to make the same mistake. He didn't want to let others think that they had power over others just because they were stronger. Trainers were trainers, regardless of how strong they were. Everyone deserved the chance to have their own Pokemon, didn't they? Why were these people thinking they didn't? Who was _stupid_ enough to think he had done something _great enough to mimic_?

Nick pulled the bandana down so that it was around his neck; he needed to be able to breathe while running. No one noticed another panicked trainer sprinting down the street. Half way there, he ran out of breath, stopped, and released Who. "T-Teleport…" he gasped out. Before he knew it, they were both on the second floor of the station.

He looked around him in confusion, trying to get his bearings. Something squawked immediately to his left. Who had it pinned up against the wall with a Psychic before Nick realized what was going on. He was trying to find Byron.

Someone had noticed the bird's cry, though, because as he was exiting the room, he heard shouting. He headed in that direction, pulling out Chase's pokeball, hardly aware of Who following him. He kicked down the door and found a scene straight out of a mafia movie. Byron was tied up and leaning against the far wall. A boy and a Scyther were on either side of him, the Scyther's blade pressed against the Gym leader's neck.

Nick then noticed the dozen or so other people and Pokemon in the room.

"Take another step, and we'll kill Byron," someone said coldly.

"'Bout time someone else made it this far, though."

There were ten Pokemon in total in the room, at least as far as Nick could tell. Three humans, not counting himself and Byron. He was very much outnumbered—but they were outclassed. "Who—"

Before he could say anything more than his Hypno's name, a Mightyena snarled and leapt at him. It had Who pinned, jaws at his throat. Nick swore and returned Who before the dark dog could bite down. With his other hand, he threw Chase's pokeball out and the Garchomp appeared with a roar. The Mightyena backed up towards the wall, eyes narrowed and ears laid back.

The Scyther pressed its blade against Byron's neck until there was a thin trickle of blood running down it. Byron's lip curled and he glared sideways at the bug Pokemon. He then locked eyes with Nick again. Nick stepped back; Byron had immediately recognized him. Chase curled around his trainer, growling and snapping at all of the Pokemon, who were trying to advance.

"Back out now and we won't kill you or Byron," a muscular man next to a Hariyama said. "Return your Garchomp before we attack. Why is a winner attacking now, anyway?"

Byron spoke. Everyone unwittingly turned to him, surprised by the move; he hadn't spoken the whole time up until that point. "…If you are _half_ the trainer you once were, go and rescue those lives they're about to destroy."

"What are you talking about, old man?" the burly man snapped.

Byron stared steadily at Nick, ignoring the bleeding. "You shouldn't care what happens to another Gym leader, should you? Instead, go save those trainers who _deserve_ their teams."

This time, it was Nick who snapped at him. "Don't lecture me on that! You have no idea—!" He didn't even see the other trainers suddenly look at him in a new light. Chase hissed at them and bared his teeth at the other Pokemon, who suddenly weren't too keen on challenging the Garchomp any more.

"Yeah, well, if you don't get the hell out of here and _do something_, you and I will both have no idea what it's like to lose an entire team of Pokemon," Byron said evenly. "Unlike those trainers who are about to find that out. Get out of here, Sayre. Go save someone worth saving."

With a _snick_, the Scyther slit his throat.

The boy standing beside him, hand raised as a motion to the Scyther, stepped forward. Eyes shining with admiration, he peered at Nick curiously. Nick didn't even notice him, instead watching, horrified, as Byron's body fell over and he started coughing weakly. "You… You really _are_ Sayre, aren't you?" the boy asked, jarring Nick out of his shock.

"What do you think you're doing here?" he snarled, turning on him. The boy looked intimidated, but delighted at the same time.

He grinned uncertainly up at the older trainer. "W-We're just following your example. It was about time someone decided to set a standard for Pokemon training, and we're just so—"

The boy was pinned up against the wall before he could finish. Nick held him with one hand at his throat, the other reaching down to where Byron's shovel was leaning against the wall. He picked it up and held the flat side against the boy's cheek. "Do you know what this is?"

"B-Byron's shovel?"

"Yes. It is. He's hit me twice with it. He also nearly knocked out Chase when we challenged him. Byron was _very_ animated with this shovel of his. And you know what?"

"What…?" the boy squeaked.

"He will never be able to do that again, will he? Byron will never be able to lift his shovel again and smack sense into younger trainers. He won't be able to hand out badges. He won't be able to give advice on continuing on with a training journey. He won't be able to admire the up-and-coming young trainers. He won't be able to challenge the next generation. He won't be able to test trainers to _see if they deserve their Pokemon_. Are you seeing what I'm getting at here?"

The boy only stared at him, eyes rolling in terror.

"You, who are using Pokemon to bully others—_no_, it's not even that tame anymore is it? You are all using your own Pokemon to kill others! Do you know how _stupid_ that is? You don't _do_ that! You don't have the right to pass judgment on anyone! _You_ are the ones who don't deserve the Pokemon that follow you!" Nick roared, dropping the boy and turning to the room. He swung Byron's shovel against the nearest window, shattering it. Glass rained over the fallen Gym leader's body. "You all claim to be my followers, right? So you should know what's coming next!"

Nick grinned at them all, arms spread, waiting for someone to answer him. The other two trainers in the room didn't dare speak, and the Pokemon cowered before him. Nick stomped over to them, still swinging the shovel beside him, and beamed at them all.

"You don't deserve these Pokemon, so that's why I'm going to take them away from you! Chase, Flamethrower."

He didn't kill anyone himself until he found the burning warehouse with thousands of lives trapped inside and two starry-eyed girls responsible for it. For the first time, it wasn't his Pokemon doing the dirty work; Nick still had Byron's shovel, and was beating their faces in until the blood soaked the ground around them. They deserved it. They deserved it _so much_ and so much more for doing what they were doing. They were killing not only innocents, but all in the name of their twisted judgment call on all of Sinnoh. _They_ were trying to imitate him and decide who deserved what—so he just gave them a hand with a shovel and a parting Flamethrower just to make sure they got the message.

So what if he was screaming at them, too. "You _don't do that_! You don't attack other trainers, you're stupid for trying to follow me! You're as bad as I am! Why are you doing this? Why did you try this? Why, _why_?"

-.-.-

Nick had no more perception of time. He'd either lost it or was ignoring it. Time might've passed, or it might've been just yesterday he had broken down and murdered yet again. Byron was dead. Candice was dead. Trainers were dead, dying. They were all dying. It was some sort of large scale battle royale in which the higher-ups would win just because they had a head start and had enough of life.

"You're acting like a mother," he told Chase.

"_Someone has to,_" he replied simply, raising his head. Nick sighed and nestled back down against his Garchomp's side.

Jules flitted up to them. Nick blinked at him, unaware he'd even left. The Mothim had a curious expression on his face; he looked ready to cry, perhaps, or like he was expecting some sort of abuse. "_Trainer, I have bad news._"

"News?"

"_I-I went to the city. Chase and Who—they told me to. They told me to keep an eye on humans. On the news. They want to stop that from happening again—we don't want you to go through that again._" Go through what? Nick had no concept whatsoever of what had happened. He just felt strangely empty and tired all of the time, and for some reason, he couldn't get the taste of blood out of his mouth. "_The news. It's bad news. Someone decided to—retaliate against you. They—your parents—They have—_"

"My parents?" Nick asked blankly. He hadn't seen his parents in over a year. He missed them, sometimes, but he hadn't seen them or talked to them in so long. What about his parents was so bad?

"_Trainer, someone says they will kill your parents if you don't give yourself up to them,_" Jules said solemnly, blinking his big eyes rapidly.

Nick stared up at his Mothim, blinking just as often. His parents. Someone was going to kill them? Killing was bad—killing meant death—killing was what had happened to his brother. He stood up, looking wordlessly back at Chase. His Garchomp stood up as well. Jules flitted nervously out of the way with a squeak. Nick grabbed his backpack and started returning his Pokemon. It was one thing to run from society and kill murdering 'followers'. It was quite another to ignore his parents' plight. He didn't have the chance to save his brother, but now he had the chance to save the rest of his family.

What would happen if he lost them, too, didn't even cross his mind.

"Who, I need you to Teleport me to my parent's place."

His Hypno twirled his charm around his finger, looking away, almost guiltily. "_Trainer, this is not the wisest of decisions_—"

"Who."

"…_Fine._"

"_I agree with Who. You'll only get in trouble if you go_—"

"Chase, kindly shut up. I love you and you're my starter and I value that, but you're not my mother, no matter how much you act like her sometimes. If I lose my real one, I will _not_ be happy." He was hardly conscious of what he was saying anymore. He didn't know how long it took for him to return everyone and get ready. It might've been two minutes, it might've been two hours. Time had long since escaped him and it wasn't going to come back anytime soon.

Give himself up to save his parents? In a heartbeat. He had thought before about just giving himself up and putting himself at society's mercy, but now it wasn't even a passing thought. It was merely a fact.

Chase was returned last. Who stayed out for the necessary Teleport, but the second the surroundings changed, Nick returned him, too. He glanced around him, just once, and immediately recognized the area. There was that big oak tree he had fallen out of as a child, there was his neighbor's fence in the distance, and there, on the hill, was his house.

He hadn't been here since the funeral.

Nick shouldered his backpack, halfheartedly wondering if he should've let them go. It was too late now. The cameras swarming the yard at the base of the hill had spotted him. He ignored them and the sudden sinking sensation in his stomach, squared his shoulders, and marched up towards his house.

There was a man on the porch and a Staravia perched on the porch railing next to him. His parents were nowhere in sight. Nick stopped at the foot of the stairs, glaring up at this man, this assailant, this person who was trying to take the rest of his family away. He felt a sudden, unwanted spike of anger and the burning carcass of the Abomasnow flashed into his mind. Nick grit his teeth and bowed his head, trying to get rid of the mental image; the man on the porch must have taken that as a sign of compliance.

"Your parents are inside, safe an' sound, just 'cause you came in time. Cut it a bit close, but you still made it. And unlike you, I'm decent and I won't harm innocents."

Nick glared up at him again, opening his mouth to reply, but he noticed for the first time that the man had a gun.

In the momentary shocked silence, the man continued, "My nephew's in there with them, guardin' them with our Pokemon. Any sneaky stuff and they'll be killed. My son was in that tournament you made." It flowed together so well it took Nick a moment to figure out he had changed subjects. He tore his eyes away from the gun and glared up at the man once more. The man's expression hardened and he raised the gun.

It was now centered on his forehead and less than two feet from his head.

"My son was in that tournament you made, and because of it, he died," the man stated. The safety clicked off.


	152. And Less Than Kind

Bang.

Nick had the man pinned against the stairs of the porch, wrestling the gun away from him. The anger was back. This was the man who was trying to kill his parents to draw him out. To _kill_ his _parents_, innocent people who were only unlucky enough to lose both their sons to the same tragedy. He finally pulled the weapon away.

The man backed away from him and Nick shakily pointed the gun at his chest. His heart was thundering in his ears and all he could think about was his parents, his family, and his brother.

"Release my parents." He had never used a gun before in his life, but he figured pointing and shooting would get him as far as he needed in this instance. "_Release them!_" he shouted.

"M-Michael, get out here! Don't harm the two in there!" the man called, voice as shaky as Nick's hands.

Nick watched as a teenage boy hesitantly opened the screen door, taking in the situation with shock that quickly transformed into anger. Nick turned the gun on him preemptively. "Both of you, get out of my house. Get away from here."

They both looked past him, and he reflexively followed their gaze. He was surprised to find cop cars and cameras at the end of the driveway, just a hundred feet away, no doubt watching this unfold avidly. For a brief moment, Nick wanted to turn the gun to the crowd and pull the trigger.

The moment passed and he lowered it a bit. "This is what you allowed!" he yelled at them. "Innocent people, hurt yet again because of idiots who can't—" The man in front of him tackled him and they both went off the porch onto the path below. Winded, Nick struggled both for breath and the gun.

Then the man's Staravia flew at him, pecking at his hair and face. Nick had to let go of the weapon in order to shield himself, rolling over and running as soon as he got the chance. He was already tearing his backpack open in order to get to Chase's pokeball. The gun went off, but what it hit, he didn't know; it wasn't him. Chase came out with a roar, took one look at the situation, and threw Nick to the ground with his tail.

The Staravia screeched, beating back Chase as best as it could, shredding his wing and belly with its claws. He snarled and clamped down on its shoulder with his jaws, tossing it away like a rag doll. The man released a Purugly and a Bibarel, but Chase roared and they decided to stick closer to their trainer. Nick turned a corner around the house, scanning for open windows. He could still hear the Pokemon fighting in the front yard, and hastily released Jules and Marco as well, sending them to go help.

The back door turned out to be locked. He tried kicking it down and even rammed his shoulder into it, but he only managed to break the screen door. Nothing for the door behind it. Frustrated and panicking, he just about had Vasudeva burn it down. "Mom, dad!" He settled for banging on it, shouting into the wood.

He heard something muffled inside. That was it—and no way of telling who or what it was.

Back to the front, then, to take out the main threat and get in that way. Nick leapt off of the back porch, nearly tripping himself in the process, and came around the other side to see a rather fierce battle royale going on. Two of the policemen had joined in, trying to restrain man and Pokemon alike. Nick made a strangled little growl at seeing Marco put down by a Luxray and Jules flitting around, shrieking and avoiding flames.

He returned them both, but just before he could let out a new cavalry, an Arcanine pinned him to the ground. The pokeball in his hand tumbled out onto the grass, mercilessly keeping its inhabitant inside. Nick fought with the canine, trying to get another Pokemon out before Chase and he were swamped completely. Having an Arcanine himself, however, he knew that it would be impossible to win a wrestling match with one.

"Chase! Augh—Chase, Earthquake!" His Garchomp growled an affirmative and slammed his claws into the ground. The Arcanine was thrown off and Nick was tossed onto his porch like a rag doll. It was enough to disrupt most of the fighting for the time being, and he was quick to scramble back to his feet. "Chase, run!" Nick grabbed onto his hind leg just as he took to the sky once more, backpack in his free arm.

Then he spotted the pokeball lying in the grass. The one he hadn't had time to release.

He'd be damned before he left another one of his team behind.

He swung his backpack onto one of the spikes on Chase's leg, dropping after that. Chase flailed and tried to catch him and the backpack, accidentally sending a couple more pokeballs tumbling out onto the ground below. Thankfully, most of them released their contents.

"Guys, get out of here!" Nick shouted, landing roughly on the ground below. Vasudeva and Fargo kept the police's Pokemon away with flames, and Nick searched, panicking, for the pokeballs that hadn't been released. He found the first one and another, hoping against hope that that was all. He jammed them in his pockets and whistled for Serling, seeing that Chase was busy with a Drifblim and a Crobat. His Staraptor dropped out of the sky, alighting beside him with a flurry of feathers. "Vasudeva, grab Harlan and Moffat and get out of here! Chase, Ser—oof!" He was once again sent to the ground, this time by a policeman. That was more fair, at any rate, and Nick was much more successful fighting back.

Still, he was fighting a losing battle by prioritizing escape instead of self-defense. He knew his parents would be okay, though; the man who had started all of this was finally subdued and was being led off. The cop had size on him and soon gained the upper hand.

It was as if time sped up; everything seemed to be happening too fast. Nick saw the blue flames of a Dragonbreath aimed at Chase, making him retreat. Vasudeva scooped up Moffat and Harlan, one in each arm, and cast him one last look before blinking out of the scene. The policeman on top of him pinned him to the ground, successful at last, and when he felt the cold handcuffs click onto his wrists he knew he was in serious trouble.

"Chase, get out of here! _Now_!" he shouted desperately, still trying to wiggle towards his starter. Chase roared, throwing a Luxray into the air with a sweep of his wing, but he was outnumbered. "Chase, that's an order! _Leave_!"

The tone in his command finally caught his Garchomp's attention. He flapped into the air, looking down at his captive trainer for one brief moment. Nick nodded, as best he could, as he was dragged to his feet. Chase finally flew off.

At least he'd saved some of them. He'd saved Chase. He's saved his parents. They would come back for him, he knew, but the important thing was to get out of the immediate danger. He had faith in his team.

But then, as Nick was led away by the police, reality ensued. He wasn't used to people, to crowds, to hostility. A primal sort of terror gripped him, and upon seeing Nick Sayre panic, the guards around him began to do the same. It only made him worse. He was realizing that he was in _prison_, he was going to be punished. His chances at his team bailing him out grew slimmer with each passing moment, each locked door.

It wasn't until he was facing down Roark that the gravity of the situation hit him. He didn't feel the punch that led to his black eye; he only recognized the raw pain in his voice, layered upon hurt and sorrow as he accused him of the murder of his father. Nick denied it, and it was true. He had tried to save Byron.

Roark would have none of it. Nick was the only source for his blame.

He was thrown into a cell and kicked for good measure. He stood accused of crimes he actually didn't commit. He acknowledged the irony with a shaky, unsteady laugh.

All he had wanted to do was withdraw and be alone with his team. He was willing to lose his parents in his life, just to keep them safe, but no, that hadn't worked. He was being blamed for everything. "I didn't do it," he whispered to himself. The words comforted him. "I didn't start this, I wanted to be alone... I still want to be alone. That's all. I want to be alone, I want to be alone." The words became a mantra, a comfort thing. He couldn't be blamed because it wasn't his fault. He had tried to avoid it all.

An hour could have passed, a week could have passed. He was left alone. He wanted to be alone, though, so that was okay. Solitary was fine with him. He couldn't hurt others that way. He simply kept repeating his wish to himself, comforting himself in place of his team. At one point, he idly thought that he was trying to stay sane with his repetitions, and for some reason, he found that absurdly funny.

_Stay sane, ha_, he thought, leaning against the concrete wall. _I just wanted to stay alone._

He didn't hear him at first, but soon enough, his hero appeared. Hero, friend, rival, brother—no, just his friend. Nick had to jar himself back into reality as he stared at him. He looked like—no, he wasn't his brother. That was a sick thought that would only lead to disaster.

Still, he was one piece of humanity he didn't mind, because he didn't blame him. He didn't seem to. It was still craziness that made him blurt out, "You should come with me."

"Huh? Wh-Where?" He sounded apprehensive.

Nick looked down, to Harlan in his arms. She squeaked and pressed against his chest. "Away. I'm going to be leaving. You should come with me."

"Why?" Was he fielding? Or trying to find his excuse? Or was Nick just being paranoid?

He kept avoiding eye contact. It was safer that way; it was his last sane defense mechanism. "You're my friend," he started, simply. "You're better than all of the stupid masses. You are the best trainer I know." _Much better than I am_, he thought sadly, looking at Chase's hurt wing. That had happened because of him. Because he was stupid, still so stupid. He still caused harm to those he cared about.

For one tiny second, he thought about going away and being alone. But _really_ alone—without his team.

The thought passed.

"That's not true, you're—"

Nick couldn't help but cut him off at that. "I'm not a good trainer. I try, I really, really do, but maybe I need someone who has such a positive influence there with me. Are you really happy right now?" He finally looked at the younger boy again. Those big blue eyes, so wide, so trusting, so confused. He was one of the small pieces of good left in the world. Nick wanted to save him. The world didn't deserve any more good. As he watched, his eyes darkened to midnight and he looked down with a faint frown.

In a way, he almost wanted him to be happy, to tell him no, to drag him back to the regular world with that. But no, he wasn't happy. He hadn't been for a long time. That was Nick's last chance at salvation; he could have one last tie to humanity, to goodness, to sanity.

"...Exactly. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life like that?" _Like me?_ Nick kept his mouth shut on the last bit, however. He didn't need to be so bitter. It was his own damn fault. It just—wasn't.

Who took the boy away and Nick was finally alone.

He didn't want to be.

-.-.-

"_A-Are you alright_?" Harlan asked softly, wringing her tail in her paws. Nick looked up at her, scratching his cheek and leaving behind a smear of red.

"Yeah, why?"

"_You're acting... sad_." Her voice dropped to a whisper on the last word and her grip on her tail tightened.

"I'm not," he replied blankly.

"You're right." He didn't jump or startle or anything. He only looked up. A girl dressed in all black, accompanied by a Xatu and a Raichu, stepped into their clearing. Chase immediately began growling, but didn't attack. Yet. He was getting more cautious as the months passed, Nick noted.

"I am?" Nick asked. She couldn't hold his attention, though, and he returned to scribbling in a notebook. It kept getting red on it, though, and he didn't know why. It seemed to appear there at random.

"Of course," she said. She kept her ground, staying smartly away from the snarling dragon. "You're not sad. You're angry."

"No, no I'm not," he told her.

"Oh." She didn't argue with him. He liked it when others didn't argue; it seemed like Chase and Vasudeva were arguing with him more and more often. Instead, she said, "Then what are you?"

"I want to be alone right now, so if you'd please—leave."

"Ohh," she repeated, this time drawing it out. He glanced up at the girl again, annoyed. She wasn't leaving, and she was dressed in all black. Not only that, but she bothered him. It was like she was from a half-remembered dream, or maybe there was just something _off_ about her. He couldn't decide which, and he couldn't bring himself to care. "Did you ever see Matthew's body?"

Nick froze. He was sure his heart had stopped beating in his chest.

"I thought not. Mighty suspicious... Even in the case of maiming, they usually let the family see the body... Tragic, though, I suppose. And that's all it is, a simple tragedy." Chase had her Xatu pinned underneath his claws and Fargo had his teeth around the Raichu's tail before she could fully turn away. Nick stood up, shaky, and looked up at her. She stared back, not at all worried about her Pokémon.

She wasn't worried about her Pokémon, not even when they were in such blatant danger. How could she even call herself a trainer? He scowled and narrowed his eyes, and that was all of the command his team needed.

"My name is Lola." She still didn't pay any heed to the snapping and squawking and fire and electricity. "This is Samael, and while I'm not sure you remember me, you'll remember him. His name is Ato."

Chase continued chewing on the bird, quite unfazed. Fargo, however, let go of the Raichu and backed up with a whine. "G-Get off! Chase, off!" Nick shouted, fear bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Chase finally released the Xatu, and Nick walked over to it, inspecting. It had been years, he had been a Natu, it had been such a short-lived relationship... But such a memorable one. He had caused such problems, worrying Lassie and Kamala near to death. He had started them on their road to panic and fear and ultimately, death.

"Do you still have Valtiel?" Lola inquired politely.

Nick looked at her, still not recognizing her but finally taking her seriously. "No, I... He didn't want to come with me. I released him."

"Ah, that is too bad. I was looking forward to seeing him again."

"Who... Why are you here."

"I came here to talk, that's all," she said, and finally smiled. He didn't like her any more when she smiled; she forced it too much. It wasn't natural or real. She sat down near a tree and her Raichu crawled into her lap, fur crackling with static electricity. Ato—if that's really who it was—stood behind her, wings folded regally in front of himself. She petted her Raichu, not bothered by the static in the least.

"Why," he said hoarsely, backing up until his back was pressed against Chase's side. Ato had been a troublemaker and bad news. He said nonsense and cryptic nonsense at that—Nick wanted nothing more to do with him, especially if he was a Xatu now. His new trainer was no better.

"Matthew, your brother."

"Wh-What about him." The very sound of his name on her lips was enough to make his blood freeze. He didn't talk about him, he didn't think about him or dream about him or anything.

"It was all very suspicious, wasn't it?" Lola asked calmly. She continued stroking her Raichu and said, "That Abomasnow had been around for so long, and it had even killed before. So tragic that it wasn't stopped in time."

"I stopped it," he told her. She nodded in acknowledgment.

"Yes, that. Still... So sad. He was so young. He'd be about fourteen now, wouldn't he?"

"Yeah."

"I never met him, but a friend of mine has. He seemed like an excellent trainer."

"He was."

Lola looked at him, visible eye lidded and distant. "...What if I told you that you could be happy again?"

-.-.-

"_This isn't right_," Vasudeva growled softly, putting his claws on his trainer's arm. Nick shrugged him off. All he had to do was stay out of sight. They helped him get away and stay away. No one visited him except Ato, and those visits were thankfully few and far between. It was true that it was Ato, but that was no good news. It put his team on edge.

He ignored it. Lola had given him an idea. He could still get away, but not with Giratina's Shadow Force. That was too chancy and didn't work. He could get away in a more physical sense—find a place no one else could reach. They tried Iron Island, they tried the snowy fields south of Snowpoint. The former led to too many dead trainers and the latter led to too many bad memories.

He moved every so often, sometimes on his own whim, sometimes with Ato's guidance. He got to see more of Sinnoh, mostly familiar places. He'd been everywhere before, so there were so many of those familiar places, but not all of them held happy memories, either. There was always a ghost chasing him.

It was during his unstable life that he began rethinking Ma—his brother. He still couldn't bring himself to acknowledge the name. It was something sacred.

He had never seen the body; at the time, he couldn't bring himself to ask. He knew how bad Pokémon attacks could be. He'd lost Pokémon that way before, so he wasn't exactly unused to mangled corpses. Still, for it to be his brother's little body in that little coffin...

Part of him had naturally denied it when he first heard. Even throughout the funeral, that part, even shrinking, didn't let him cry in peace. Death was something humanity denied, it was that simple. He thought he had since come to terms with it, however (how couldn't he say that when he had faced down Cynthia for it), but for a couple of suggestive words from a girl he hardly knew, they were powerful. The doubt he thought was dead and gone was back in full force.

And as the time he didn't believe in passed, the doubt began to grow. Grow horribly and grapple with the parts of him that were still—no, not sane. He didn't like that word. The parts of him that still recognized right and wrong, that was better. Right and wrong was still something he believed in. It was easier to believe in those, rather than truth or sanity or friendship.

"I want to be alone," he murmured, mostly to himself. Chase made an uncharacteristic sympathetic sound, resting a claw on his shoulder. Nick couldn't bring himself to shake him off.

But no, he didn't want to be alone. He did and he didn't. It was confusing. It was more like... He wanted to be _selectively_ alone. There were two people he wouldn't mind seeing—no, _one_, his brother was _dead_, or so he had to remind himself—and one who forced her presence on him. Everyone else could burn. No, that wasn't right. He didn't want everyone to burn. Just those who were cruel, or neglectful, or abusive, or vicious. It was so hard trying to pick them out from the normal people, but he couldn't help but think that they outnumbered the normal people.

After The Tournament, he certainly thought as much.

"Have you heard of the Gym race?" Lola asked during one of her visits. He still wasn't used to them; he still didn't like her. He preferred it when she simply sent Ato with her message, but she seemed to enjoy his company, no matter how antisocial he tried to be.

"Yeah." She looked surprised, so he scornfully elaborated, "Just because I'm—out here, it doesn't mean I'm unaware. ...I knew about The Tournament, didn't I? And my parents?"

"This is true," she admitted. "...Still, it's quite the thing right now. I've been invited to join it."

"Are you going to?" he asked, although he couldn't care either way. Though, if she joined, she would leave him alone, right? If it weren't for that damned Xatu, he could have even left her, too.

"I think so. It seems like a good opportunity." He didn't ask for what. "You could always accompany me. I'm sure Sinnoh would react to your presence."

"With hatred," he snorted. He wasn't so delusional.

"Not everyone," Lola said, a smile in her voice. Matt—no, that wasn't his brother. His brother was dead (_or was he_). "I think you would be surprised at the number that would flock to you, if given the chance."

"No thanks. I don't want anything to do with those idiotic followers or whatever they think they are. I did _not_ mean to start any of this."

"Sure. Still... If you'd like to drop in, all I ask is a bit of warning."

"I'm sure I'd rather not." She only smirked and left.

-.-.-

"I made him a Gym leader." Her next visit and she looked horrible. He would've ignored her completely, resolving earlier to try that, had she not stumbled into his camp so bloody and triumphant. She grinned at him—just like those stupid followers, looking for approval.

Nick spat into the fire and turned his back on her.

"It wasn't too hard, it just—" With a wet cough, she doubled over, holding her stomach. She could hardly straighten back up, but she continued, "He's a Gym leader now, but he says he wants to find you and stop you."

"I don't care." Although he _did_. He wouldn't mind seeing a friendly face again, even if he looked so much like—no, he was dead.

Nick fisted his hands in his hair, growling to himself. He should _not_ still entertain the thought. His brother was dead, and he shouldn't have to remind himself of that so often. He shouldn't. ...But he was. More and more often. He was faintly aware that he was finally losing it.

"I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed your number."

"What?" He turned back to her, half-grateful for the distraction. "...I don't have a phone. I haven't—for awhile."

"That's why I said your number."

He eyed her warily. "...What happened to you?"

"N-Nothing, really. I was only covering my tracks."

"With blood?"

"Sometimes, that's the most efficient way. They don't look for anything else that way." She gave him a smile that didn't fool him; she was only baring her teeth at him, her eyes still sad. She seemed to catch on and hurriedly looked away from him.

"...Why are you so invested in all of this? You're not like the other followers."

"We're more connected than you think. Through our friends."

-.-.-

He didn't know when it happened.

But one day, he woke up and realized that Matthew was still alive.

He hadn't been killed by that Abomasnow; that had been a vicious lie. He had only been taken from him, hidden away. He was still right to challenge Cynthia, but perhaps less right to kill the Abomasnow. The guilt was tiny and easily forgotten, however; his mind and heart were too distracted by the very thought of his brother still being _alive_ to do much else than concentrate on that.

"_She's lying, your brother is dead!_" Chase whined, staying low to the ground. His pose momentarily caught his trainer off guard; he hadn't done it since he had evolved. Since Chase and Fargo had spent so much of their time together when they were younger, the then-Gabite had picked up several canine characteristics. The main one was the body language, especially pressing himself low to the ground, tail between his legs: a pose of submission.

"Why are you... No, nevermind. Chase, it's... It makes sense this way, doesn't it?"

"_The witch is manipulating your feelings and thoughts_," Who chimed in.

"And where have you been lately?" Nick asked irritably, glad for the excuse to turn away from his starter. Who looked up at him innocently. "Don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking off every so often."

"_I am only checking in on the news of the region, as you asked so long ago. I do not want you to get caught unawares by forces outside you again_," he replied at once.

"Oh." It didn't even enter into his mind to doubt his Pokémon. They were still loyal to him, they had chosen to stay with him. Who wouldn't lie to him. "You, uh, thanks. I guess I still need a link—I just want to be alone, but until then..." Nick groaned and glared up at the night sky. "I wish that stupid Shadow Force had worked."

"_I-I'm sorry_!" Harlan squeaked with a jump.

"No! No, Harlan, I didn't mean that. I just wish there had been an easy fix to all of this, that's all," he soothed immediately, kneeling down beside her. She clung to him, and then held out her tail with one paw. With a flick, she disappeared with the Shadow Force, and as usual, Nick stayed put. She reappeared behind him with a teary sigh. "It's okay, Harlan. I was just... musing."

"_There are other ways to get away_," Vasudeva spoke up. Nick turned to him, mildly surprised; his Magmar didn't speak much lately. He didn't speak much since Kamala died, anyway. The fire Pokémon spared his trainer a lidded look. "_More physical ways to go about it. There are other legendaries to irritate if you are so bent on this._"

Chase was upon him at once, snarling and pushing his teeth into his face. Nick jumped at them, pulling them apart before any damage could be done. "_You spiteful piece of warm soot! Don't say such things!_" Chase snapped, still trying to get around his trainer. Vasudeva merely stepped away and waved his tail dismissively at them both.

"Vasudeva, stop tormenting him. But what are you talking about?" Nick couldn't help but ask.

"_If you want to be alone_," the Magmar said, _"simply make a place to be alone in._"

"Yeah, because that's easy. What exactly do you mean?"

"_Oh, Vasu, I do hope you know what you're doing_," Who murmured worriedly. Harlan whimpered and hid behind him, wringing her tail again.

"_To the north, there is a place where the legendary Heatran resides. I was there once. He is a god of fire and magma, and isn't that what new lands are made of?_" Vasudeva asked, and for the first time in a long time, he smirked.

"_He is confused, not suicidal!_" Chase roared, rearing back.

"He is also right here, and I'm neither of those things!" Nick deadpanned, glaring his Garchomp back down. "I'm not confused and I'm _definitely_ not suicidal." He paused, and then looked down at his shoes. "...Maybe I should be. The guilt's there, the anger's there. The—no. I have to stay alive, I have to find Matthew again."

Vasudeva looked at him oddly. Chase made a low, sad growl and rested his head lightly on Nick's shoulder. Nick scratched him under the chin. Jules flitted over and landed lightly in his trainer's black hair, nestling down. "_So, are we going there?_" he asked curiously.

"...Yeah, yeah we are. Pack up, guys." As if they had much to pack up. "We're going to the north."

Who groaned and turned to Harlan. The Hypno whispered something into her ear that Nick didn't catch. Just as he was about to ask, however, Vasudeva cleared his throat with a puff of smoke. "_This will be a difficult thing to achieve, you realize?_"

"Of course, but we've faced down worse." Nick tried to give him a reassuring smile, but had a feeling he failed. "Vasudeva, Teleport."

-.-.-

The next time he saw Ato, Nick was ignored. This wasn't something he was used to, since the Xatu usually appeared to speak to him.

Instead, this time, Ato dove at Who with a vicious squawk and began tearing at him with claws and beak alike. The Hypno snarled in response and it soon degraded into a Teleport game of tag, both of them shrieking at each other nonsense that Nick couldn't catch half of.

"_You cheater! You used another route! That wasn't fair—we were competing over the boy!_"

"_There are no rules when the stakes are this high!_"

Harlan stopped them both with a Light Screen erected in between them. The two panted, trying to catch their breaths, and glared daggers at each other. Nick patted her on the head with a, "Thank you, Harlan. Now tell me, one of you—what the _hell_ is going on?"

Ato immediately reverted to a more demure, formal appearance. He folded his wings and began running his beak over his ruffled feathers; he wasn't going to reply. Who crossed his arms under his ruff and bit out, "_The Xatu is a sore loser. He always has been._"

"_The Hypno is a liar and a cheat_," Ato replied primly.

"What are you talking about? Were you competing in something?"

Both stiffened, knowing they were caught. Nick looked between the two as sternly as he could. Who nervously broke the tense silence. "_We were simply... manipulating outside forces. Against the witch._"

"_Ask him where his charm is_," Ato replied haughtily, then Teleported off with a crow of laughter.

Nick looked down at him, surprised to find that Who's charm did in fact seem to be missing. He had never seen him without his charm. "Who... Where is it?"

"_I must have lost it_," he replied weakly.

"_Um._" Harlan tugged on Nick's pants leg, getting his attention. "_A-Actually, I took it._"

"What? Why?" He completely missed the incredulous look Who shot her.

She ducked her head and scuffed her paws on the ground—she looked more bashful than nervous, which was new for her. "_I, um... I painted it and turned it into a collar. I-I wanted to use it as a gift, and Who said h-he didn't need it anymore..._"

"But—why?" Nick repeated dumbly, unsure of how to take this.

"_Hypno charms are supposed to be g-good luck!_" she squeaked, burying her face in her paws. "_I-I thought he would need it!_"

"Who is this now?"

Harlan continued to avoid eye contact, petting her tail frantically, ignoring the paint getting all over her paws. "_Y-You knew him... Th-The um, the Shinx. E-Except he evolved! Into a handsome Luxray, he's so big now..._" She sighed dreamily.

"Luxray? I don't have one."

The Smeargle immediately lost her happy smile. "_Your friend's._"

"Huh?" It took him a moment to realize who she was talking about. He wasn't sure which was more surprising—the fact that she had a crush on that bloodthirsty now-Luxray, or the fact that she was still in contact with him. "Wait—you've been to see him? Recently? _Why_ did you leave?" Nick demanded.

Harlan shrunk back, using her tail to hide behind, seeing no other convenient beings. "_I just... I-I..._" She looked around desperately, finally begging Who to jump in with her eyes.

It was Vasudeva who ended up defending her, however, to everyone's shock. "_What more reason is there than love?_" he asked neutrally.

Nick faltered, anger evaporating. He didn't know what to say to that. The puzzle pieces laid out before him didn't quite fit together, however. "Why is Ato so upset about the charm, then?"

"_The Luxray has tried to eat him on several occasions. He doesn't like him_," Who volunteered. That made sense, considering his memories of the electric Pokémon.

It didn't explain how Who had cheated, though. "But why did he call you a cheater? What were you doing to Lola?"

"_They're unrelated_," Who said, "_He thought he might get me in trouble by mentioning that. We were... I was sabotaging some of her plans. You know that she is not a good person, so I thought... I was trying to do a little good._"

He really was at a loss for what to say after that.

Time again passed—maybe one night, maybe a dozen, time was only a forgettable blur. It took entirely too much coaxing to get Heatran to appear, and then, the battle was a long one. It repeatedly tried to escape, which only annoyed Nick. He only wanted an island. It didn't have to be terribly huge, just something for him to claim as his own and defend and be alone on.

Alone with his team and with Matthew, because those were the things he could protect, even after all he had done. At least he could protect those things. He could still keep them, and he _would_, the rest of the world be damned.

Heatran was strong, however. Strong and at home in the heat, whereas a large portion of his team was wilting and panting and sweating. It luckily didn't seem too keen on outright attacking, instead fleeing when there was the slightest lull. Nick was stuck with long-range attacks, not wanting anyone venturing out over the lava, which made it even more difficult.

His team was doing a wonderful job, however. A Dragonbreath there, a Bubblebeam here, an Air Cutter there. Heatran was starting to weaken. Nick didn't want to capture it, but once it was weak enough, he could hopefully talk some sense into it, make his case. If not, he could and would threaten it to do what he wanted.

But just as he was making progress, after chasing it out of the magma for the umpteenth time, he realized there was a battle going on behind him. He only really noticed because there was an Earthquake that not only knocked Serling and Fargo off the platform (he thanked every deity he knew as his Staraptor rescued him), but it knocked Heatran off of the wall it was clinging to.

With a splash of red hot lava, it fell into the pool below and stayed there. He hadn't had the chance to try to lure it back out. Chase and Serling dove out over the lava, dropping a couple of attacks into it in the vain hope of drawing it out once more, but Nick already knew it was a lost cause. He would have to try again in a day or two. Or whenever.

He angrily turned towards the battle going on across the bridge. He was surprised there were so many people, but it looked as if they were trimming themselves down. He could easily see bodies on the ground already.

_Wait—why are there people here?_ For the first time in a long time, he felt the cold grip of fear. He wanted to be _away_ from people, not have half a dozen barge into his supposedly secret crusade against Heatran. None of them looked like cops or the Champion, but he couldn't be easy.

"_Just look, Trainer_," Who told him, making him jump. Nick watched warily. He could eventually pick out the all-black figure of Lola, even as she was subdued. It was her and her ilk, then, but that didn't comfort him.

He turned back to his team, beckoning them close. Who seemed strangely reluctant to leave, but Nick was going to leave. "Ugh, Vasudeva—"

Before he could order the Teleport out, Who grabbed his sleeve. "_No! You cannot leave yet!_" he said, voice high. Almost as if he was whining, but the psychic didn't whine. He never did.

"Why should I?" Nick whispered, still reaching out for his Magmar.

"_You must stay, at least a little longer_," Who fielded.

"_Please?_" Harlan added meekly.

"No. I'm not getting thrown in prison again. I'm no use to anyone in there, least of all Matthew or you guys. I—I don't want you to have to break me out again."

"_We had help, remember?_" Chase growled softly.

Nick frowned. His memory was suddenly a haze—no, it had just been his team—no, someone else _had_ been there. It was a friend, an old friend, someone who made sense to be there. "...Now's not the time for that!" He looked over his shoulder, and was alarmed to find a figure crossing the bridge. There were Pokémon behind the figure, and overhead, an Altaria swooped and circled. No one he knew had an Altaria. "I'm getting out of here before I'm caught again!" he snapped and grabbed onto Vasudeva's arm.

"_No, stay!_" Chase said emphatically, putting a claw on his shoulder. He glanced over at the approaching figure and asked, "_Who, this is good, right?_"

"_Yes! Now stay, Trainer!_"

"Why should I? Who is it?" He looked back at the figure once more, and could tell that it was probably male with a head of dark brown hair, but past that, he still couldn't tell who it was. There was a Camerupt and some sort of dark, four-legged Pokémon behind him, too, probably with others. He, whoever he was, was ready for a battle.

Panic was starting to overtake his initial alarm. Nick wiped his brow and turned back to his unruly team. Who was tugging on his sleeve again, and Harlan was practically vibrating with nerves. "_Please. Stay._"

"Unless you tell me who that is, I'm not! There are about three people I wouldn't mind seeing right now, and he doesn't seem to—" Nick's heart stopped. He looked back at the figure once more. Male, younger than him, dark brown hair.

It was his brother.

He heard Chase growl something unintelligible and Who yanked him roughly back into the huddle, drawing his attention once more. "_Trainer, that is not—!_"

"Nick!" they all heard from behind them.

Nick finally turned to meet his brother, unable to help the grin spreading across his face. He finally found Matthew again.


	153. Smiling, Damned Villain

I felt cold and a shiver went down my spine. It felt like a freezer, not an oven, in here. I had to have misheard him, but no, I was being stupid again. Stupid and naïve and resisting the truth. I wasn't going to deny anything anymore. I would face this head on.

I understood now why Lola had said I'd have to be delicate.

Nick had strode onto the bridge, his smile faltering in favor of a shocked expression. "Oh my—what _happened_ to you?" He was concerned for his dead little brother. And it was still applicable to me.

For the time being, while I tried to come up with something better, I supposed I could hold a conversation. I also briefly entertained the possibility of trying to pretend to be Matthew, but I figured that would end in disaster. I knew very little about him, and who knew what Nick was expecting out of this. "I-I got into a fight." I glanced back, wondering—should I blame Lola? His followers? "I'm just a little roughed up is all."

"Are you okay?" I froze up as he finally made his way to me and put his hands on my upper arms, holding me still as he looked me up and down. Normal, everyday concern for someone he cared about. Too bad it wasn't me.

"I said I'm just a little roughed up." I jerked out of his grip, trying to stop the shudder that followed. This was too weird, too cruel. "Nick... You called me Matthew." Wait, that wasn't delicate.

Before I could backtrack properly, he replied, "What, you want me to call you Mattie again? I thought you liked to think you were all grown up now."

Delicate, delicate. How could I tiptoe around an issue like this? Lola had also been telling the truth about the other thing; I really _could_ avoid a battle if I was careful enough. That would be ideal, but I'd rather just get him to see some sense again first. If he thought his brother was alive, there had to be some sort of rationalizing going on in his mind (or so I hoped). If I could find a way to pry into that...

"Nick, how old am I?" I started, unsure.

"Uh, about fourteen now, aren't you?" I couldn't use age against him, then, not with that little of a difference. My appearance must have been similar enough to warrant this delusion as well, so I was stuck with other differences. I didn't want to mention the Abomasnow, but perhaps as a last resort, I could.

"...Look at the team I got," I said awkwardly, gesturing back towards Des and the others. I couldn't have had any overlaps with Matthew; Nick would have told me as much.

He peered over me at them, looking puzzled. I continued racking my brain for ways around this that could be considered delicate. Although with how he was acting thus far, I wouldn't be surprised if I _couldn't_ snap him out of this—_no!_ I shook my head, shoving that desolate little thought out of my mind. I couldn't be so defeatist again. I _had_ to get him thinking clearly again.

I had come here to stop him—no, save him—probably stop him, but either way, I wanted to face Nick as he was supposed to be. I wanted him to see me as _me_, not Matthew.

He continued to maintain the confused look until I reached over and tugged lightly on his sleeve. He jumped and—no, that wasn't a jump. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I growled in pain and squirmed, resisting the urge to throw him off. It hurt. But no, more than that, there was something... else.

I just wanted my friend back. I didn't want to become Matthew.

I was hardly aware of the compliments he was paying me. "Look at the team you've gotten yourself! Seems pretty decent, pretty decent, Mattie."

"Only decent?" I griped. It felt like he was teasing me again. The problem was that it wasn't endearing and instead irritating. I finally ducked out of his embrace, rubbing my sore ribcage. Delicate, delicate, but he was being stubborn as a Tauros. It was almost as if he was willingly thinking of me as his brother. Or rather, that he refused to think otherwise.

Nick looked over my team. I hoped for some spark of recognition, but it didn't come. Of course. It wouldn't be that easy. (It never was.) "Okay, fine, pretty awesome, but that's the best you'll get out of me."

I couldn't help but crack a smile and snort a laugh. This was getting _sad_. I wasn't sure how much longer I could take him like this—I was already exhausted, but he was making it worse. This was more emotionally taxing than I had thought it could be. I still wasn't sure whether or not this was preferable, though—and how to go about fixing it.

I racked my brain for obvious differences between Matthew and I (even if we were completely separate entities). Height, hair, and age were all out the window. He seemed to be refusing to recognize my name. _This would be so much easier if I had ever met him_, I thought sourly. But no, I never had. Only Hanna had. _What had she said about him?_

I couldn't use my team against him, since he apparently thought I had just caught more Pokémon. Which meant he didn't specifically recognize any of them, either. Lola wouldn't help me, and short of bringing up anecdotes or painful memories, I was rapidly running out of ideas of some delicacy. Nick looked down at me, confused by my prolonged silence and no doubt fierce scowl. He looked so... different and not. His hair had grown out even more, although it was as dark as ever, and he needed a shave. I didn't think he was much taller, though, but I was a bad judge since I had grown. He looked a little thinner than he'd been during the breakout, but still, he seemed so similar to my best friend.

So how had I changed drastically enough for him to decide I was his dead little brother?

He had recognized me during the prison fiasco, so that was a reference point to work off of. I couldn't think of anything that had happened between then and now, at least not that affected him. The Gym race, yeah, and my new position, but that was about it. I realized I had _no idea_ what he had actually been up to during that time. I only had rumors, most of them probably lies.

I turned to one of my last chances. Smiling weakly, I looked up at his dragon and all but begged, "Chase, help me out." Chase was his starter, his grounding, probably still his guard dog. If Who thought I'd be such a good thing for Nick, then surely the rest of his team had to be on my side, too. At least on this.

Chase growled something and ducked his head, avoiding eye contact. I turned to Who, but he only crossed his arms and did the same. A couple of his other Pokémon behind him also shifted nervously. Why were they so tied up by this? Or was he really so bad that even his own team couldn't talk some sense into him...?

I didn't want to entertain that thought. I shook my head, clearing my mind, and refocused on the task at hand.

Delicate, delicate, why was that so hard. I needed some fact, some obvious fact, that he could not deny or twist or ignore. I wasn't sure what would happen if I talked to him any more blatantly than that, but I could always save that for a last resort.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked, once again with that concern that was not for me.

My scowl darkened. "No, I'm _not_."

"What's wrong?" This all sounded so normal and sane, and it was driving me crazy. I turned from him and tangled my fingers in my hair, tugging on it and trying to wake myself up from this nightmare. This wasn't the to-the-death battle everyone else was expecting, nor was it the tense and loud argument I had been (probably) expecting. It wasn't what I had been bracing for. I wasn't prepared, he had caught me off guard, _Lola_ had caught me off guard, and not for the first time, I wasn't in control.

If I wanted any part of this craziness, I _needed_ control. Someone had to be in charge here.

I pressed my lips together in a firm line and glared up at him. He looked down at me, worry and confusion and maybe a bit of regret in those hazel eyes.

And then I had it.

Hanna had told me. "_Brown hair, a little lighter than yours, and these big hazel eyes_."

I closed the gap between Nick and I and grabbed him by the front of his iconic hoodie. "Nick, look at me."

"Huh?" He fought back, halfheartedly, reflexively, defensively. I kept my grip on his sweatshirt, trying to fight the hurt that came with the knee-jerk reaction to get away from me.

"What color are my eyes?"

Nick froze, body tense and mouth barely moving, chewing on his bottom lip. It was almost as if he knew he'd been caught, but no, that would imply that this was conscious on his part. There was a long moment—I thought he'd just wave it off again, that I'd have to resort to harsher measures and give up the delicate route altogether. Then, his expression finally broke. Heartbreak and realization and guilt and regret and I couldn't help but let go of him, now alarmed.

He sucked in a breath, shaky and uncertain, and Chase immediately started forward. Nick waved him off, though, wrapping his arms around himself and curling inward. "...Why."

"What?" I leaned in, not sure if I'd heard him or not. Behind me, I felt a blast of hot breath and Des gently butted his head in the small of my back.

I didn't recognize it as a warning sign until Nick snapped back up at me, teeth bared and eyes like ice. "Why are _you_ here?"

"What—? I'm here for _you_!" I replied, lost and starting to border on panic. I had the feeling I had bypassed the delicate part—but he recognized me, right? I was pretty sure that was a step in the right direction. At least I wouldn't have to lie or tiptoe around any longer. I puffed up my chest and glared him back down; I was not going to be intimidated by him after he'd just mistaken me for his _brother_. He was far too gone for him to scare me.

Well, at least until he set Chase and the rest of his team on me, but I was still entertaining the naïve hope that it still wouldn't come to that.

"I didn't ask you to _save_ me," he hissed venomously. He stood back up to his full height, trying to appear in charge again. But no, it was too late. I'd had my taste of control and I wasn't going to give it up.

"Who says I'm here to save you?" I shot back. He seemed taken aback, but composed himself quickly enough. He glanced to the side, Vasudeva nodding beside him. I didn't like that; I backed up a step and reached back, putting my arm around Des' neck. Alice floated down and landed on the railing just beside me, neck bowed and feathers fluffed up angrily. Still, she didn't strike quite the same image as an angry Garchomp.

"Then what _are_ you here to do, huh?" Nick challenged. Just like that, there it was, laid out bluntly for me to finally decide.

And I faltered.

He seized upon it almost desperately. "You're still just a dumb kid, chasing cars, huh? You have no idea what you're doing, here or anywhere else."

It stung. It also gave me the courage to shout back, "Yeah, well, a dumb kid who has a Gym and—at least I'm not some crazy elitist running around killing more people!" I could tell I struck a nerve, and that helped to bolster my courage as well. I ignored the guilt pooling in the bottom of my stomach, telling me _this is not what you came here for_.

"I've only bloodied my hands for—causes you couldn't understand."

"Oh, like revenge?" I laughed humorlessly. "I've been there, Nick. Cold blood and all."

His anger visibly cracked and he again looked to his Pokémon for support. "I... I really don't care." He glowered at me once more, eyes narrowed. "...Nevermind."

"Nevermind _what_?" I gestured to the volcano around us, the lava bubbling below us. "What were you trying to accomplish this time, huh?" Even though I knew full well what he was attempting to do, I wanted to hear it from him. I still didn't know what to make of this crazy exchange—concern and then anger and now what were we moving onto?

"I'm trying to fix things," Nick fielded.

"Fix _what_? By running away?"

"Don't you do the same?" he returned flatly. I flinched and tried not to think of that. "You're in no position to patronize me right now."

Our Pokémon were slowly prepping themselves for battle, I couldn't help but notice. I could hear the volcanoes on Des' back starting to rumble, Alice was tensed and ready to take off, and Konstantin had moved forward so he was hovering on my other side. Behind Nick, Chase was coiling and growling, eying Alice challengingly. Fargo crouched low to the ground, flames licking up around his muzzle, and Harlan (bizarrely) hid behind Who.

Before I could begin to donate any thought to that, Nick continued, "Why are you here, really? You're hurt and scared and came in here without a plan, huh?" I opened my mouth to retort, but then, he gave me a weak smile. "...Just like always, I guess."

I maintained my glare, for lack of anything better. All of this mood whiplash was getting to me, but fine. If he wanted to play friendly now, then so be it. I wouldn't let my guard down again. "Yeah, I guess," I spat out.

He finally let go of his own glare completely and pursed his lips. "I guess I deserve this."

"You only went crazy and thought I was your brother. Oh, and you sort of revolted against the Champion awhile back, too."

"I was being a little hopeful, so what," he said evasively.

"...Nick, you know he's dead, ri—?"

"_Don't_," he cut me off. His eyes shifted back and forth and he shuddered. "Matthew is—he's still alive. I _know_ it." So I hadn't gotten in as far as I'd thought. I didn't know whether I should try to win that battle or not, but since he was at least talking to _me_...

"Nick..." I tried to figure out an appropriate approach, but that was just me grasping at straws. I had no idea what to do in this situation; I was only winging it based on gut instinct. At least we hadn't actually started fighting yet.

"Let's not talk about him." I _still_ couldn't tell if he was just in denial, or still believed it, or didn't want to start another argument, or... I couldn't read him, and I couldn't read this situation, I realized. Even if he was a little more lucid now, I was flailing in the dark. I was up to my neck in problems and we hadn't even started fighting yet. I didn't know whether I should try to figure out his mindset on Matthew or let him steer the subject away.

"...What are you still doing here? Heatran's gone," I said lamely, raising an arm to gesture at the spot where I'd last seen the legendary.

"Talking to you."

I glanced down at the lava below my feet. "What will that accomplish?"

"What did you hope to accomplish?"

"Didn't you already ask me that one?" I asked.

"Are we going to stand here and sweat and talk in circles?" Nick retorted. So neither of us knew what the other was doing there aside from the obvious. "So... what? You going to drag me back to jail? Throw me in prison again? Beat me into the ground to prove a point, for revenge, for whatever?" He didn't sound bitter—I would have—but instead, genuinely curious. Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step towards me.

"I—I'm going to take you back," I bit out. I crossed my arms, defensively, and bit the inside of my cheek. Digging myself in deeper. "I guess you'll get thrown back in jail, but that... I'm not gonna do that part. I'm only taking you back."

"And then what, specifically?" he pressed.

"I don't know!"

"Call the cops?"

"I-I don't know, just put you in the Gym—" Except Hanna was there, and maybe that wouldn't be the best of ideas. Cossette was there, too—and for a beat, I only thought of him as a danger. I couldn't let him into the same place as Cossette and Hanna. "I'll take you back. I don't care where."

"Could I visit my parents?" he asked. Still all civility and curiosity and pretend normalcy.

"Uh..." I wasn't supposed to be the judge here! Or negotiating what felt like final requests. I shook my head to clear it. "Nick, please. Don't do this."

"Do what?" Nick asked, barely hiding a grin.

"Don't tease me like a little kid! I'm _not_ one any more!" I growled, warningly. His smile dropped off his face. "Don't take this so lightly! You—I _hate_ it, but you're a criminal! I have to do something about that, one way or another!"

"I thought you said prison is the route you're taking."

"I—Yes! If that's—_yes,_ I'm putting you back in jail! Where you probably belong!"

"Probably? Wow, you're so sure of yourself—"

"Can you stop being stupid and aggravating as hell for one _moment_?" I shouted at him. He flinched, taken aback by the suddenness of my outburst. "I'm confused about this, yes! Even now! But I have to do _something_, and if you're going to cooperate, then fine. Great! But if you're not, and if you're just going to be a jerk about this, then—" I paused, looking back at my team. My resolve would take me a little farther. "I'll take you in myself!" I finally finished.

Nick only stared at me.

"E-Easy way or the hard way, your choice," I added weakly. That burst of courage hadn't lasted too long, and now I was wondering if I should have tried the more friendly approach, after all.

"So resolute." I glared daggers at him as he still refused to take me seriously. Or, at least, as a serious threat. Nick stuck out his tongue at me and put a hand on his hip. "...Look at you, you're like a Growlithe with his tail between his legs, even as you're glaring at me like that. You're still so damned indecisive, but—isn't this what you _wanted_, mister Gym leader?"

"No, it _isn't—_!"

"You have the great Nick Sayre, almost cornered. Closer than anyone's gotten in a long time, that's for sure. So what are you going to _do_ about it? Are you going to take me in, or are you going to stand there and stall and rationalize?"

"Why the hell are you trying to pick a fight with me now? I'd be on your side if you'd let me!" I called back, rapidly losing my temper. I knew him and I knew his tricks. He used words as weapons—that's why he gave his speech to Cynthia, that's why he was shouting at me now—and he couldn't help being passive aggressive. It was simply how he operated. I just didn't understand why _now_, of all times. He was certainly holding more cards than I was, his team was still as fearsome as ever, and for all of my bravado, I wasn't one hundred percent certain I'd be able to take him in.

I didn't know whether that was a thought of weakness of my team's strength or my own emotional strength. I couldn't help but think of him in prison again, so battered and broken and repeating that mantra of his all over again. I couldn't take that thought again.

"...You don't get it." I hardly heard him. Nick hung his head, hair shielding his eyes, and I started forward—but he just snapped back up with a snarl and a glower to rival Chase's. "You're an idiot, aren't you."

"What?" I replied, once again thrown off course by his rapid mood (and behavior, it seemed) swings.

"What makes you think I _want_ a loser like you on my side?" Nick asked flatly. I froze altogether, mind already wildly defending with thoughts of how I had misheard him. He gave me a crooked, wicked little smirk and rolled up his sleeves. "Seriously, look at this sad set-up. Only six Pokémon, after how many years of training? And my god, those double weaknesses; you're a glutton for punishment, huh?"

I couldn't help but gape at him, mind still furiously erecting barriers and rationalizations and _yeah, I must have misheard him, he couldn't be my best friend_...

Nick once again set one fist on his hip, using the other hand to gesture as he continued. "I'm only for the trainers who deserve their teams, remember? The elite ones, the goodhearted ones. You're a murderer, you said so yourself. Just like me."

Just like him, a murderer just like him. He was right. Konstantin had told me I didn't deserve my team, so long ago, but as if I could forget such a thing.

"Sheesh, I tried to get rid of you how many times?" Nick looked back at his team, completely turning his back on me. I couldn't help it; it was a betrayal. My purpose was completely undermined, my slight advantage tossed out the window if I didn't still have some sort of friendship leverage on him. "You'd think killing Hanna's pets would've been enough of a warning to stay away."

"What."

He turned his head, just enough, so he could give me a carelessly arrogant look over his shoulder. "You heard me." I opened and closed my mouth a couple times, trying to get the right retort or growl or anger necessary for such a—_I had come here for him and now he didn't want me._ He had killed Hanna's Pokémon to warn me off? He gave me another smirk. "What, it wasn't some great tragedy. They were just _pets_. She wasn't a real trainer—at least you have that much going for you, since that motley crew behind you could at least hold their own in a decent match..."

"You..." I had ignored Hanna's tragedy in favor of the hope that Nick could be redeemed or saved or converted back to our side. I had ruthlessly pushed back the memory, probably hurting her and myself in the process. "You sick... I thought you were..."

"That I was what?" He turned from me again with a short, harsh laugh. "Another hero for this stupid region? Not likely, not anymore! ...Now why don't you just get out of here, brat."

"I thought you were my friend. I thought you were still... Good, somewhere, in there," I admitted bitterly. I shrugged, arms useless and heavy at my sides. My chest hurt. "I can't believe how dense I've been. You've been leading me around by the nose—you and Lola both—and I've been eating it up."

"Sounds about right."

"...You assaulted our Champion and killed half her team. You killed all of Hanna's team. You've killed other trainers and Pokémon and inspired complete _monsters_ to follow you and do the same. You've ruined this region, and I was..." I was just sweating, I told myself, that was what was making my eyes watery and my injuries was making my chest hurt. That was all. "I still believed in you. After all of that, I really did. I couldn't push past the hero worship—I just kept lying to myself and..."

He didn't say anything in response to that, but I at least had his eyes on me once more. Behind me, Ike growled softly, and I felt the static electricity crackling in the air.

"And I've created a monster," I shouted at him. The pain was back, the hurt and betrayal, but the indecisiveness was eradicated. I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists. "But I'm finally going to fix that, one way or another. I'm taking you down off of that pedestal, Nick. And if I have to kill you to do that, to keep Sinnoh safe from you, I _will_."

Ike leapt over me and Chase charged forward with a roar. Carlita kicked me to the ground—I wheezed and clutched at my ribcage—and I felt the blast of heat from Des' Flamethrower not a second later. Fire was suddenly all around us, from Des as well as Vasudeva and Fargo. Konstantin disappeared and Alice took to the air, already concentrating her Dragonbreath on Chase. He met her in the air, leaving himself open to potshots from Zarek, but that didn't last long before Harlan started raining down electricity on the both of us.

I hardly had time to direct them, but I didn't need to. They knew the situation and they knew their strengths and weaknesses. I had a different directive in mind, anyway.

I could tell, for all of the yelps and growls and attacks, that this wasn't a serious battle. Not yet. No one was out for blood, not even Chase. This was both of us trying to prove a point. I dodged attacks and fought my way the rest of the way across the bridge, shouting, "_Nick_!"

"Get out of here!" he shouted right back. He fled from me, running back onto the stone and deeper into the fray as my team moved forward. I caught a glimpse of Who out of the corner of my eye, throwing Konstantin away with a Psychic, but he wasn't going to be helpful, I could tell. Now that his trainer was here, he was back on his side.

"What are you trying to prove by pissing me off?"

"Just _leave_!" he maintained savagely. He smoothly ducked under a jet of fire and placed Vasudeva in between us. The Magmar eyed me, tail lashing behind him. "Get out of here before I get serious and start ordering to kill."

The thought only made me angrier, though.

I'd never thought about explicitly ordering any of my Pokémon to kill, not against another trainer, even if it was Nick. But as usual, when it came to my team, I didn't have a choice in the matter.

Ike leapt at Vasudeva and after a brief tussle, splattering us both with scalding blood, threw the Magmar into the lava below.


	154. Will Sing Like Birds In The Cage

I heard Nick scream and felt a whoosh as Serling dove over me and over the edge to get to Vasudeva. I heard a squawk of—well, defeat. I didn't need a translator for that.

But then Vasudeva Teleported back onto the rock between us, dripping magma and looking _very_ pissed off. He shook his head and his tail, sending bits of red-hot rock flying everywhere. I jumped back as a piece landed near my feet, sizzling. "Mag. _Mar_," Vasudeva said evenly, but somehow, that was scarier than if he had been snarling.

"Ike, I didn't order that! I didn't want—" I hissed at him, but Vasudeva already set his sights on him and charged past me at my Luxray. Ike shot a Thunderbolt at him that hardly slowed him down. Before Vasudeva could get his claws on him, Konstantin dragged Ike into his shadow, effectively saving him.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"I didn't think you'd be so serious about this," Nick called. I turned to him and he gave me a weak, insincere smile. "Not right away."

"I didn't—that wasn't on purpose."

"So you're _not_ serious about this?"

"I am!" I burst out. "I just—surrender, Nick. It can be that easy."

"No."

And the fighting started all over again. Since Ike had attacked so savagely, it seemed as if the rest of the Pokémon had taken the hint. I couldn't stop it—and it had to be done, anyway. Nick wasn't backing down, and that meant I had to use force. I tried catching up to him again, but he was faster than I was and his Pokémon got in my way. Some more deliberately than others; I just about tripped over Harlan as she ducked past me.

Des made his way onto the solid rock, which I couldn't help but be thankful for. With all of the attacks in the air, I would rather no one go out on that rickety bridge, especially not my heaviest Pokémon. Fire type or not, he wouldn't be able to get out like Vasudeva had. Zarek was thankfully sticking close to him, letting him keep others away, while he still used his long-range attacks like a pro.

Carlita, Ike, and Konstantin were all in the thick of it. Alice was staying overhead, but with Chase and Serling to contend with. She was more nimble than the Garchomp—not to mention the fact that they didn't want to get too close to each other thanks to their Dragonbreath—but Serling had no problem with the agility or disadvantage. The two birds tussled and squawked over us, shedding feathers and fluff.

Vasudeva seemed to be tailing Ike, which kept him fairly busy. Zarek managed to nail the Magmar with a Water Gun, but couldn't draw him away. Unfortunately, he and Des drew the attention of a Ludicolo. By the time I really noticed, it had advanced to the point where Des was back on the bridge. Des' fire and Zarek's ice were having too small of an effect on it.

"Ike—_Carlita_!" I shouted desperately, running over to my starter. The Ludicolo fired a blast of water at Des, but Zarek froze it in midair. I couldn't lose Des, I couldn't let him faint—or worse. I tried to pull the Ludicolo away myself, but was only brushed off.

Thankfully, Carlita had heard me. With a bounce and a twirl, she landed square on the Ludicolo's hat. She giggled and tossed a Seed Bomb into its face, successfully drawing its attention to her. She led it back into the main fighting, taunting and dodging almost all of the attacks. The tables were turned; it had no advantage whatsoever on her.

But this wasn't just a one-on-one match. Before I could offer more than a strangled yelp, Fargo pounced on her. Carlita screamed and started kicking and scratching. The Arcanine snarled and tried to use some sort of fire move, but she managed to kick his jaws shut at the last moment. He let her go with a whine, spitting out fire and panting, and she ran off—only for him to lunge forward and close his mouth on her tail.

He pulled her back, and she pulled forward. Zarek soaked the Arcanine with a Water Gun, but it didn't have the necessary force. He couldn't use a Surf, not with the same precision, and not with Des right beside him, either. "Zarek—keep using Water Gun! Alice, Alice, get down—!" Alice tweeted an affirmative and swooped out of the sky, Serling on her tail. Carlita threw a Seed Bomb into Fargo's face, temporarily blinding him, but he still stayed clamped on her tail.

Alice tackled Fargo in the shoulder, hissing and spitting blue flames. Serling was just behind her, and I expected the Staraptor to pull her off all too quickly.

Instead, she used an Air Cutter on Carlita's tail, cutting it cleanly in half.

Fargo and Alice tumbled back and Carlita fell onto her front, shrieking bloody murder. "No!" I hardly heard myself scream. I all but tripped over myself trying to get to her, eyes on the blood and missing tail and her terror as she tried to get away from Serling and Fargo. Alice tore fiercely at the Arcanine, voice high and cutting and unreadable by the translator, and combined with more Water Guns from Zarek, he went down.

I scooped up Carlita, as carefully as I could. She was in tears, although from hysterics or the pain, I honestly couldn't tell. This was far worse than a gunshot wound; this couldn't be fixed with a cast and some time. I was hardly aware of my own breathing speeding up to the point of hyperventilation, only aware of my Breloom bleeding in my arms. I carried her over to Des and sobbed out, "Stop the bleeding! Pl-Please!"

I held her upright and let her dig her claws into my back. With small Embers, he cauterized the wound as best he could. Zarek tried to help by washing some of the blood off her back and legs, but he was pulled away by Alice. I hadn't even noticed her arrival.

"_Zarek, Mama needs you to be a big boy now. We're one team member short and I need you, okay?_" Alice said, shaking. She nuzzled the top of his head, running her beak over his shell. "_I want you to keep the dragon away while I dispatch the bird. Once I have the skies free, you can leave him to me and try to take out that Magmar._"

"_Okay_," he replied meekly, alarmed at her seriousness.

I barely heard their exchange, but Carlita did. Tears still streaming down her face, she looked over at them as Alice took to the skies again. "_No._"

"What?" I asked, panicking, surprised at coherency from her. Des stopped the bleeding and she was calming down a little. I kept my eyes on her, lump in my throat and hands shaking as I dug around in my pockets for her pokeball.

Carlita turned to me, eyes wide and just as terrified as I was. "_No! I-I can still fight! Don't return me!_" she begged desperately, seizing my shirt with her claws.

"What, _no_! Carlita, you—" I sucked in a breath, trying to breathe normally as I looked down at the stump of her tail. "You're not battling!"

"_Trainer is right_," Des added gently, pressing his nose into her hat. She waved him away before turning back to me, lower lip trembling.

"_I can still fight! I—I'm not bleeding anymore, see?_" Her voice shook and betrayed her as she pointed to her tail. She whimpered and blinked rapidly, leaning down so she could scrub at her eyes.

"Carlita, _please_, you're not fighting anymore," I pleaded with her, throwing my arms around her. "You're hurt and I-I hadn't expected it to get this bad, oh god. Please. ...I'm not ready for that meadow full of flowers yet."

She set her chin in my shoulder, still trembling. I felt her nod. I could have laughed, I was so relieved. She drew back and I held out her pokeball—and she smacked it out of my hands and into the lava below.

I gaped at her for all of two seconds before she pushed me onto the wooden planks and jumped over me. She landed shakily on her feet, and immediately fell toward onto her face. She struggled to her feet again, but fell once more. Her tail was her balance, and now, she didn't have it. She couldn't even walk. I lunged at her and dragged her back towards Des, just as Serling swooped at her again, this time with Alice chasing her.

"_Let me go! I can still fight!_"

"You can't even stand," I snapped, putting her in front of Des. She tried to leap forward again, but he caught one of her leaves in his teeth and yanked her back. I couldn't believe she had just tossed her pokeball into the lava like that. Now I couldn't return her—but what if something _worse_ happened? "Des, you watch her, and keep her back here."

"_No, I can help!_" she begged, still straining forward.

"You want to help?" I snarled. "You _stay here_ then! Attack from afar, but stay with Des!" My anger faltered, and I couldn't resist adding a, "Please."

She looked up at me, crying again, and I looked away.

"Des, make sure she stays here. Carlita, you can still fight, _fine_. You made sure of that, but please, you can't walk. You can't fight close-range. U-Use your Seed Bomb or some long-range attack..." Carlita was hurt, she couldn't even _walk_. And now I couldn't return her. I couldn't babysit her, so my only hope was that Des could. "You two, just... Stay here. Please, _please_. I don't want any more tragedy in any of this."

"_You need our help!_" Des pointed out, firm as ever.

"Long-range attacks!" I stressed, gesturing to the fray behind us. I pointed out Zarek, who was doing just that, pissing Chase off in the process. "Oh shit—you two, stay here and snipe. Hurt things. Go for blood, I don't care. Just—whittle down their numbers!" I ran back out, concentrating on my Kingler and the dragon he was scuttling away from. "Chase, you _stay away_ from him, or so help me—!"

Suddenly, a Staraptor dropped into the ground in front of me. I jumped over her in order to not step on her, and looked up. Alice sang triumphantly, circling once before diving at Chase. She successfully drew him away from Zarek with a Dragonbreath and a hoot of laughter. He chased after her, but Zarek managed to freeze one of his feet with a parting Ice Beam. He shook his leg wildly, flailing in mid-air, and Alice used the opportunity gratefully.

I looked down at Serling. She was still breathing, but it looked like one of her wings was badly broken. This was getting serious. Not just Carlita—my team was fighting back, too. There was no holding back now on either side.

So I needed to do what I could to end this quickly. I couldn't bear to lose anyone else, to see anyone else suffer or maimed. "Kostya!" He appeared immediately, skull mask streaked with blood and one tooth chipped. He saluted and offered a small, dark chuckle. "Kostya, I need one of those Skarmory feathers back there."

"..._What are you planning on doing?_" he asked, concerned.

"Just get me one!" I needed a weapon. I couldn't help anyone—I couldn't stop Nick without one. I hardly knew how to use a sword, but it was sharp, so it would work. He vanished into my shadow and I ran back into the battle, trying to seek out that black hoodie.

My Duskull reappeared all too soon, dropping the steel blade in my hands. It was lighter than I'd thought it would be, but just as sharp. It still had blood on it. "_Please be careful!_" Konstantin urged, clinging to my arm.

"I will be—you be careful too! And—keep an eye on Zarek and Carlita, okay? She got hurt—bad—and he's deeper into this than I had liked. See if you can't Shadow Sneak some of them out of here or something, too. It'd buy us time, if nothing else."

"_Alright_..." He stayed attached to my arm, however. I shook him off and pointed at Carlita and Des with a scowl. He floated off towards them.

We were outnumbered and probably weaker overall, anyway. I had known that coming in. But... We were doing okay, I told myself. I glanced around, counting two unconscious (or worse) on Nick's side. Carlita as a fighter was out, but everyone was still conscious on my side. That was something, right? This could still be salvaged before worse happened.

"Nick!" I called, still searching for him. "Come out here and face me!"

"This is a battle, not a fist fight." I whirled around and saw him and his Mothim near the wall of the volcano. Overhead, Chase roared and I dimly heard Alice's squawk beneath it. "A Skarmory feather?" For the first time, something like alarm crossed his features.

"_This_ is not a battle!" I shouted at him. "Carlita just lost her _tail_ because of your Arcanine!" He glanced back at Des and Carlita, on the edge of the bridge. "You had better remember them _now_, at least!"

"I do," he fielded. "I didn't order this level of ferocity—"

"It _still happened_!" I cried, waving my sword.

"It was an accident! Fargo is just—" He cut himself off and his gaze hardened. "Well. Whatever. As you said, it still happened. What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to..." I looked down at the feather in my hands. I really hoped that wasn't Vaikuntha's blood drying on it. He was dying, probably, because of Lola. Carlita couldn't walk, she wouldn't be able to _dance_, because of Nick. I didn't know who else was going to suffer or get hurt or _die_ if this didn't stop soon. I was losing ground. I looked down at my shirt. Carlita's, as well as my own blood, had turned it red. "I'm going to end this. If that means I have to kill you—I've said it. I _will_."

"...Then do it, or hurry up and leave," he said carelessly, waving me off dismissively. "The second choice would be far easier, of course."

"That wouldn't accomplish anything." It was one thing to say I was going to kill him, and quite another to do it. Moreover, his Mothim was right there, and I knew the second I started forward, I would have to contend with it. "Just... _Stop_ this. You said so yourself—these aren't pets, Nick. You have to respect that."

"I do, which is why they're not all laying around your feet in pieces right now." The threat made my blood boil—but more than that, he thought I was such a pushover? _Still_? "Go on, get out of here while you still have your team intact."

"I am _not_ leaving! I am finishing this—and you!" With that, I charged at him, swinging the feather back like a baseball bat. And as I predicted, his Mothim swooped at me, knocking it cleanly out of my hands and me to the ground. I coughed, spitting out blood, and wrapped my arms around my chest again. If only I hadn't gotten hurt before all of this...

"Wow, that was... sort of pathetic," Nick called encouragingly. "Wanna try again?"

"Yeah, sure," I snapped at him, "Kostya!" I sank down into my shadow, reappearing behind him. I couldn't help but grin as I wrapped my arms around him and we both got Shadow Sneaked across the volcano. Konstantin tossed us out in front of Lola, and then disappeared into my shadow again.

"What the hell?" Nick snarled. I let him go and stepped away from him. He was separated from his team, if only for a little bit. Lola looked up at us with mild interest, eyebrow raised. He spotted her and bared his teeth, all but hissing. I suppose it was nice to know that they weren't about to team up on me, but worse than that was the thought that Lola was still the bad guy. Nick obviously didn't agree with her or her plans. I still had a scapegoat.

And then I remembered that he was a bad guy, too. I forced myself to remember it.

I couldn't let the brief doubt show. I walked over nonchalantly, picking up the other Skarmory feather. Konstantin had brought me one, but what Nick hadn't known was that Lola and Vaikuntha had both had one over here. I waved it at him. "Now, I'm going to stay calm for as long as it takes for one of the Pokémon to make it back over here. Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to hurt someone."

"Oh, someone's grown a spine," Lola remarked dryly.

"Shut up," Nick and I said at once. I turned to him, surprised, but he just looked away with a frown. Lola snickered. I glared at her, pointing the feather at her, and added, "Remember, I'm dealing with _you_ after I'm done with him."

"Done with him? You're actually going to do something for yourself?" I was getting tired of all of the implications that I was useless. I stomped over to her and pressed the tip of the feather against her hair. She glared up at me, more serious now, at least. "Why did you bring him over here?"

"It's quieter," I said flatly, then turned back to Nick. "I think I've figured you out now."

"Oh, really?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You and her, you're both trying to make me angry. I still haven't figured out _why_ yet, but once I realized that, I realized something else."

Nick crossed his arms and said nothing.

"You're trying to get me to leave," I told him.

He immediately looked away, eyes narrowed and mouth a thin line.

"I think you're trying to piss me off to get me to leave, or so that you can trounce me and then kick me out of here. Not sure which, but... You're pushing me away. Lola's trying to keep me here for as long as possible. That means you're saying all this stuff to hurry this up and get me to leave, or, maybe..." Okay, I was losing my train of thought. I shook my head to clear it. "I know you're not on the same side, and not because you're contradicting each other. But because of that, I know, on this, I can trust your motives a little more than I can trust hers.

"So." I crossed my arms and tried my best to look as demanding and grave as possible. "What's going on here that my role is so important?"

"A little narcissistic, don't you think?" Lola asked behind me. I regarded her over my shoulder, still stern, but she smiled up at me beneath her bloody nose. "Who says you're _important_? I only want you here for Nick. He only wants you gone because you strike a nerve."

"There's something more to it than that," I snapped. "Don't bother lying to me anymore."

"I told you, I've never lied."

"You lied to _him_!" I replied and pointed to Nick with the feather.

"Not to you. Not when I could help it," Lola amended, not at all bothered. She looked past me at Nick, eye narrowing a bit. "So, you want him gone now? Why?"

"Hey! _I'm_ the one asking the questions here." I glanced back at the fight; they were busy with each other, but we had to be running out of time before Chase or Who or someone fast noticed. "Lola, you stay out of this for now." I turned back to Nick. "You said you want me gone. You were... You're pushing me away."

He was only pushing me away, baiting me and trying to force himself into the villain position. So he was either protecting me from something else, or he was trying to finally end this and let me take him out. I wasn't sure which option I liked better. His hurtful words were still ringing in my ears, though—I wasn't like before. I wasn't going to trust him again after such a revelation. It could easily be turned back on me. I was putting too much faith in him again, but... It was too late. There was a little bit of hope back. I hated it.

"Ha, you think so highly of yourself," Nick scoffed. He was avoiding eye contact, though, I couldn't help but notice. "Why would I want to do something so stupid? I think you're reverting to that idealistic coward from before again."

His words kept me at a distance, and regardless of his goals, I was glad for it. I was disillusioned, no matter how he redeemed himself (or tried to, or tried not to) at this point. "_What_ is going on here, really?"

"Just a reunion between friends, isn't it?" Lola asked brightly, and that was it. I'd had enough of her.

"I told you to _shut it_." I spun around and hit her with the flat side of the blade. She fell to the ground from the force of the blow, unable to catch herself since she was still tied up. She looked shocked more than hurt. I caught Nick's surprised look as well. "What. I'm not afraid to hit a girl, and she's been infuriating and awful this entire night. You're not afraid to hit a girl either, so don't get all high and mighty with me!" I hissed at him. Not defensive, but challenging.

Lola burst out laughing. I jumped, already tense from all of this, and glared down at her. "I like where this is heading," she told me earnestly.

"Just... shut up." I vowed to just ignore her. She was only trying to annoy me, anyway, and she was harmless without her team or mobility. I wouldn't fall prey to any more of her taunts, not if it would only make her happier. I still had no idea where she thought this was going, but it couldn't be good. "Nick, you're... You're dumb. And cruel, and I'm still going to end you if you step one more foot out of line or harm any more of my team, but now I'm curious. No, confused. What the hell is really going on here?"

He scowled down at Lola. "I really don't have any idea why _she's_ here, unless it's to cause more chaos."

"Answer me."

"I just wanted Heatran. It's not a great mystery," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Now really—fight or not, but either way, you're starting to _annoy_ me."

"Chase and Ike started this fight. Well, okay, Ike escalated it, but you haven't been calling the shots. You said the other thing was an accident, and _then_ changed your mind. Even for you, even for a crazy you, this is way too conflicting."

"Grasping at straws," Lola murmured. I kicked her in the leg, more as a warning than anything else.

"Why do you even care? Your team's back there getting slaughtered, you know," Nick said, jerking a thumb back to point at the battle on the other stone platform. "And you're not even there to help them this time around. Someone could be dead..." A shiver went down my spine before I could steel myself against his words. Just words, just more of his favorite weapon.

"Why are you making me angry," I repeated for the umpteenth time. "Why are you trying to push me away?"

"I can't believe it. He's honestly still trying to _protect_ you," Lola snorted. My doubt had already started forming cracks in my armor, but she just took a swing at it.

I didn't know what to think. It was too perfect, too naïve to believe that load of crap. I wouldn't be lied to and betrayed. Not _again_. But it made sense, and it made sense with his character. It was too like him. Still, he was fighting me, his Pokémon were hurting mine—_had_ hurt them—and I couldn't ignore that. I couldn't ignore his past, either, which was another major problem that I had been avoiding. Friends or enemies, he was a criminal.

I didn't get the chance to begin pondering that, but some sort of karmic stroke of mercy. Instead, I was handed a bigger problem: Jacques Teleported onto the scene, flanked by two girls and three birds.

I could merely stare at them—half thinking it was some sort of hallucination brought on by stress—and it looked as if Nick was as dumbfounded as I was. (I could have sworn I heard Lola chuckle quietly.) Cossette clung to Jacques, looking fearful, but Hanna immediately strode away from him and straight towards Nick. My chicks spotted the fighting and flapped off. I started after them, heart leaping into my throat—oh _god_ no. Carlita was strong and a fighter and she had gotten hurt so badly. I couldn't lose another chick. I _couldn't_ lose another one of my birds. I couldn't lose anyone else.

"No, not—!"

Hanna's words caught me as I sprinted past, however. "I told you that you didn't have to do this alone." It was hardly more than a mumble, but it successfully halted me. Ignoring me, her gaze turned icy and she fearlessly marched right up to Nick. He stepped back, more on reflex than anything else, but still didn't seem to be keeping up with this. That was probably good; if we could keep him off-kilter, then we had the advantage.

But no. My chicks were throwing themselves into battle and Cossette was here and Hanna was here and suddenly, I had too many responsibilities. I was gradually losing just on my own, with minimal worries. Suddenly, I had too many lives in my hands. I tore myself away from what had once been our little trio of friends. My Pokémon had to come first.

I was still close enough to hear most of Hanna's speech, however. "You, Nick Sayre, are an evil murderer who deserves a fate worse than that. That said and since that is admittedly out of my practical range of actions, I am going to _end you_."

Her threat didn't really penetrate my panicky haze until I heard a roar. Halfway across the bridge, I skidded to a stop and clung to the rope railing for support. Hanna had just called out a Tyranitar on Nick.


	155. He Hath Given His Empire

I was suddenly in charge of two very important things. I could stop my other best friend from becoming a murderer, or I could try to save my Pidgey and Pidgeotto.

"Kostya!" I called, torn. He sprang out of my shadow with a salute. "Go drag the chicks back here! Keep them _safe_!" I had never officially caught them, so I couldn't return them. Just like Carlita. They were stuck out here with me, unless I could get them back to Jacques and shoo them all out of here and back to safety.

I couldn't even _begin_ to wonder how Hanna had gotten a _Tyranitar_ of all things, especially with all of the paranoia about followers lately. I ran back to them, though. The other Pokémon had taken notice of the newcomers, and already Chase was on his way over.

"Hanna, what are you doing?" I shouted at her, but she ignored me.

"Molly, Hyper Beam."

"No!" I was too far away to intervene. The Tyranitar leaned back, mouth open and white energy gathering. And all too soon, it leaned down and fired.

Nick and Who appeared behind them, shaken. The Hypno wasn't standing on his own, legs horribly burned. It seemed as if he had brought that Ludicolo with him, and it immediately grabbed the Tyranitar's attention with a Brick Break to the side. Just after that, I reached Hanna and seized her by the arms.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"You're the one with the suicide wish, coming out here by yourself!" she snapped at once. She tried to shake me off, but I wasn't about to let her go. "If I hadn't called the others, you'd be dying in a puddle of your own blood!"

"She's right," Lola called unhelpfully. I wish I was close enough to kick her again. Hanna gave her a look of shock, but I dragged her attention back to me.

"Okay, fine, but why are _you_ here?" I stressed. "And how did you get a Tyranitar? And why did you bring Cossette and the chicks?"

"You do _not_ have to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders, contrary to popular belief. I am here to _help_ you," Hanna said coldly. This was unlike her. I finally released her, letting my arms drop down to my sides. She squinted down at me, looking far too angry and far too dark. I never thought she had had all of this pent up inside of her, but to actually go and make preparations for such a thing?

She had been preparing to kill Nick herself. No wonder she hadn't wanted me to go, no wonder why she had wanted to come with.

"I... don't need your help," I said lowly.

"Excuse me?"

"Your help—what I _needed_ you to do was to keep the chicks at the Gym, and keep Cossette safe. Instead, look!" I gestured over to them. Cossette shrieked as the fighting Pokémon got a little too close; Jacques Teleported her to the other side of the rock.

"Wait!" the little blonde girl called. I groaned, wishing to bash my head against the rock wall.

Before she could start, I said, "_No._ You are not battling, you are not helping, you are not staying." I looked up at her Gallade. "I can't believe you actually took her here. And after that fit you threw..."

He narrowed his eyes to slits. Undoubtedly, Hanna or Cossette had all but blackmailed him into it, but he should have been more attuned to their safety, not their wants. Cossette huffed and tugged on my arm, making me wince. "You are hurt and so is your team. You need help."

"And you're getting it, like it or not," Hanna added firmly. "I am _not_ letting you take care of Nick on your own."

"You're making it sound like a privilege!" I said, patience wearing thin again. I had better things to be doing right now than arguing with a teenage girl and her Tyranitar. "Look, Hanna—I know you're upset. More upset than I realized."

"Do _not_ turn this around on me," she dared, jabbing her finger into my chest. I winced. "You came up here on nothing more than a suicide run, ill-prepared in both spirit and team!"

She got physical first, so I couldn't be blamed for reaching up and tugging the pokeball necklace off her neck. "And what is _this_, then?"

"Give that back!" Hanna said in a high voice, composure lost. I blinked at her as she wretched it back out of my hands, brow knit together and eyes wild. She looked up at me, not quite angry but definitely not anything else. I didn't like this Hanna. "That's Alexander's."

I had assumed it was Isabella's—well, I had thought it was that Tyranitar's just now—but that was probably because Des had always been so close with her. Still, the fact that I had just... "I'm so sorry. But Hanna, you still have..."

"She's—she's not like the others," she replied quickly. "That's Molly. She's not a pet, I promise! I battle with her and train her and..."

"Hanna, it's okay. I don't care if she's a pet or friend or whatever. I'm just telling you that you're _not_ using her to kill anyone."

"What." Her cold, businesslike exterior back in place, she retied the necklace around her neck and adjusted her headband. "Molly is stronger than any of your Pokémon, so if you're worried about power, don't."

"No! Hanna, you have _one_." I sincerely hoped she only had one. I didn't want to have to fight her off just to stop her in this stupid idea. "That's not a team, that's as ill-prepared as I was. But that's not my point! You're here for revenge."

She stayed quiet, only confirming my words.

"Revenge is what _he_ did! This is what started it, remember?" I cried in frustration. "You can't go down that road! Please. I can't lose another friend to it."

"Then what are _you_ here for?" she demanded, voice like acid.

"I'm here for justice," I shot back.

"Yeah, well." She paused, searching for her words, eyes darting back and forth. "Look, if you're worried about me, really. Don't. I've been preparing this for _years_."

"But—"

"Years," she stressed. She grimaced and looked back at her fighting Tyranitar. "I can do this for you. You don't have to dance around the issue or anything else anymore. You can blame me."

"No! I don't want to." I shook my head furiously. "I don't want you to go down this road of—of rage and hate and revenge. You're doing this for all the wrong reasons, and I don't want you to have to do this. Not for yourself, and definitely not for me."

"I've made my decision. I made it long ago. Do _not_ try to stop me from doing—" She tried to push past me, but I caught her and spun her back around to face me. Mouth twisted in a snarl, I could tell I was rapidly making an enemy out of myself. I wasn't sure if that was good or not, but I knew I didn't want her doing this. "Let _go_ of me. You have to the count of three."

"Don't do this. Not like this."

"One."

"You're out for revenge! Same thing he did! You're turning into him!"

"Two."

"Hanna, please! I'm asking you as a friend. As your best friend, please don't do this!"

"Th—" She was cut off by a scream. It wasn't human, nor was it like Carlita's. The second I processed it as a bird's shriek of pain, however, I was sprinting across the bridge. Hanna and Nick would have to wait. My throat burned and my chest complained, but I had to get there. One of the birds—one of _my_ birds—someone had just made that sound and that was not a good thing. I couldn't let anyone else get hurt.

Konstantin caught me halfway across the bridge and yanked me into a Shadow Sneak. It caught me off guard; I fell onto my hands on knees when he kicked me back out. I looked around desperately, trying to catch my breath again, trying to find whoever had made that terrible noise.

I found my answer soon enough. Alice and Chase were locked in combat overhead, and while she was bleeding from somewhere on her neck, she was still airborne. My heart stopped when I saw a tawny wing poking out of Chase's mouth.

No.

No, no no no nonono. I couldn't have just lost another chick. I couldn't have actually _lost_ anyone. Carlita was still alive—chop off a tail or pluck some feathers, but _please, don't take another bird from me_.

With their trainer back in their midst, and sensing my current focus, my team loyally followed it. Alice was already fighting fiercely, with Zarek below sniping as best he could on such quick-moving targets, but Des and Carlita behind me changed targets and started aiming for the dragon. Des' Flamethrower didn't do much, but not a moment later, Carlita's Solarbeam certainly caught his attention. Chase roared, and in the process, spat out the bird in his mouth.

I ran to catch my Pidgeotto. He landed heavily in my arms, only offering me a weak chirp. "Oh Oonu, this is why I told you to stay back..." I told him, eyes scanning over his body to assess the damage. At least one wing was badly broken, feathers were missing all over, and the rest of them were soaked in red. I could see clear bite marks in his chest and one near his neck. His beak was chipped and one of his toes was missing altogether. I blinked back the tears, instead concentrating on preventing my arms from shaking. "You dumb bird, why did you have to come? I-I wanted you to stay back where it was safe..."

"Pirr," Oonu murmured and fainted in my arms. I hoped he was only unconscious. I pressed him against my chest, trying not to jostle him too much, and stood up. Where were the other two? They were only Pidgey. Oonu was in danger, though; I didn't have a pokeball for him or any on me, and he was bleeding badly.

Overhead, I heard a strangled snarl and looked up just in time to see Chase finally fall out of the sky, one of his wings coated in ice. He hit the ground just ahead of me, back on his feet but unable to get back into the air. He settled for a jet of blue fire up at Alice to keep her away, and then slammed down onto the ground. It was only after Oonu and I were thrown into the air that I realized he had just used an Earthquake inside a volcano.

I landed heavily on one shoulder, the burn on that side flaring in pain, and quickly drew Oonu back into my arms. Rocks were falling from the sides of the volcano, most of them splashing harmlessly into the lava below—until I realized that splashing lava was far from harmless. We were pretty far above it, but some of it splashed nearly high enough to catch the bridge.

I heard a high, frightened squeal and saw Nick's Linoone scrambling for purchase, dangling over the edge. There was terror and panic in its eyes. It slipped, claws useless on the stone, and with one last pleading look at me, fell.

The shaking subsided and Pokémon resumed fighting in earnest. I could see the toll on Chase—and Alice. On everyone, really. Behind me, I heard the Tyranitar's roar again and a shout of anguish. Someone—no, I couldn't think of that. Not yet. I had to get Oonu to safety, and regroup with the rest of my team. Nick's team was tiring, but we were, too, and in a worse way. Especially Carlita... If I could get Oonu and Carlita to Jacques, I could probably force him into taking them as well as the girls back. I needed Hanna and Cossette out of here, too. I couldn't worry over everyone.

"Kostya!" My voice was far higher than I would've liked otherwise, but I wasn't in a position to worry about myself, of all things. I was far down on that list. He was slow to appear, and when he did, he looked terrible. I tightened my grip on the Pidgeotto and sucked in a breath. There was blood dripping down underneath his mask and his movements were sluggish and delayed. "Kostya!" I squeaked, heart leaping into my throat. I couldn't take another tragedy like Carlita.

"_Yes?_" he panted, eye closing. I wanted to reach over and shake him, but I was concerned I'd drop Oonu or make either one's injuries worse.

I couldn't ask him to carry Oonu in that state. The bird was already bigger than he was. "..." I looked fearfully around at the battle. "...Come with me, okay?" If I could keep him out of the action... Maybe he should go with Jacques, too. But that would put me at four, and Zarek was still young, too...

I quickly realized that I was going to worry myself into the ground at this rate. I was less conscious of the fact that I was slowly losing it. I did a quick check on Carlita to make sure she was staying near Des, and I was glad to find that Zarek had made his way back to them, too. As I neared, Des noticed me and immediately started forward, just about dislodging Carlita. He nuzzled into my hair, his breath hot and comforting. "_You're alright_," he mumbled and licked the top of my head.

"Of course I am. I'm not the one—are you guys alright?" I looked them over. Carlita had her claws up towards the sky, the tiniest beginnings of another Solarbeam visible in the red glow. Des looked the best, though; aside from a bit of soot and a slight limp, he seemed okay. At least someone was.

I was promptly jarred out of my peace of mind by a snarl and a yowl. A very feline yowl. I clutched Oonu tighter to my chest and turned and ran. I hadn't seen Ike since this started. I caught a glimpse of Vasudeva's tail and followed it, finding them both just as the Magmar pounced. Ike was cornered against the wall and the lava, one ear in tatters and several patches of fur burnt.

I thought he would dodge the attack. He tried, but his leg gave out when he tried to jump for it. Vasudeva finally had hold of him. I ran forward—and was cut off by Chase and Alice as they raced past. When I could see again, my Luxray was pinned to the ground and Vasudeva was slashing at his face. Those weren't superficial scratches. "No!" Not again, not _again_! I had to be just about suffocating Oonu with how tight I was holding him. I could feel his little heart fluttering against my chest. "Kost—"

"Smear!" Harlan screamed. I whirled around and had no more warning than that before she used a Water Pulse that nearly caught me as well. Vasudeva was knocked back, but Ike laid there, unmoving and bleeding from his face and throat.

I had no idea what to make of this and no time to donate to it. Konstantin appeared beside me as I ran towards my fallen Pokémon. "Ike, no! Ike!" Sweat was falling into my eyes; my vision was watery and my eyes stung and this couldn't be happening. I shifted Oonu haphazardly to one hand and reached out for Ike with my other as I reached him, gingerly reaching behind his head and trying to lift him. He stirred and I sobbed in relief.

He growled incoherently, and I realized his translator had been cut off. He kicked one of his back legs, claws grazing my pants, and tried to roll back onto his paws. I helped him as best he could, but I realized that he was worse than I had thought. One of the cuts, right near his eye, was really deep... And with all of the blood, he couldn't see, anyway. _For the moment_, I told myself firmly, although the lump in my throat was already telling me otherwise.

I felt fur against my elbow and jumped. I was surprised to find Harlan again, tears soaking into her fur around her eyes, paws soaked in red. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Vasudeva was unconscious (or worse). I looked back down at the Smeargle beside me, crying and petting Ike's neck almost desperately.

Ike snarled and stood, ears swiveling, head searching. "Ike! Ike, it's me, calm down—!" I cried, latching into his side. He smacked me in the face with his tail, but if anything, that was an assurance. "This way, Ike!" I wrapped my free arm around his neck and tried to guide him back towards Des and the others, but he would have none of it. He dug his heels in and yanked me back.

"Luuuuuux," he growled at me, baring bloodstained teeth.

"Ike, you're hurt! Let me help!" I begged, unsure of what else to do. I couldn't understand him. He knocked me to the ground with a headbutt that only made him yowl in pain, too. I dropped Oonu and hastily picked him back up, cradling him in my arms. "Let me help, please!"

"Smeargle!" Harlan joined in, throwing her arms around him and pulling him forward. She looked up at me.

I figured I had to trust her. I had no idea why she was betraying Vasudeva—very possibly the rest of her team, too—for Ike and me, but I needed help. I could try to return him, but if he got any warning, he'd simply pull a Carlita and destroy the ultra ball. I'd rather get him out of the fray first. I also didn't have a free arm, I realized hopelessly.

"Konstantin!" I remembered, and thrust Oonu at him. "Please—I'm sorry, but carry him back over to Des!" He saluted and carefully took the bird, floating, albeit heavily, back towards what was rapidly becoming our base. I threw both arms around Ike's middle and pulled. He was large and flailing angrily, but I managed to pull him towards me. Harlan kept hold of his cheeks, murmuring things to him in what I assumed was a comforting manner.

We had to fight tooth and nail, but we managed to drag Ike over to Des without getting ourselves killed. Carlita growled at Harlan, and the Smeargle shrunk back, but she didn't leave Ike's side. Zarek cleaned as much blood as he could off Ike (or as much as he would allow) in between keeping Nick's team away from us, but as his face got cleaner, I realized how badly he was hurt.

I heard a squawk overhead and one of the Pidgey chicks landed with a thud just in front of us. I finally acknowledged the fact that I was losing it. It turned out to be Vi, but she was still very conscious and very eager to get back into the fight. I held onto her feet, ignoring her scratches and pecks, and looked over my shoulder at the rest of my team. "Someone—! A little help here?" I cried.

Ike took the fact that my voice wasn't next to him anymore as an opportunity and leapt over Harlan back in the direction of the fight. She screamed and chased after him, grabbing his tail and yanking him into his rump. Zarek shot an Ice Beam at an advancing Chase, and Konstantin hurriedly took Oonu from me again. I put Vi under my arm, her wings pinned to her sides, and let her squawk bloody murder as I looked back across the way.

Hanna's Tyranitar was shaking the Ludicolo as if it were a chew toy. Jacques had placed himself in between Nick and Hanna—finally, a good thing—and I couldn't see Who anymore. Even if Jacques was helping, I had to get him, the girls, the birds, and that Tyranitar _out_ of here. I decided I would keep Carlita and Ike here with me; they would never forgive me if I tried to send them back. I would just... We'd just camp in this spot and be more defensive. Then the fighting would calm down and I could _talk_ to Nick again. Yeah. That would work.

Vi dug her beak into my side. Unfortunately, it was the one Lola's Nidoqueen had attacked. I grunted and released my grip, holding my sides as the pain subsided.

Alice came to the rescue. She plucked the Pidgey out of the sky with practiced ease and tossed her back to me, hovering in front of me with a critical eye. "_We're losing_," she told me succinctly.

"I've noticed." I looked her up and down. Bloody, but still airborne, and no missing limbs. She was doing awesomely, then. (I ruthlessly ignored how far my value on the word 'awesome' had fallen.) "Alice, we're regrouping here. Pick off anyone about to faint or—or any weaklings, and then come back here. Keep Zarek here. And Carlita! I-I'm going to go get Jacques and get them and the birds out of here."

"_What about the other Pidgey_?" she asked with a click of her beak.

"Bring him to me, too!" I scanned the dark air overhead, but the light and sweat and tears and possibly blood was messing with my vision too much. I couldn't pick out a little Pidgey in amongst the rocks and shadows.

With Vi under one arm, still screeching, and Oonu under the other, Konstantin Shadow Sneaked me back over to the other side of the volcano. I was pulled out of the shadow right in front of Who's corpse.

I felt the bile rise in my throat, burning, but I swallowed it back down and tried to regain my balance before I collapsed completely. I refused to look at the Hypno's body. Instead, I concentrated on keeping Vi still and looked at the battle here.

It wasn't much better.

Nick's Ludicolo was probably dead, too. He himself was screaming, voice hoarse, at Hanna. "I'll kill you! I will—I'll murder you this time, you psycho bitch!"

Jacques was restraining Hanna, and as I watched, Cossette ducked out from behind them and released her little Kangaskhan. The Tyranitar towering over them had a Hyper Beam charging. I ran over as best I could and caught Cossette's attention first. I dumped Oonu in her arms and retrieved Florette before she could go fight a fully grown Tyranitar. I put her in Cossette's arms, too, nearly overloading her.

"Cossette." She looked up at me, eyes bright and a little puffy. "Listen to me. You idolize me for reasons I can't begin to understand, but I need to tell you. There is a difference between being brave and being stupid."

"_Mais—_" She already had her bottom lip pushed out and brows furrowed. I shook my head. I didn't have time for this.

"I'm not perfect. This—what I did tonight? This was stupid. I wasn't brave, I was being stupid and stubborn and I just wanted it all to go away," I told her. She kept her expression, but it softened into something more genuine. "Cossette, I know you're used to winning battles, but... You have to get past that. Jacques can't do everything for you, and Florette is still tiny."

"I just want to help," she said faintly.

"I know! I know you do." I looked pointedly down to the Pokémon in her arms. "And do you know what would be a great help?"

"What?"

"Take Jacques, and Florette, and my Pidgey chicks. And this one right here." I patted Oonu's head feathers. "Take Hanna, and you all go back to Sunyshore. With Lola. I will take care of Nick myself, and then I will come back. Alright?"

"But you said you were stupid," Cossette whimpered.

"I know. But this will be the last time, okay?" I said softly, wrapping my free arm around her shoulders. I sniffed and tried to hold back what felt like constant tears. "_Please_ Cossette. I need to know you're safe. All of you."

"...Okay." I finally felt like I had a chance of rescuing this mess. "Jacques!" He released Hanna and hurried over. I wanted to bang my head against the wall (again). "We are returning!"

He gave me a sharp look, which I gladly returned. "You are going to take Cossette, my chicks, Hanna and her Tyranitar out of here. This is between Nick and me and they need to be safe."

He nodded at once. I transferred Vi over to him; she seemed to sense what was going on and fought harder to escape. I no sooner looked over across the way than Konstantin appeared with a third struggling bird. I sagged in relief and took Voonu from him. Cossette returned Florette and took him from me.

I looked over at Hanna just as the Hyper Beam finished charging. The Tyranitar turned to find Nick—and another Hyper Beam arced across the volcano and knocked the Tyranitar into the far wall. Lola screamed and tried to inch out of the way. My head whipped around and saw Chase, panting; he sacrificed an opening in order to keep Molly away. As I watched, an Ice Beam and Dragonbreath combo hit him, and he finally collapsed.

"Chase!" Nick made a dash for the bridge, but Hanna caught his hood and pulled him back with enough force to send him to the ground. The Tyranitar wasn't unconscious, of course. It got back up, shaking its head, and glared across the volcano.

Hanna and Nick had gotten into a fistfight. And based on their state, I was guessing it wasn't the first. Nick had size and experience on Hanna, but she demonstrated she was perfectly willing to play dirty; with a kick between the legs that made me wince, she once again sent him to the ground.

"Hanna! Stop it!" Her head snapped up to glare at me. I marched over to her, trying to get the rest of the tears out of my eyes before I inevitably got into a shouting match with her. "Get off of him!" She very reluctantly took her foot off his head and stepped back, arms crossed.

"What do you want."

"Same thing as before." I gestured to Who and the Ludicolo. "Look. You've killed two of his Pokémon already. You've probably already scarred Cossette for life."

"If we're using numbers, he has four under his belt, remember?" Hanna said dispassionately. She sounded so hollow. I realized this had already gotten too far out of hand.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance," Nick groaned, sitting up. He had a bloody lip and scratches on the side of his neck, undoubtedly both from her. His words were not helping the matter, however. At this point, I hardly cared what happened to him, but I wasn't about to let Hanna travel down the exact same road.

"You, shut up," I told him, eyes still on Hanna. "Hanna, you're going back with Cossette and Jacques. Along with your Tyranitar."

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you _are_." I knew that that sort of argument would only result in that back and forth endlessly, so I hastily changed tactics. "You've hurt him. Just like he hurt you. You've had your fun, and now I'm sending you home before you get in over your head."

"What, just because I'm not a trainer?" she demanded at once, showing emotion for the first time. Even if it was anger. I was simply glad to get a rise out of her again.

"No, it's because you're stupid!" That quieted her. She stared at me, eyes wide and hurt. I seized my chance and pitilessly continued, "You used a young, almost defenseless girl as a tool to get here. She could have _died_. But more than that, you didn't watch her—and you brought my chicks with you! I don't know what possessed you to try this stupid revenge plot, but you didn't have to take them down with you!"

"I... I had to, they wanted to come with me," she said weakly, faltering.

"Oonu is _dying_!" I barked. She fell silent altogether. "You know what's going on over there? Carlita is missing a _tail_, Ike's face is all torn up and he could be blind, Alice is keeping everything together because I _can't_. Des is worried sick about me and that scares the crap out of me, because it means they've realized that any of us could die tonight. But you—you haven't realized that. You haven't thought about this at all. You just wanted senseless revenge, and hey, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

We both looked down at Nick. He wiped his chin and then completely derailed my argument. "Just kill me."


	156. More In Sorrow Than In Anger

I stared down at him. His head was bowed now, but his voice had sounded... hollow. Just like Hanna's had.

"No." I looked up at her, still trying to process this development. For some reason, all I could latch on to was the fact that it might _end_ before I lost anyone else.

Even if I'd lose him.

_No, don't think like that_, I thought at once, trying to get back onto my path of righteous fury. I thought of Carlita, Oonu, Ike. It wasn't hard.

"No, you don't get to do that," Hanna said shakily. It wasn't just her voice; her whole body was trembling. "You don't get to _want_ to die. Y-You don't get to take this away from me. Not this too."

"Hanna, you are not doing anything else!" I said, concentrating on her.

Nick wasn't going to be ignored, however. With a grunt of pain, he got up to his feet, making sure to step back to a safe distance. "You won. Congrats. Not get this over with and finish it." He spread his arms with a wince.

"You don't get to make the terms!" Hanna said shrilly.

"You've taken away my Pokémon. My last psychic is dead, so I can't conveniently Teleport away. I'm caught, I'm hurt, and I'm tired of it all."

"_No_!" she screamed, stomping her foot.

"Nick, you be quiet," I commanded, walking towards Hanna. She backed away from me, though, eyes narrowed. "Hanna... See? Don't do this. Just go back, _please_."

"I should have killed you back in Hearthome," Nick said quietly. "It would have been a mercy. I hadn't know you would... I thought you were smarter than to do what I did."

No. Now he was pulling that on me. "You don't get to redeem yourself!" I snarled, wishing I was close enough to hit him. I heard Lola laugh behind him. I had been half-hoping she'd been squished by the falling Tyranitar or tossed into the lava by the Earthquake.

Nick continued dully, "So just kill me. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to be responsible for ruining you two any more."

"No!" I roared, closing this distance and shoving him. He seemed surprised, but didn't fight back. "You don't get to play nice again! You don't get to lie or take advantage of my feelings anymore!"

He looked up at me with a hard expression, golden eyes glinting. "This is what you came here to do. You told me so yourself."

"But—you don't—" I spluttered, trying to reconcile this latest twist. He was taking it out of my hands. It wasn't fair. "Are you crazy?"

"No." Hanna and I both stared at him, taken aback by his harsh tone. Nick hunched his shoulders and jammed his hands in his pockets, mouth twisted into something between a snarl and Cossette's kicked Growlithe look. "I'm sane. Dangerously sane."

"You're lying," Hanna said at once, voice faint.

"You are," I echoed, even weaker. I still wanted to get Hanna and the others out of here, no matter what he was calling himself. The only difference was that this talking had put most of the battle in a lull. I couldn't hear the din of fighting behind us, so I hoped that meant that it was quiet over there, too.

"Matthew is dead." I knew, right then, that he was back. Nick Sayre, as he was, was back. And I knew why he had used the term dangerously to describe it. "My team is dying all around me—_because_ of me—and look what I've forced you two into."

No, wait, that was even worse. Hanna beat me to it. "You have no right to talk about it that way! N-Not after what you did!"

"I'm sorry."

The tears finally came for her. She didn't bother trying to hide them; she only glared through them. "How _dare_ you...! That fixes nothing! Stupid, hollow, empty words! They mean nothing, it does nothing, you still did it! It doesn't bring them back o-or fix anything!" she said, voice rushed and strained. She sniffled and grit her teeth, trying to stop her bottom lip from trembling. She settled on biting it. "You don't get to apologize. You just get to pay."

I realized, then and there, that Nick was trying to do the same thing Lola was trying to do to me. He was trying to piss her off, only unlike Lola's gambit, I could see that he wanted to do it for his twisted death wish. I wasn't going to let him get away with it. "No! Hanna, come here." She jerked her arm away from me but I pulled her over regardless. She shook her head, dark brown hair flying, and refused to look at me. "Hanna, don't do this. He's changed it—he's already decided he'll win on his own terms, no matter what. Don't let him do that." Not that I had any intention of letting him get away, but I would use this to talk her down.

"I—I still _need_ to do this," she said, looking at me with confusion and desperation written in her eyes. He was being even crueler now, taking the power from us so easily. And even going so far as to _apologize_? Only now?

"Don't do this. I'll do it. Don't do this for revenge, and don't let him win."

"I never wanted this for either of you," Nick said regretfully. My glare snapped back to him. I didn't want him to be nice again, or apologetic, or redeemable. I needed him to be the villain, otherwise, all of this would have been for... not quite nothing, but certainly close.

"Don't," Hanna said again. "I won't forgive you."

"I can't expect you to."

"Then why are you trying?"

"If I'm going to die, why not try with a clean slate?"

"Shut up!" I shouted. He didn't deserve to be like this; he was easier to deal with when he'd thought I was Matthew, or when he was angry at me. I wasn't sure I could do this if he was trying to be my friend again. Not so soon after I'd cut my ties (at last).

I looked around and finally found that Skarmory feather I'd dropped earlier. I still had to get Hanna and the others out of here, but at least I could do it myself and wouldn't have to force Des to kill anyone else for me. Or any of my team. I reluctantly let go of Hanna, and after making sure she wouldn't rush over to Nick, trotted over to retrieve the feather.

It was near Lola's boot. She gave me another sharp grin, one that I tried to ignore. She still seemed far too happy with this. But I could deal with her after the others were out of danger and Nick was out of the picture.

"I didn't want to hurt either of you. But the joke was on me when I had to."

"You didn't _have_ to!" Nick was still baiting Hanna. I strode back over, feather in hand, but I was glad to see that Hanna was still standing where I'd left her. Her tears seemed to have frozen her to the spot.

"You're right," he admitted flippantly. "I could have... There were probably other ways. But doesn't that make it more meaningless?"

Hanna had been more or less stable in her anger before, but he was slowly sending her over the edge. I had to act, and fast. I caught Jacques' eye and motioned him over towards Hanna. She'd probably never forgive me, but maybe I could catch her by surprise. Although I wasn't sure how to get the Tyranitar out of here. It was a dark Pokémon, and Jacques was already weaker than he had been. It had to be returned somehow.

Unfortunately, subtlety was never my strong suit. Hanna caught on and as Jacques stepped over to her, Vi under his arm still struggling and acting as an alarm. She ran over to her Tyranitar, wrapping her arms around its leg. "No!"

Things got infinitely worse when Nick took our distraction as an opening to make a run for it. He didn't head outside, but instead bolted for the bridge to get back to his team. Or the remains of his team.

"No!" I roared. I wavered for just a moment, though—fight with Hanna or keep Nick separated from his team? I didn't know if he had any healing items on him, but even if he was there to rally and direct them again, that was bad enough. I eventually made my decision. "Jacques, get the rest of them out of here, and keep Cossette in Sunyshore! Hanna, you just—stay _there_!" She would have to return her Tyranitar if she wanted to cross the bridge, so at least I had the chance to corner her then if she decided to try to take things into her own hands again.

I ran for the bridge. Nick had a head start on me, and my ribs protested painfully at more movement, but he was hurt, too. I caught him just as he reached the other stone. Des and the rest of my team were still near there, and Zarek halted him with a Water Gun that sent him to the ground. Chest heaving, I caught up with him and set my foot on his back to keep him down.

I glanced back and saw no sign of Jacques or the others. So my birds and Cossette were finally safe again. I only hoped Oonu was okay. Hanna made no move to follow us, at least not yet, so that was another good sign.

"Alone. Finally," I sighed and tightened my grip on the blade.

"Are you going to kill me?" Nick asked, tilting his head back as far as he could in order to look up at me.

"...If it means Hanna doesn't have to, then yes." I swallowed thickly. The threat still left a bad taste in my mouth, and his return to sanity had done nothing for my view on this matter. He knew who I was, what he'd done, how much he hurt us. And he was trying to be sorry. I swallowed again and tried to catch my breath. I glanced around. Several of his Pokémon were still up and conscious, but there did seem to be a lull in the actual fighting. Chase wasn't out cold like I'd thought; he was flat on the ground, though, eyes only open a crack. He growled softly to Nick, almost comfortingly.

He knew they were done for.

That should not have affected me as it did. I had separated Nick and his team, both physically and in my mind. But now... That sort of loyalty was too much. It reminded me far too much of my own team, my own starter. If I absolutely had to kill him, I didn't want it to be in front of them.

Although that made me wonder about Chase and the rest of them. What did I do with _them_? Give them the same fate? Leave them here? Call the police and let them deal with it?

"Chase, it's okay."

"Damn it, don't comfort him," I snapped, voice breaking. I looked over, desperately, at Des. That was all the beckoning he needed and he lumbered over, offering me my own comfort. Killing someone was a huge deal. Des had killed the Ariados for me; I had never outright murdered someone myself. Let alone someone I knew, someone I still had so many memories with, someone who had done _all of this_ to me and my friends.

"...Please—"

"I'm not going to do it in front of Chase, so stop it!" I cried, taking my foot off of him and dragging him to his feet by the hood.

"...I meant, don't let Hanna do it," Nick said softly. He then looked down at the Skarmory feather. "Don't do it with your own hands," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You are _not_ going to complain on my technique of murder," I hissed. I raised the blade—and ended up resting it uselessly on his sleeve. I was already going over how to do this. I physically wasn't very strong right now, so I'd probably have to end up aiming for his neck. Or I could give in and let my Pokémon do it... Even the thoughts were making me feel sick.

Did I have it in me to kill him?

Me being me, the doubt soon took over. I let the feather slide off of his arm, cutting into the fabric. I could push him into the lava or something, but I couldn't handle hearing another splash like that Linoone. And what if he screamed or shouted or something on the way down? Too much time for last words that would probably make me as crazy as he made Hanna.

My stomach churned and I focused back on the present. "...Why don't you want Hanna to do it? Sadism? Don't want to be eaten by a Tyranitar?" I asked flatly.

Nick chuckled, although there was no humor in it. "Do you want her to fall any more?"

Oh no. He was trying to be nice again. I growled at him and took a step back, pressing up against Des' shoulder. "N-No, of course not! I can't lose both of my best friends!"

"I'm still your best friend?" he asked, surprised.

"_No_!" I spat. Finally, my answer to that question was the truth. No matter how much he apologized or begged or smiled or whatever, he had finally cut ties. He had hurt Hanna, he had hurt my team. My team in particular—they came first. No matter what. "Why do you suddenly _care_?"

"Because Chase got hurt," Nick said, looking over at his fallen dragon again. No, he was doing it again, trying to pretend to be a decent human being.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop pretending you care about anything except your dead brother!" That took him aback.

Nick stared at me for a long moment, and then what sounded suspiciously like he was holding back tears, told me, "I do. That's what got me into this mess."

"Stop lying!"

"...Fine." He spread his arms again, eyes downcast. "Kill me. Do it however, I guess. I just... didn't want this to happen."

"You dying?"

"You having to do it."

"_Stop_ it!" I snapped for the umpteenth time. He was just twisting the knife in deeper. He figured he was losing, and now he was making sure it hurt as much as possible. It was petty and spiteful and nothing else. I wouldn't let it be anything else. Mercy was beyond me. It _had_ to be if I stood any chance of getting out of here with my sanity and team intact. "You can't play nice now. That's not fair."

"You're right." He dropped his arms and took a step backwards towards the bridge. He looked up at me, and I could see that he was indeed crying too, tears cutting tracks in the dirt and blood on his face. I couldn't help but remember that first interview I watched of him—just out of Victory Road and with the same exact expression on his face. Just after he released Lassie. "I'm sorry. I-I can't play the villain anymore."

Oh no.

Now he was going to actively _try_ to take advantage of me again. I bit the inside of my cheek and raised the blade, bracing myself against Des.

"I tried, I did. I can see now you at least hate me."

"Don't lie to me," I warned. He was being so aggravating, I probably would've wanted to kill him just for the frustration he was causing me.

"I'm not lying," he said, reminding me too much of Lola. "But—okay, sorry. Just keep thinking of me what you will. Please... don't hurt my Pokémon, though. They were just following my orders."

"No they weren't!" I bit out. If anything, our teams had been the ones to escalate this, completely independent of our wishes or orders. Nick shook his head, shaggy hair flying. "I-I don't know what I'm going to do with your team," I admitted, weakening as I thought of my own team, "but... I'm not guaranteeing anyone's safety. They... hurt my team. They hurt me. They're dangerous and angry and desperate, and I'm not going to just..." I didn't know where that thought was headed. I trailed off.

Nick locked eyes with Chase once more. "...Take me. Not them, not any of them. Just me. It was my fault, I'm the one who snapped."

"No, don't be noble," I all but begged. Damn him. I just wanted him to shut up and... There. The death wish was already fading fast. I simply wanted him _gone_, but the anger was rapidly being shoved out by frustration and confusion and regret that we ended up here at all.

I was losing this uphill battle. I couldn't hate Nick for any period of time. I thought of Hanna, and Carlita, and Ike, and Oonu—and even Cynthia and Candice, but it was just... I could be mad at him, and I could want to hurt him. I clung to those, but the rage bubbling under the surface was only a simmer now. He was apologizing, that ass, and he was crying and being protective and still sounded so terribly sane.

"Damn it." I turned and buried my face in Des' fur, threading my fingers through it. He rumbled comfortingly, but that worsened it. I knew he'd follow me in whatever I did at this point. Probably. He wouldn't try to talk me out of another murder, not anymore. "Des..." I looked up through his fur, finding Carlita. Tail burned and just a stump, her heels still reddened with her blood. Ike was on his other side, but he was hurt and blinded and Harlan had run to him... Even she was working against my 'Nick is evil and deserves to die' mentality.

"_If you want help—_" Konstantin began, but I shook my head stubbornly. I wanted to hurt Nick, not my own teammates.

"If you won't do this." My grip on the feather tightened as Nick spoke up. I oh so hesitantly looked at him over my shoulder, still clinging to Des' hide. "I'll just... I'm not above damning her to protect you. I guess I thought you were strong enough, mad enough to do this."

"No!" He was _not_ using Hanna. He wasn't going to use her—either of us!—for his own gain. Even if it was death. Unfortunately, Nick was slightly more decisive than I was. (Impulsive, probably.) He turned on his heel and made for the bridge while I was busy untangling myself from Des. I gave chase, but his Rhydon got in between us with a snarl and a lashing of its heavy tail.

I backpedaled as Vasudeva staggered to his feet and joined the cause with a Flamethrower that narrowly missed me. Zarek jumped in to stop the Magmar and kept him away pretty easily, considering how injured he was, but the Rhydon was in much better condition. Des' fire didn't do much, and Carlita was in the middle of charging another Solarbeam. An Arbok slithered up from the other side of the rock, hissing at Ike and Harlan.

I crouched down closer to the ground and tried to run for the bridge again. The Rhydon stopped me in my tracks with what had to have been a Stone Edge. The rock it fired shattered just in front of me, creating cracks in the stone. I hardly had the time to think at how that could have been _me_ before Konstantin shoved me down into my shadow with a snarled, "_You will not touch him!_"

We barely got out on the other side of the Rhydon. I could tell Konstantin was tiring, especially considering the small distance covered. Still, I got past the main roadblock. Nick was just about halfway across the bridge, injuries slowing him as well. Hanna was out on the bridge, too, but not too far; she still hadn't returned her Tyranitar and didn't seem willing to get too far away.

The Rhydon swung its tail at us, not quite fast enough to turn fully around in that time frame, and its tip caught my side. It was my less hurt side, but it still sent me to the ground with a bit-back snarl of pain. It had me coughing up blood yet again, at any rate. I swore, Nurse Joy was going to kill me for returning to Sunyshore this beat up. ...If I returned.

Konstantin floated up from the side of the bridge, holding one paw awkwardly. The Rhydon must have knocked him out of the air when it had attacked me. Blue flames suddenly sprang up on the other side of the Rhydon, too. Chase was down, but definitely not out. With a screech, Alice sprang into dragon fighter mode once more.

The Rhydon had turned around to face us, raising up more rocks into the air around it. I scrambled to my feet, wincing, and tried to make a run for it. It wouldn't use any attack powerful enough to damage the bridge, since Nick was still on it, but if it managed to nail me with even one of those rocks, I'd be even more of a lost cause.

"_You will not harm_ my comrade!" I caught the flash of light out of my peripheral vision, but the change in voice was the noticeable part. That wasn't translated Pokémon speech. I turned around, hanging onto the rope railing for support, and watched as my newly evolved Dusclops charged at the Rhydon and grappled with it. He was so much bigger, but—so much different. He wasn't floating, he wasn't small, he didn't even have a mask anymore. I had seen Dusclops before, but I couldn't acknowledge Konstantin as one. Nevermind the fact that he was talking in my own tongue. For the first time in what felt like forever, I did, however, feel that niggling seed of hope.

So I stood there, staring like a loon, until their brawling got too close to one of the supports of the bridge and knocked it cleanly out of the rock.

Luckily, it was only one of the railings that fell. Unluckily, it was the one I had been leaning on. I flailed and nearly tipped over, windmilling my arms to keep my balance. The bridge swayed dangerously, but it was the back swing that ultimately saved me and I fell back onto the wooden planks. Heart racing, I glanced back at Konstantin and the Rhydon before turning my attention forward once more. He appeared to have gotten a second wind from his evolution; he could handle that.

Nick was hanging off of the remaining railing, looking shaken at the sudden development, and Hanna had retreated to the safety of the rock across the way once more. She made a shooing motion to me, but I set my jaw and got back up to my feet. She wasn't going to do this, not with the way she had just been acting. Nor was Nick going to get away that easily.

I stayed closer to the safer side, and went as fast as I could without falling to my death. Nick was even slower. I started to catch up—and then felt the bridge sway crazily again.

I looked back and found Des waddling across the bridge. After it swung a bit, his weight actually served to stabilize it a bit, keeping it from swinging even more. Not that I wanted him on there. "Go back!" I looked past him, and caught Carlita parked next to Zarek, with Ike and Harlan, holding her tail over his face, on his other side. Alice was fighting Chase, and Konstantin was fighting the Rhydon.

"_I am not letting you face this alone. And I am certainly not letting you go over to that side alone again_," he reprimanded. The bridge groaned underneath us at his weight as he neared, but it held. I couldn't imagine what would happen if it broke. Then again, maybe if we all died, that would be the cleanest solution.

_I am getting macabre_, I thought ruefully. Des would follow me no matter what, and I had to admit that he was comforting. Just so long as we didn't die because of it. Then again, my mindset was already crashing and burning, so the danger was the last thing on my mind. "Fine, whatever. Just be careful!"

I was closing the distance rapidly. Behind us, the battle went on. I heard Alice's squawks frequently, mingled with various other, less distinct snarls and shouts. I was less than ten feet from Nick, and probably two thirds across the bridge, when it shook again. Chase had clawed his way onto the bridge, more or less dragging his body. I didn't see Alice anywhere and my heart skipped a beat. The dragon struggled into the air, but crashed onto the bridge again, making it wobble even more dangerously.

Nick had stopped once Chase had arrived. "Go back!" he shouted just as I reached him.

"Get back onto the other side and leave Hanna out of this," I hissed at him, voice just barely audible over everything else. Des snorted behind me. I did feel better with him at my back, and definitely more intimidating.

"I never could," he replied evenly, backing up a step. I reached out and made a swipe at him, but he stepped out of that, too. I finally caught hold of his sleeve and yanked him back towards us. He wasn't crying anymore, but he still didn't seem completely... whatever else he was supposed to be. There was nothing but regret there. "You still remind me of him," he told me.

"I am _not_ Matthew! Not your dead little brother!"

"I know." He tensed, probably expecting me to hit him or something. I didn't, but I didn't let go of him, either. "I am going to make you hate me even more..."

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I'm going to be truthful again," he replied with a forced smile. Nick looked back at Hanna, and then back at me, and said all at once, "I hurt her to keep you away from me. I did it out of selfishness and desperation. It wasn't necessary, at all. I stopped The Tournament because they were crazy enough to follow me. I never wanted any of—"

"Stop justifying yourself!" I commanded, and he quieted. He stared down at me, still all sorts of regretful and all too knowing that he wasn't going to make it out of here alive tonight. If I didn't do it, Hanna would, if I couldn't stop her. Even if I could, I wasn't sure I could control either of our Pokémon. And if he really was that keen on dying, he could do it himself easily.

"...I never wanted to hurt you. Either of you. It was just easier to aim for her," Nick confessed. "I acted excessively in hopes of scaring you both off. You, I guess. Somewhere... along the lines, I guess the lines between you and Matthew blurred. Maybe even before Ato arrived. I couldn't hurt you, and now look what I've done." His shoulders slumped.

I ground my teeth and tried not to punch him. I finally figured out my main problem with this. It wasn't my roller coaster of emotions or flip flops of views on him (although those were certainly factors). It was the fact that between him and Hanna, the decision was taken out of my hands. I was stuck reacting, instead of acting. I wanted—needed—to do this my way, and this entire night had been a debacle.

I didn't care what I thought of him, not anymore. He was apologizing. He was regretting. He was crying again. He was sad and pathetic and a victim of circumstances and his own feelings. He had been my best friend, for a long time, and somewhere, I knew that was still there. But he was also a killer and a threat, not only to Sinnoh, not only to my friends, but to my team. That overrode the jumble of feelings and thoughts. I only had to stop more heartbreak before it all came crashing down around my ears and I broke down.

I briefly entertained a thought. Of him, in prison, alive but away and safely away at that.

The thought evaporated when he put his free hand on my shoulder. I flinched at the contact with the burn and stepped back, nearly bumping into Des. "I'm sorry. That's what I wanted you to know. I tried, and I failed. I messed up, and I think I messed up you two, too. I'm—"

"Stop apologizing. It's getting annoying," I snapped. I shrugged him off and I could feel the bridge vibrate beneath us as Chase crawled closer. I had no idea what he thought he would do once he got this far, but I knew it probably wouldn't be great for either side. I glanced up at Hanna. She was glaring stonily at us, not quite close enough to act and visibly hating it. I didn't know if she was past her indecision, especially since Nick had taken away that for her, too, but I wasn't going to risk it. Just so long as no one nudged the bridge too hard, this could be finished here.

Nick grinned again. This time it was only marginally less forced. "I almost miss being crazy, you know? It made this easier to deal with." That was for sure.

"Yeah... I guess," I grunted noncommittally, still wondering _what_ I was going to do. Chase was getting closer. Hanna was losing her patience. This was the only time I would get to myself.

"Your eyes are so dark now." I looked up at him, said eyes narrowed.

"More tragedy," I replied tersely. Three greater tragedies. Those hadn't cropped up, at least not so explicitly, in a long time.

"I've tried everything," Nick sighed dramatically. "I sort of regret it now, but you couldn't have just let her do away with me? You wouldn't have had to face this, then..."

"I'm not losing Hanna to you. Or anyone else. Why do you _care_ what I face or do or experience?"

"Because you're my friend."

"You don't get to use that word anymore."

"Oh. Then... You're a precious memory to me that I didn't want the future to sully?" he guessed. He wasn't taking me—or the situation—seriously. It grated on my nerves, and they were already frayed. Nick looked down and, reading my expression, smiled helplessly. He set both hands on my shoulders, just barely avoiding the burns, and said, "Believe me or not, but I didn't want you to fall like me."

I finally lost my temper with him. "Nick Sayre, it has been _too long_ since—" I threw off his hands and gave him a shove for good measure.

Unfortunately, that sent him off balance. On an already unstable bridge missing one of its railings. He stumbled, falling forward, and one foot slipped off the plank. He fell off entirely and already I threw myself at him, only thinking _no! Not like this!_ I managed to grab one of his arms, although his weight sent me onto one knee. It was like Alicia all over again. My shoulders and chest screamed at me for forcing this upon them.

And again, gravity was working against me. Nick was heavier than Alicia and I didn't have Tessa's help. He hung there for a moment, suspended by one arm, and I was sliding down and forward rapidly.

I slipped forward and had a brief moment of the sensation of falling before Des caught the back of my hoodie in his teeth. Chase roared in a panic and pushed himself off of the bridge, jostling it again. My hoodie was only tied around my waist. The movement, the weight, the force of gravity. The fabric let go and before he could lunge forward and catch me again, before Chase made it to either of us, Nick and I fell.


	157. Illusion

I hit the ground.

It wasn't soft, squishy, boiling hot magma ground, though. It was solid and smooth and cool to the touch. As I cracked open my eyes, I saw that it was lighted, too. A cold white light.

I stood up, shakily, my legs not wanting to support me. The world was dark around me—no. Even as I noted that, it flared to life with bars and boxes and blurs of white. It wasn't static, always shifting and swirling around me. Not the white world, not the black world, and not the static-y world. It definitely didn't feel like a dream, either, if the aching in my body was anything to go by.

Nick was lying on his stomach a couple feet from me, and as I watched, stirred with a groan. I was more alarmed to see Chase on the other end of our disk of solid white, however. He hadn't even been _close_ to catching us. I had no idea how close we were to the lava—or where we were, okay—but that was a distance to go. ...I wasn't even sure he would've caught me, too. Or could have.

"_My child, I am so sorry_." I jumped. The voice was deep, warm, but all too close. I whirled around and found a creature—no, it _had_ to be a Pokémon, but I couldn't immediately place it. It was massive and white and gray and had a halo of gold around its middle.

It felt bizarrely familiar, too.

"Wh-Who are you?" I asked, hating the way my voice shook.

"_This is my fault_," the Pokémon said sadly, craning its long neck over to look at Nick. He had gotten to his hands and knees, face bloody, and looked like he had just spotted Chase. He ignored us and crawled over to his starter. "_I... should not have let things get this far out of hand._"

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. If this thing just saved us, then that was fine. Great, in fact. But I was _tired_ of cryptic answers and invading psychics and who knew what else.

It swung its head back to me, lowering it, and looked at me with scarlet and moss eyes. It still struck a chord, but I was positive I had never seen this thing before. "_I am responsible for this_," it said plainly.

"...How?"

"_I..._" It sat down and folded its front legs in front of it, suddenly avoiding my gaze. Guilty? And it had just told me that it was its fault. I didn't know _what_ was its fault, though. It gave a short sigh. "_I am responsible for all the creation in your universe. You are my child, as much as anyone else is._"

Legendary Pokémon, but there were so many creation myths and legends out there, I still couldn't immediately place it. My family had never been particularly religious, so I didn't have much basis for my guessing, unfortunately. "You... made us?"

"_Humans and Pokémon alike, but you were very definitely separate creations_," it stressed. It finally looked down at me again, eyes sad. Across the white disk, Nick and Chase were finally reunited, soft words and growls and hugs included. They didn't seem to care about this massive Pokémon in front of us at all. "_My Pokémon came first. I created humans, based on separate feelings and thoughts, later. I am still not sure it was a good idea_."

Okay, so not fond of humans. I could deal with that, after years of dealing with Ike. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes, trying to appear threatening. "That's all well and good, but why should I care?"

"_I am trying to enlighten you_," it replied. There was something in its voice that was... almost parental, but definitely not scolding. I dropped my arms but maintained my glare. "_...I understand your anger, my child. And I am sorry for it._"

"Just... if you want to talk, keep going." I turned and started over to Nick and Chase.

The Pokémon did just that. It seemed really keen on telling me this, for whatever reason. I probably would've been fascinated at any other time, but now, I still had to figure out what to do with Nick, and whether or not we were dead and in some sort of afterlife.

"_Humans are different from my Pokémon. They are relatively defenseless, so they rely on wit and technology. They create wars and rely on lies far too often. I have never been sure that they were good for this planet, or my other creations_." Oh. I glanced back at it, only mildly surprised at the sorrow in its tone. So it was another human-hater with the power to actually _do_ something about it, it seemed. That was great. Just what I needed. Another angry legendary thrown into the picture. "_I do not want to act rashly. I never did. I... had learned my lesson many years prior_," it added shamefacedly.

Considering we were all still alive and now it went from an angry legendary to a sad one, I felt a little better. As I neared Nick, he looked up at me, all confusion and regret and fear. I didn't get any closer. What did I say to him? I had lunged for him, I had tried to save him. I wasn't completely sure why. Probably just more memories battling with my current feelings. Then there was this new development...

"_So I devised a way of testing humans._"

"Testing us?" Wait. That rang a bell.

"_Yes, my child. I tried to test humanity as a whole, but you were too hateful and too chaotic. So I followed a single human, and I tried to gauge whether humans were ultimately good, or ultimately bad._"

Suddenly, a lot of Lola's words were making far too much sense. She was the first. She was a litmus test. "...Lola?" I asked weakly.

"_No, a young girl named Abigail_."

That was even worse. She had been Lola's friend and traveling companion—the one killed by the Abomasnow. It also explained her "kind of". She hadn't been the first, she had been with the first. ...Wait—first. That implied there were _more_. I looked back at Nick, and a chill went down my spine.

He was staring up at it with the same shocked expression. "This Abigail... What happened to her?" he asked. Of course he wouldn't know.

"_She died, by her own causes. They were looking for Ursaring in the north of this country, and they upset the territorial balance and brought about an Abomasnow, enraged and blinded by her fury at the unjust invasion. I learned nothing but heartbreak and that humans are more self-destructive than I realized_," the Pokémon told us, eyes downcast. The white behind it flashed into pure black, leaving us the only source of light. The floor seemed dimmer in the darkness.

Lola and Abigail had started the Abomasnow, the same one that later killed her and Matthew. Not to mention the assault of Hanna and I. Had that started Lola's plans? Or had she always been like that? Was she only out for revenge because of her friend's death?

"_But, her friend... I was going to try again until I reached my decision. Her friend suggested someone with power, as a real test._"

"Me," Nick said flatly. The Pokémon inclined its head. He remained expressionless, but Chase tried to nuzzle his snout into his chest with a whine.

It took me a numbing moment to actually process what that meant. Abigail hadn't been good or bad. Nick... He had done some terrible things. Murder. Several times. His own friends. Sent the region into chaos. Ruined the trust between trainers. And he had been the test as a representation of us all.

I suddenly felt sick. I knew what Nick had done, and so did he, and so did this judgmental white thing. He had been the test and that had been a pretty epic fail by anyone's standards.

But wait. If it started watching Nick after Abigail had died... That would have been just before we had gotten attacked. Nick still would have been good at that point. It could have seen several months, almost a _year_ of him as he was. Happy and dorky and charming and strong and always so helpful. At least it wasn't so black and white...

"_You were controlled by your grief. I cannot fault you for that_," it told us. Even if it excused the initial problem—like I had—it still couldn't ignore his acts past that. I didn't know exactly what he had been up to, but directly or indirectly, he was responsible for so many deaths across the region. If you added in The Tournament, it spiked to _thousands_. He had started all but a rebellion.

"...What are you going to do?" Nick asked, face still a mask.

"_I will rectify this as best I can. I will protect the lives that I can. But... This has gotten too far out of hand_."

"But what are you going to _do_?" I cried desperately, panic making my stomach churn even worse. The haloed Pokémon turned to me and although I couldn't see its mouth, I could tell it was sad beyond comprehension. A heartbroken creator. About to destroy its own creations.

It couldn't end like this. Not in this bizarre world, not if we were already dead, not after _everything_ had happened. Not another decision taken out of my hands.

Chase seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He reared up, shielding Nick from view with his wings, and roared at the other Pokémon.

"_My dear Garchomp..._" It didn't sound condescending or trite. It managed to sound as if it genuinely cared. Maybe it really did. "_I am so sorry._"

I was tired of all of the apologizing during the night, too. I grimaced and looked around for something, _anything_ that... I didn't even know. I felt like a hostage of the situation. I was, yet again, at a loss for what to do, and even if I could do something, it wouldn't amount to anything significant. This had to be some sort of legendary, and even if we weren't already dead, we only had a severely wounded Garchomp between us and it.

"Don't be sorry, then!" I burst out. "Just... don't do this. Whatever you're testing us for, don't. Humans can be cruel and selfish, yeah, but... Look at them!" I gestured to Nick and Chase. "Teams! Teammates, allies, _friends_. Humans become Pokémon trainers so we can befriend them and care about them. Even pets are loved."

"_I know._" Again with the amazing ability not to sound sarcastic or mean, but understanding.

I was on a roll, no matter how shaky. "A-And, the Pokémon love their trainers. Look at Chase! My team is back... there, and I know they're worried sick about me. They've done so much for me, and they love me, and I love them. Humans can be mean, and violent, and hateful, yeah. But we can be compassionate and generous and really nice, too."

"_I know. That is why this is such a difficult decision_," it said, sounding gently amused.

"Then... Each person is good and bad."

"_But destructive in both aspects_," it said primly. It nodded towards Nick once more. "_I have seen a great deal in this time, and it is that both love and hate can produce violence in its name._"

I really couldn't argue with that. Maybe this situation wasn't as dire as I was thinking, though; it acknowledged the good in humanity. Well, just that it led to bad things, too. Still, maybe this situation wasn't entirely hopeless. It hadn't started spewing fire and brimstone, anyway, and it still sounded like it hadn't made up its mind.

"...You saved us." It came out sounding accusatory. I tried to soften my tone, and elaborated, "You could have let us both die—we're not dead, right?"

"_No, you are not_," it said fondly.

"Okay. So, that means you saved our lives. All of ours, and you easily could have let us fall. That means you have to hold out some hope for humanity, right?"

"_I would not be stuck with this perplexing dilemma if I had not._" It shifted and got back up onto its feet—hooves?—and shook its tail. Not quite a wag. "_I still wish to hope for the best, but I am not young. I am not naïve. I am running out of patience, especially with all of the violence in your world as of late._"

Also the cause of humans. "But..." I couldn't argue that point, really. I felt as if all that was left for me was begging for my life. I looked back at Chase, still growling and still curled around his trainer. "...Nick was good. He was. He only did that stuff because he missed Matthew." It was a weak attempt and probably something everyone present already knew, but I wanted to strengthen whatever defense we had.

"_That, and other reasons_." Nick tensed up; I could see his shoulders between the gap of Chase's wing and his back. I tore my eyes away and back up to the Pokémon. "_He was trying to protect those he had left._"

Nick made an uncomfortable sound, and Chase growled again.

I remembered him giving himself up for his parents. Another case of good, even amongst his crazy days. "See! Humans are capable of a lot of love. We care. We just... like to take things too far sometimes."

"_I have no doubt of that._" It tilted its head, peering down at me quizzically. "_I have known you now for years as well, my child. I have known a great deal of Nicholas' friends and family and his life. Abigail was the same. I have experienced human life, and I have seen its woes and triumphs. But this does not draw me any closer to a decision._"

"You could always just... give up and leave us alone."

Ignoring my remark and its previous tangent completely, the legendary told me, "_I have seen great love out of humans and not necessarily for their own species or their own blood. This is not shared by many Pokémon, and is a great gift in the world. It is true you have a knack for uniting many species together in these teams of yours, and a great many humans have the talent for it. I am proud to see such unity._"

I stayed silent and looked at Nick again. He still looked pretty tense. Was he still worked up over the fact that he was a test? Did he feel guilty? Angry? Pained? Chase caught my gaze and shifted, putting himself in between us completely. He was still loyal to him. At least someone was.

...What_ did_ this legendary see out of humanity, if it had been following Nick around? Matthew, dead, and the catalyst for a violent breakdown. Tears and desperation and wrath. But... happiness. Joy, jokes, hanging around with Hanna and I. Our teams, all playing and messing around with each other. Going shopping together. Battling and training together. Eating snow cones and taking stupid photos. Three greater tragedies of training.

Had it seen him release Lassie?

Had it seen how Kamala and Lassie tried to save him through me? Had it seen what Nick had done to Hanna? How much had it watched, and then—how much did it _understand_?

"_...Violence is inherent in nature itself. I am simply worried that it is too extreme in humanity_," it said, breaking into my thoughts. It sounded like it was trying to rationalize its actions.

"...Not everyone is like that," I mumbled. Did it think training itself was violent? If so, I couldn't say much. Yes, Pokémon battles could get messy and dangerous. But life itself seemed to be that way. For me, at any rate. "Most people go their entire lives without harming anyone else. I think you're just following around the wrong people," I sighed.

"_Oh_?" it asked, sounding entirely too curious.

"Uh, y-yeah." I tugged at my shirt's collar and kept avoiding its eyes. "Don't... go for someone with power. Power corrupts, and most stronger trainers? We're all pretty crazy. You should, uh, try again or something. Start with a kid. Kids are innocent and pretty harmless. Then watch, over years, and hopefully the kid will be a decent trainer so you can see how the average human is like. Why would you want to go after someone with power?"

"_That was my mistake. I gave in to deceitful advice. It had the angle that if someone with power could survive corruptness and depravity, anyone could_," it said quietly, shying back towards the end of the disk. Around us, the blackness finally flared back into white bars, circling us. I blinked in the sudden brightness.

Its mistake. It had taken its advice from Lola... She really had been at this for awhile, then. "...How was it deceitful?"

"_She... manipulated several factors before I caught on. She influenced your path_."

"...Ato," Nick bit out.

"_Yes. I believe it was that Xatu that helped her in that_."

I still couldn't see him, but he must have been able to look up at the white Pokémon. "But... He used that Future Sight well before any of that happened. Lassie was still a Snorunt at the time... Doesn't that mean that that would happen all this time?" he asked, anguish in his voice.

"_The future is not a straight path from the present. Time is fluid and can be influenced, or outright changed. Of course, some paths are more likely than others, and it seems, at times, that others are all but guaranteed... I have been led __to believe that several outside forces were actively trying to shape it_."

"The ghosts," I said at once. It nodded. "And... an awful lot of psychics."

"_I was... not as stealthy as I probably should have been_," it admitted Mareepishly.

"So a lot of Pokémon knew, and at least one other human. Lola. ...No, that's a lie. I knew, too." That hurt to say out loud, but really, I _had_ known. About Nick. Lassie's warning and the ghosts' warning overlapped some, but all of it led to this.

And then it struck me.

I burst out laughing. It was bitter and heartbroken, and I couldn't pretend otherwise. Clutching at my sides—laughing with hurt ribs wasn't my smartest move of the night—I grit my teeth and tried to hold back very sudden and _very_ unwanted tears. I couldn't pretend they were all from the pain. "L-Let go," I responded to the looks I got. Nick had gotten to his knees so he could look over Chase's back. I was glad to see that that expressionless face of his was gone, at least.

"_What?_"

"I-I was supposed to l-let go," I said, hardly able to breathe. Oh god, I was an idiot. I had been so caught up in thinking I had the warning right—_again—_that I missed how literal that had been. To my credit, the warning had been anything but literal up until that point (the darkness bit came to mind), and maybe it even had been a bit more metaphorical, but still. Not that I would've had time to think much, either... "The ghosts. Th-They told me... ow. They told me to let go."

I looked over at Nick. He had ducked down behind Chase again, so that only his eyes up were visible. He appeared reproachful.

I let out one last, harsh bark of laughter. "I could have... I could've let go. You would've fallen, maybe died. Maybe this thing still would've caught you. I don't even know what's going to happen once this chat session is over, anyway. It could still drop us into the lava. Still... I could've let you go, at last. You would have died, and there went our problems. All this guilt and anger and confusion... gone. And our benevolent creator here would've stayed confused and stuck about humanity. Could've bought us another year, decade, or maybe it would've given up on us all right then and there—"

"Would you have really let go of me?" Nick cut in.

I deflated instantly. "No." No use lying about it, either. Even if it hadn't been my fault. Even if he had jumped in himself. I still would've tried to save him. Talking and thinking about killing him was one thing, I realized. Doing it or having to watch his death? Another entirely. I was positive, by now, that I couldn't do it. Not by myself.

In that second, when I had lunged forward and I had grasped onto his wrist, feeling his pulse and warmth and sweat and how _alive_ he had been, hanging there... I knew. I knew I would be a wreck if he had died. I couldn't let it end like that.

I didn't know if I needed some sort of closure, or if I was a total pansy, or if all of the death up until that point had made me revolt against capital punishment, but I didn't want Nick to die. Yet (I hoped; I couldn't _quite_ let go of that anger still bubbling under the surface). Not by his own hands, not by Hanna's, and certainly not by mine. He would just have to be handed over to society and prison while I figured myself out...

"Humanity is pathetic, that's what we are," I hissed, hanging my head. I certainly was. My prior resolve was gone, evaporated by my panicked grab and all of this simple talking.

"_You love_," the legendary said warmly.

Then, it did something that sent a shiver down my spine.

It leaned down and nuzzled its face into my shoulder, nearly sending me to the ground. It didn't have fur, and instead had some sort of hard skin, and up close, its eyes were even more soul-searching. My breath hitched. There was something inherently... wrong about touching this creature. I felt, bizarrely, as if I wasn't allowed to. I didn't have permission, or something. Something was off, either way.

But then, that was erased by a total feeling of comfort. My shoulders sagged and I let out my breath in a contented sigh. I felt... okay. Not rejuvenated or spectacular or anything, but just that things would be alright. I hadn't felt that in a long time, and that part certainly felt great.

It lifted its head away from me and the world reverted back to cold light and harshness and confusion once more. I looked up at it, shocked and a little afraid, worried about the Pokémon that could instill such feelings with a simple touch. Not that that was so strange in the Pokémon world, but it wasn't something I had really come across before. And now was _not_ the time to muddle my feelings further. Probably contrary to its intentions, I now felt guarded and ill at ease.

"Don't do that again," I said faintly. I cleared my throat and added a stronger, "Please."

"_If you wish_." It didn't sound hurt, and instead sounded as if it was happy again. "_...Humanity loves. I am glad it is still capable of that, even if some of its members can be slightly self-depreciating at times._"

Had it just made a jab at me?

While I was puzzling that out, Nick spoke up again. "Don't confuse the issue. It sounds as if you've made up your mind about us already."

"_I wish I had. I am close, and my patience is wearing thin, I will grant you that..._" it trailed off. It looked down at me again, and for a brief moment, I was worried it would try to touch me again. "_I am hopeful, however. I have not been hopeful in some time. This night has been... enlightening._"

"...You've been watching?"

"_Naturally._"

"How much have you seen?" Nick asked guardedly.

"_Enough to know of the hurt you all carried with you._"

"You all...?" I echoed. "...You mean, Hanna and me, too?"

"_Yes. I am already aware of you both through your connections with him. I was surprised to see it all come to a head at such a time, though._"

"Yeah, tonight... wasn't a good night for any of us." Hanna on a rampage, me wavering between murderous and wanting to sob myself into a coma in a corner, and Nick on all ends of the sanity spectrum. Great representation of humanity there.

"_I have seen enough. You still seek to protect each other._"

"Well, yeah," I mumbled, rubbing my arm. "I don't want Hanna to... get worse."

"_Not just you_." It looked pointedly at Nick.

"Why are we here?" he asked, blatantly ignoring the hook. "What was your motive for saving us? What do you plan on doing with us once we're done here?"

"_I still have some business to attend to, I'm afraid. But I won't drop you on Heatran if that's what you're worried about_."

"More the lava than the lizard," Nick huffed.

"_Why do humans lie?_" it asked with curiosity bordering on childishness.

"What do you mean?" he asked, suspicious.

"_You have not been truthful this entire night. Not to yourself or anyone else_." Nick looked uncomfortable again. I looked between the two—and then caught Chase's glare at me. The heaviness in my stomach told me my hunch was right.

"...You _have_ been trying to protect us." I was trying to accusing, and instead came out with a whine.

"No I haven't," Nick replied at once. Chase growled to add emphasis.

"You didn't want Hanna to kill you, but once I wavered... You went back to her. If you couldn't save us both, you wanted to save me." The words came and I instinctively knew they were true, no matter how at odds they seemed with the entire night. I shut my eyes tight and shook my head. "Why... Why any of this, then? Why hurt Hanna in the first place? Why fight us here, tonight?"

"_He hurt your friend so he didn't have to hurt you_," the white Pokémon supplied. "_He tends to try to save as many as he can, but also tends to choose when decisions become difficult._"

"Shut up," Nick snapped.

"But... why at all? I wasn't in any danger..."

"_The so-called 'followers' he amassed during his journey. He was concerned._"

"I said shut up!" he roared, and this time, Chase joined in with a snarl and a snap of his jaws. The dragon uncurled himself from his trainer and put himself in between them once more, tail lashing angrily and bloodstained teeth bared. "Stop telling him useless things—things that are in the past and they've changed now!" He turned back to me, desperate and rebellious. "I-I don't care what you think of me, not anymore. I'm too tired for that. But _please_, please don't think of me as your friend anymore. I'm not. I've hurt you far too much for me to deserve that title anymore, and it'd be best if you finally thought of me as the villain here."

"_Even now, he would prefer to sacrifice his image in your eyes so you could be more at ease_."

"Shut _up_!" Nick shouted. Chase opened his mouth and released a brilliantly blue jet of fire at the Pokémon. I jumped back, shocked that it actually came to this. The Dragonbreath ended, and the white legendary seemed unharmed, although as far as I could tell, it had taken the attack. Nick grimaced and Chase tensed up again, but neither seemed very surprised that it hadn't done much. Probably just proved a point. Nick turned to me with a scowl. "It speaks nonsense."

"...Don't worry, the friendship phase is over," I told him flatly. Too much had happened for this to be a magical fix for my feelings. I felt hurt at his look of relief, however, so maybe I wasn't as emotionally distant as I would've otherwise liked. "Your motives... I kinda don't care at this point. I can only react, you know? And I can't really react to motives. Only actions, and there have been plenty of those. So... yeah. Don't worry."

"_You, too, have mixed feelings. You are not as cold as you'd like to believe_," the pokémon said gently. I crossed my arms and half-turned my back on it.

"You never answered my other questions," Nick said in a low voice. "Why are we here?"

"_I wished to speak to you_."

"Why?"

"_I wished to apologize._"

"For what?"

"_For everything_." If I hadn't known any better, I would've said it sounded ready to cry. It sounded so final. I just hoped it hadn't reached an unfavorable verdict just yet... "_...I must wrap this up now. This half-world of light and dark is unhealthy for all of us to stay in_."

"We're going back? You're coming with us?" I wasn't sure which to be more surprised about.

"_Yes_," it replied shortly.

"...Why are you coming back with us?" Nick asked hesitantly. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Chase's neck, reigning him back in.

"_I must fix what I can, and save who I can_," it repeated.

"...You can't save everyone?" I asked, realization dawning at last.

"_No._"

"You just said the future wasn't set in stone..." The panic started to set in. Someone else would die? Multiple lives would be lost? I couldn't handle much—_any—_more death. "Why can't you just rewrite things and save everyone?" I really hoped that meant that it didn't want to just save Pokémon or anything.

"_I must fix what I can_," it repeated, more forcefully. That wasn't reassuring in the least. "_My children... It has been a great pleasure to watch your lives and come to know you. I only wish you had not ended up in this tragedy. I am so, so sorry._"

"...Talk about choosing who you save," Nick groaned, burying his face in Chase's shoulder. "It's us or them? Really?"

"_I have yet to make a decision on humanity as a whole_." I tilted my head back and chuckled weakly. Dodged a bullet there... But for how long? I had a feeling we impacted its thought process quite a bit. Chase, too, probably. But I couldn't get a read on it. "_...Farewell._"

That was a goodbye. It was supposed to be taking us back. That was _not good_.

It turned towards Chase and Nick. The realization hit him at once, I could see it. Chase followed not a moment later and shrunk back, raising his wings defensively for his trainer. I started towards them without realizing _why_. It was another reflexive, instinctual lunge for him.

Nick turned and looked at me, and for a split second, we locked eyes. So many things conveyed. So many emotions and thoughts.

Then, he shut his eyes tight and leaned against Chase, just as the white pokémon leaned down and pressed the tip of its snout against the dragon's forehead. Bright, white light enveloped us all.

-.-.-

When I could see again—or came to, I wasn't sure which—we were back in the oppressive heat of the volcano. We were on the rock, the one across from Hanna. Des was already waddling back across the bridge. Pokémon, alive and dead and in between, lay all around us.

But what caught my attention wasn't that, nor was it the massive white creature floating behind me.

It was Nick Sayre and his Garchomp, laying side by side. Eyes closed and the ghost of a smile. Chase curled around him, protective and loyal even then. Both of them dead.


	158. And Some By Virtue Fall

Another decision had just been taken from me.

The most important decision.

The one I had been fighting with for years.

The one I had just decided I _didn't_ want to happen.

No.

"That's... not... fair..." I cried, voice hoarse and strained. I wobbled, nearly falling, but caught myself with a step towards their bodies. Dead. Another death. _Nick_. I only had eyes for them; the rest of the situation behind me was a dull roar and blurry peripheral vision. I had just... I couldn't save him, after everything. I didn't care about the switch of viewpoint; the situation had just been switched on me, after all.

After everything. _Everything_. Prison and Hanna and The Tournament and Matthew and a freaking _legendary_ and after I had finally made up my mind about him. Friends no longer, but I didn't want him to die. A decision _finally_ reached and then it was plucked out of my hands too easily.

It wasn't fair.

The anger that had been there the entire night, simmering and bubbling over and ruling too many of my actions and words finally came back, and with a vengeance. I had just come to terms with the past four years of my life, and it was upheaved by a single decision by someone that had just spent the last however long telling us how much it cared and hoped for us and the last thing I had said to Nick was that he wasn't my friend.

No goodbye, no closure. Just like Archie, just like Keith, just like Zoe, just like so many others. It was just that he was the straw that broke the Camerupt's back. Just one last look after my cruel words and that was it. _That was it_. The monster behind me had just taken him away when I had decided I didn't want that to happen. The anger was back in full swing.

But it was also drowned out.

I could feel the rage there, but the tears made it too distracting. My chest hurt, and not in the way I had gotten used to over the course of the night. I had just decided I _didn't_ want him to die. Friend or not, I hadn't wanted this. Too many memories and feelings to want this. I took a shaky step forward, and my knees almost gave out on me. I only managed another step before falling altogether.

"No... Nick..." My voice was still raw and raspy, although from the heat or the emotion, I couldn't tell. I could reach out and touch them. Their dead bodies, probably cooling, already gone. Death had always affected me, but never like this. I wasn't shutting down like I was used to; I was still here. I was here and he wasn't. "I didn't... I changed my mind..."

Because my decisions and my wants were _so important_.

I had been spoiled. Coddled. Deemed 'special' by ghosts and psychics and trainers because of Nick and _this_. My opinion and actions had been important, so important, even if they were all failures. But now, when I was decisive and _knew_ what _I_ wanted, not Pokémon or legendaries or Gym leaders or the public, I was tossed aside because my importance suddenly evaporated. I had taken it for granted. Now I wasn't useful to anyone anymore.

I hadn't saved Nick. Not him from falling in any sense, and not his life. He was dead now. Gone forever. My best friend of the past, my idol, my guide, my reason for becoming a Gym leader in the first place.

I bit back a sob and my hands closed on the fabric of his hoodie. It took all I had to stay upright and not throw myself at them both like a heartbroken wreck. It wasn't _fair_. Death was too permanent for someone indecisive like me. I wasn't in denial, I told myself, but I couldn't help but try to rouse him, tugging on his jacket and jostling his body. He looked like he was sleeping, next to his starter, like he normally did. I couldn't be blamed for thinking it wasn't true when he did it all the time, right?

"Comrade..." I sensed Konstantin's new bulk come up behind me, hesitantly. He was frightened.

But in a snarl that surprised even myself—who knew I was _this_ self-aware?—I clung to Nick and shied away from his touch, "_Don't_. Touch. Me." I froze up, body tense to the point of pain, and hoped to god he would not try to comfort me right now.

God.

Ha.

I had never been religious. I had only been to church a sparse couple of times in my lifetime, and my family hadn't ever directed my theological thoughts in any specific direction. I accepted the fact that there was some higher deity out there, watching over us, kind and loving but ultimately for balance.

Instead, I got a legendary creator with a second child complex, who had just killed my best friend, now floating behind me, all innocence and naivety and benignity.

I hissed and turned, releasing my grip on Nick. I still wasn't used to seeing a Dusclops in place of a Duskull, and that image momentarily gave me a start, because I apparently _needed_ more unfamiliarity and change right now—but I soon focused on the white Pokémon behind him. I was only faintly aware of Konstantin saying something as I pushed myself to my feet.

That thing. That _legendary_. Those were supposed to be gods, right? I knew they had their own religions and followings and whatever else. I had never known they would've been this invested in the human race, though, or at least not so directly. And I had never even entertained the thought that it would take all but a god to kill Nick Sayre.

That had taken the decision out of my hands. Saved those it could. Nick had been _sane_ again, I could have just talked to him... It had even given us a nice, secluded place. We could've talked it out, come to some sort of understanding or compromise. There had been hope in salvaging the situation. If I hadn't had hope for him, somewhere deep inside of me, I wouldn't have caught him on that bridge.

Would I?

Or was guilt still motivating me?

"You... saved who you could?" I bit out, unable to help my jerky, erratic movements. I had too much energy pent up, too much sorrow and rage and I needed something, anything to take it out on. I didn't look up at the white thing. I didn't look for my team, or Nick's team, or at anything in particular. I picked a rock, near the edge of the platform, and stared at it.

"_My child, I will not blame you if you choose to be angry with me_." _Choose_ to be angry? There was no choice, and that was the problem here. I could no more choose to be angry than I could choose to be happy right now. It _wasn't_ a choice. The rock bore the brunt of my glower, but my peripheral vision still caught things.

The blood drying on the stone, fuzzy figures at the very edges of my sight. A navy blue one with a tan one curled over him, and a large, orange one lumbering back from the bridge.

The creature continued speaking. "_I do not wish for you to be angry at all, but I will understand. Nick Sayre had become a monster, and—_"

"_No_! You can't call him that!" I burst out. My vision swam in another barrage of tears and I choked back a sob. "It wasn't his fault, none of it was, and you punished him anyway!"

"_I was saving the lives that I could yet. He was a lost cause. He could not be redeemed in life without it being an act of cruelty_," the white thing said indignantly. "_It was not an easy decision, but it was the safest solution._"

I was in no mood for rationalizations, or defenses, or anything but taking out all of this hurt on something else. I let out a growl that would've made Ike proud in other circumstances. "I. Don't. Care. I don't give a _damn_ what you think you're doing or who you think you're saving. You haven't saved _anyone_, and if anything, you're the cause of all of this!"

"_...I am not_," it said quietly.

I was temporarily broken out of my tirade by an unexpected source: Alice. She had been grounded, but made a point of fluttering weakly over to me and gave me a sharp peck on the hand. I nearly hit her out of sheer reflex, but caught myself just in time. "_Trainer_," she said, voice faint and stern all at once, "_you are being rash._"

I hissed at her and stepped back, nearly tripping over Fargo. The Arcanine gave a low whine and jerked, head snapping up. He didn't look at me, though; he had eyes only for his trainer.

That pause was possibly the worst thing to happen yet.

Because Alice was right. I was being rash. She had just given me time to _think_. She had broken me out of my angry words, but not my thoughts or mood or intentions. Fargo staring, tears evaporating on his cheeks, looking so heartbroken at Nick and Chase. It further twisted the knife in my heart. I turned back to stare at the innocent rock.

This was not the white thing's fault.

It was stupid and pointlessly cruel, but it didn't know any better. It was just another biased viewpoint. My team was all around me, and so was Nick's team, and Hanna and her Tyranitar were still probably over on the other side of the volcano, too. They were both still alive, and my team was still alive. Not in great condition, and this night may never heal, but we were all still alive.

I had to save those I could. So did it. Those words penetrated the red haze of my now-simmering fury.

But I still needed someone to blame.

And if I had not been given a chance to think about it, I would not have realized that the white thing itself had admitted who I could blame this on. She had influenced our path, had known all along where this was headed.

I turned on my heel and stalked off in the direction of the bridge. The white thing behind me stirred, following me at a safe distance. "_What is it you are intending to do?_" it inquired politely.

I couldn't bear to look at Nick or his starter or his crying Arcanine. I didn't look at Ike, still blinded, Harlan crouched at his side, or at Carlita, hardly conscious, propped up by a distinctly redder Zarek. "I am going to end this, once and for all," I ground out.

"_Trainer—_" Des started, at the same time as Konstantin stepped forward with a timid, "Comrade—!"

I couldn't bear to hear that human voice of his. I shuddered and pressed forward, ignoring them both. Konstantin reached out an arm to stop me, though—and I snapped. I wrenched my arm from his grip and shouted, "Don't _touch_ me! You didn't do a thing to help either of us, either!"

He shrunk back as though burned. "I didn't... I couldn't have..." he whimpered, unsure of how to defend himself.

"Just—shut up. Stop talking. I don't need to be reminded of your homicidal tendencies right now," I barked and turned from him. I didn't see the way my words made him flinch. "Just stay back here and no one else kills themselves tonight, okay?"

I stomped out towards the bridge—only to get stalled again. This time by an angry Camerupt. "_That was cruel_," he told me baldly.

"I don't _care_," I told him just as plainly. I tried to get around him, but he had bulk. I wasn't thinking clearly enough to think of returning him; I was only thinking of ways to _force_ him to get out of my way. There was still a latent urge not to hurt my team, but it took a backseat to my suddenly available scapegoat. I tried to push past him, but he butted me back onto the stone platform. "Des, move!"

There was something in my tone. I was hardly aware of the white thing behind me anymore, but with my words, it suddenly let out an inhumane hiss and a brief flash. Des' eyes went wide and he immediately backed down, out of sheer instinct and fear. I took the opportunity to grab an ear and physically push him out of my way enough to get onto the bridge.

Okay, so the urge had been tossed out of the car altogether.

I heard an irate, "_Oh no you don't!_" following me just a couple steps onto the bridge. Des' loyalty would've been touching in other circumstances, but now, it was annoying and uncalled for. I didn't need him with me. He hadn't been with me in that white and black world, not like Chase had, and he hadn't stopped our fall. From here on out, I was doing this alone. It never occurred to me that he was effectively standing up against his god to chase after me.

Still, as injured as I was, I could easily outdistance a Camerupt. Especially one on a rickety old bridge.

I was sweating, teary-eyed, and I was mad. The last thing I needed was a follower—and judging by the way the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, Des wasn't my only one. That white _thing_ was still here and still unwelcome, and now seemed to be tailing me out of curiosity. If I hadn't already had a target in mind, I probably would've swore at it until I was blue in the face (or until it tossed me into the lava itself).

But I _did_ have a target in mind. The thought that I could take out all of this frustration and anger and injustice on someone was solace enough, and it kept me from ripping my hair out or doing worse to the Pokémon behind me.

Unfortunately, Hanna was still there, and just as mad as I was.

"What the hell just happened?" she demanded once I was within earshot.

"Nick is dead."

"..._What_."

"Just like you wanted," I spat in disgust, striding right up to her—but she stood in my way. Her Tyranitar moved behind her, glaring down at me.

"Did you just say he is _dead_?" Hanna asked, voice like ice.

"Did I stutter?" I snapped in reply, giving her a glare to rival Molly's. "Get _out_ of the way, now. Before I make you."

"Nick is dead and—what do you think you're doing?" she asked. I glanced back at my target and she caught the look, realization suddenly crashing over her. "Oh, _no_. You _just_ lectured me on doing the same—"

"_She was the cause of this_," I shouted, hands in fists and nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood. "She picked Nick out and made him worse along the way. She has been poking him and prodding him down this path all along!" I roared, and finally tried to get past her. She grabbed my shoulders, fingers digging into the burns, and really, that was the only reason she managed to hold me there.

"Nick is dead! You just—you both fell, and then you reappeared, and now you're telling me he's dead?" Hanna growled, pushing me back onto the bridge. It swayed dangerously and I was forced to grab hold of the remaining railing for support. I wasn't keen on falling again. "What _happened_."

"He _died_, isn't that enough for you? Isn't that what you wanted?" I demanded caustically. I pushed myself off of the railing and at her, this time having more of an advantage. She wasn't backing down, out of fury that her own target had been taken from her, or out of spite that I couldn't have mine, I didn't know.

"Nick is dead?" Lola's voice cut through our fight like a knife through butter.

I finally got the strength and pushed Hanna back into her Tyranitar, barely able to slip past before she grabbed me again. I made it two more steps towards her before she managed to swing me back towards the bridge. "That thing killed it?" Hanna asked.

"Let _go_ of me," I hissed.

"Not until you tell me what happened."

"_You_ didn't tell _me_!" I shouted back at her, accusingly. "You just came in here and expected to do things on your own, well now I am, too!"

"I never—!"

"Yes you _did_. You wanted to kill him yourself, probably get some of his blood on your hands to make yourself feel better! Well guess what, his death didn't solve _anything _except making everything hurt _more_! Now let go of me before I make you!"

"Are you threatening _me_ now?" she asked, affronted.

"I am telling you to get out of the way. This is the last time," I said lowly.

"Nick is... dead. And now you are acting as if you must avenge him or something. You... You never let go of him," she pieced together, horror—and then anger—coming back over her features. "You were ready to defend him to the end—"

That stung, because I _hadn't_. I had told him he wasn't my friend, and I thought I was finally free of the shackle of that title, and then he had died.

He had _died_ right after I thought I'd made all of my decisions and could live with them.

I gave Hanna a shove. She wasn't expecting it and teetered, off-balance, but just for a moment. She regained her footing just as I stepped onto the rock once more. She didn't pull any punches and gave me a knee to the stomach that had blood coming out my mouth, but that only opened the floodgates.

I grabbed a fistful of her shirt, pulling her closer, but she broke my grip with a hard elbow. I tried to kick her, but she danced out of the way, but at least I managed to dodge her wildly thrown punch that followed. I didn't even know what we were fighting about, really. We were just both pointlessly mad and had been stupid enough to get in each other's way.

She had a Tyranitar on her side. But as a beam of white light suddenly flashed into existence behind us and arced gracefully down into her massive Pokémon, I realized I had something on my side, too. The Tyranitar stumbled and fell onto its back, shaking the area and tossing Lola, once again missed by a hair's breadth, into the air. I took the opportunity to make a mad dash for her, but Hanna caught me, again.

This time, I used the momentum of her pull and tackled her.

We both went skidding, perilously close to the edge, although she broke part of my fall. I got up faster, but she was once again on my heels. The volcano's insides lit up once more with a brilliant white light as the white thing used its attack again. I didn't _want_ its _help_, not after what it had done, but I was too busy to yell at it again. I caught sight of Des, finally across the bridge, and was dimly aware of him yelling at me again. I didn't bother paying attention.

The Tyranitar fell, just as I gave Hanna another push to get her hands off of me. She had already been off-balance, and the jar from the massive Pokémon falling put her completely off. She fell to the side, one heel slipping off of the rock behind her, and caught herself, waist-up, on the stone, her legs dangling over the edge of the lava below. Hanna growled, digging her nails in for purchase, and slid back an inch.

I didn't see her past her initial slip. I'd already turned my back on her. I didn't hear Des' alarmed cry, I didn't see Hanna slowly slipping, I didn't watch as the Tyranitar was put down, I didn't see anything but Lola's perfectly smug smile as I walked towards her.

"Hello, hero," she said with bloody teeth.

I picked up the Skarmory feather from where I'd dropped it. "You."

Lola looked up at me with what could only be described as glee. "Are you here to kill me?"

"Yes."

Her eyes flicked up to the white thing above us before returning to my own. "A crusade of death, finally settling on me?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but a searing heat shot right overhead. It had to have singed half my hair off. I threw myself to my knees, covering my head, and Lola curled up as best she could with a cry. As soon as the heat cleared, I turned around to find Des. His volcanoes were outright frothing, bubbling up and over, and his ears were pinned back. He snorted out not only smoke, but a small jet of fire. "_Step away from her and drop the feather_," he commanded. I had never heard his voice sound so _cold_ before. Another small surprise that temporarily jarred my perspective.

"...Or you'll what?" Temporarily being the key word. I stood back up to my full height, blade clutched tightly in my hand.

"_I will not permit you to do this_," he threatened instead, mouth dripping flame, scorching the rock below.

I turned my back on my starter. "Then stop me." Lola grinned and scrunched her eyes up tight, almost looking as if she might laugh. I raised the blade—and it was immediately covered in heat. I dropped it with a yelp, holding my burned hand. I whirled around with a snarl. "You're not going to stop me!"

"_I am going to stop you at all costs_," he replied coolly, but there was something underneath his tone that was starting to scare me.

"She—She's the one who did this! All of this!" I burst out, gesturing back at her wildly. The energy was being pent up again, and I kept moving, shaking my arms and shifting from leg to leg restlessly. "She is an evil, terrible person, and I'm stopping her, _tonight_."

"_You are blinded by your sorrow at Nick's passing—_"

"I am _mad_!" I corrected with a howl. I stomped my foot and gestured uselessly again. "Everything I have ever done has been for _nothing_ and you're trying to take away the last decision I have left to make for myself!"

"_You are going to stop the dark-haired monster?_" Des questioned, voice low and even more frightening.

I looked back down at Lola. Pitch black hair, always had that dark of hair. She had been behind this all. She had twisted Nick, put him up on the white thing's pedestal just to help him fall again. He had died because of her. "I _am_."

"_No._" Des shook his head and took a step towards me. He reopened his eyes and they were hard. Resigned. "_I am_."

"...What?" No. I wasn't going to let him do that—but in my surprise, he had taken a couple more steps towards us, until he was so close I could have reached out to touch him.

I started forward, intent on wrestling him back if I had to, but he told me simply, "_My color eyesight is not very good_."

I paused, set back by his bizarre and random statement.

Des turned on me and physically pushed me out of the way, placing himself between Lola and I. "_To me, your hair __looks as dark as hers. I will not permit you to do this, Trainer. Not to her, not to anyone. Can't you see what she is trying to __do?_"

His first statement drowned out the rest for me. The revelation staggered me, bringing reality into sharper focus, not just for Lola. I was more aware of what was happening, what I had done—and what I was still going to do. His words were like a bucket of cold water down my back, but it didn't change my ultimate goal. He, like Alice, had simply given me time to think.

"...Des," I said weakly. I couldn't say anything else to his accusation. It could be true. Who knew who Lassie had meant by the dark-haired monster? Or had she meant it purely in reference to her own trainer? Paranoia and time had caused my memories to grow too fuzzy.

"_I will not allow you to fall_," Des said firmly, and fully faced me. Volcanoes still bubbling, legs spread apart, head lowered. He practically looked ready to charge.

"This isn't _your_ decision," I hissed at him, but now I was on the defensive and we both knew it. I had been thrown off my original track, and now I was just trying to stay afloat with my anger and decision.

But then, I heard my name, high and pleading, behind me. I turned around, shocked to find Hanna scrambling for purchase as she slid off of the rock.

I didn't process the fact that _I_ was the one that had put her in that situation, only that she was in trouble. I could _not_ lose anyone else—that was the purpose of this all. Hanna gave me a desperate look, reminding me too much of Nick's Linoone before her. And then, just like it, she slipped completely off the edge.

"Catch her!" I screamed on reflex. I didn't understand who I was begging or what I expected to happen. Or maybe a small part of me still thought the white thing was on my side.

I must have been blessed with a sharp subconscious, because when I heard her scream cut off, (hopefully) too abruptly, I made it to the edge and gratefully found her on one of the white disks that had saved Nick and I before. With the panic ebbing away, I found it had taken a large chunk of my anger as well. Not that it was going to save Lola, but I knew other things had to come first. There were priorities now. Different ones—to the living before the dead.

I helped Hanna back onto the stone. She responded by slapping me, _hard_, across the face. I held my cheek, having stepped back to prevent myself from collapsing completely, and supposed I ought to be grateful she hadn't punched me, or that it hadn't been on my already hurt side. "You are _not_ killing anyone!" Hanna said at once. As if she hadn't just died, as if we just picked our fight back up.

So I replied by slapping her back.

"You hypocrite, what were you saying just twenty minutes ago?" I snapped, shaking out my hand. That had stung a little. Hanna stared at me, appalled, but before any sort of guilt could set in, she slapped me _again_.

"You don't hit me!" she barked, and then, before I could recover, added, "And you definitely aren't going to turn this back around on me. Nick's dead, one way or another. If _I_ don't get to become a murderer tonight, neither do _you_."

"Are you _joking_?"

She tilted her head to one side, eyes downcast. "Well, no, probably not. I'm just... I'm just tired, now. This night has been so stupid."

"_Stupid_?" I squawked. I dove at her, but she caught my wrists and pushed me back on my feet, forcing me to be still. "Nick just _died_ and it was all because of her! And that white _thing_!"

"I don't care if he's dead or not!" Hanna cried. Lip curled, eyes narrowed, hair and clothes a mess. It was so much more... human than what I was used to seeing from her. She had been putting on a happy act for the last several years, and even with Nick dead, she was still probably just as mad as I was. She was finally being truthful with me. "I—I'm not going to be noble or lie or anything and be nice right now. I can't. I'm _glad_ he's dead, and I'm just sorry I couldn't have had a hand in it. But I _am_ sorry that you're taking it so hard."

It sounded like an accusation. Just what I needed more of.

"Yeah, well, we all can't be as strong as you."

"Ugh, that's _not_ what I'm getting at," she groaned. She jabbed a finger into my chest, making me wince. "You are a dumbass if you think I'm going to let you get into the same sort of trouble that I nearly got into."

"So you _do_ recognize it as a mistake!"

"That is completely beside the point, and who said I didn't? I was just gonna go through with it either way." Somehow, arguing with her was calming me down. Which was weird, because I was still getting incredibly frustrated with her. But she was twisting the situation, forcibly inserting her perspective. "The main point is that murder isn't something to take lightly, and I was also going to be a coward and use Molly to do my dirty work. It looks as if Des isn't nearly so willing."

She nodded over to my Camerupt, who was still glowering at me at his post in front of Lola.

"I wasn't aware Nick's death would hurt you this much," she sighed and folded her arms. I hadn't been aware of that little fact, either, but that was a small consolation. "I guess I did think you were past it—past him. But you never were, were you? After all, it wasn't _your_ Pokémon he killed."

"That—I'm _sorry_ I wasn't victimized and I'm sorry I'm such an idiot when it comes to emotions. At least I don't let them sweep me off my feet and throw me into a _murder plot_." Oh, wait.

Hanna looked at me flatly.

"...I am sorry that that happened to you. I'm sorry I didn't notice how much it still hurts. I'm sorry I couldn't hate him for you," I said with an exhale, finally defeated. "I'm sorry I got upset at one of my old best friends dying. I'm sorry I've been worked up this entire night because of all the danger everyone's been in constantly. I'm sorry that any of this had to happen."

"I liked you better when you were doing things, not apologizing," she said with a roll of her eyes.

I spun on my heel and marched back to Lola, tossing over my shoulder, "Works for me. Going back to Plan A."

"Hold it!" I anticipated her dive and sidestepped her, then danced out of her way as she tried to catch me again. It was absurd. Like some sort of demented game. Tag, you're it, your turn to kill someone while the other complains. I dodged her fairly easily, but Des was unmovable. He snorted out a plume of smoke as warning when I neared. Hanna and I stood in front of him, at each end of the spectrum on what we were doing there.

"Des, move."

"Des, move," Lola echoed.

"_I am not allowing you to do this_," he repeated in a growl.

"...Des," I said patiently, "I don't _need_ your permission."

"_Nor should you. But that only means I'm going to stop you myself._"

"He's right. You're not doing this, not this way, not right now," Hanna broke in chidingly.

"Oh, so he can do it later at his leisure?" Lola asked politely. "Am I going to stay trussed up that entire time, or do I get to be untied at some point? Because I've lost feeling in my arms."

"Shut up," Hanna spat. I could have sworn I saw Des roll his eyes. "She's only trying to act in control up 'til the end. She's suicidal, or something, and she only wants to hurt you."

"Probably," I agreed halfheartedly. "Doesn't change anything. She's behind this."

"_Everything_? She made Nick kill my team? She made him give himself up for his parents?"

"She did help with the breakout," Lola reminded me with a smug smirk. Hanna's eyebrows shot up in confusion. "My hand in this is not so concrete, miss cheerleader. I only guided actions. I made suggestions. I took out other choices."

"_Don't_ call me that. Does _this_ look like a cheerleader to you?" she snarled, gesturing behind her at the Tyranitar.

"Looks to me like a dying Tyranitar."

"No—wait, what?" Hanna whirled around and took in her Tyranitar again. Unconscious, definitely, and there was blood on its head where it had fallen against the stone... "Molly!" She darted over to her Pokémon, ultra ball in hand.

"That will keep her busy for a little while, at least. Now's your chance, hero," Lola said expectantly.

"_Forgetting about someone?_" Des rumbled, nudging her with one of his feet. He spared her another snort and turned back to me. "_Can't you see this is what she wants?_" That much was certainly obvious. "_Trainer, please. Think. Everything she wants so far has led to disaster for us. Why would you do something else for her?_"

"Because. I hurt," I said shortly. I looked away from him and hastily elaborated, "I mean, she's done so much harm to everyone around us. She made Nick the second test, and she stabbed Vai, and she's been ordering who knows what else."

"_Second test?_" Des asked, confused.

"Oh? You found out about that? That ruins a bit of the fun," Lola said dryly, rolling over onto her back. She dug her heels into the stone and thrust herself up a bit towards me, a poor attempt at circling around Des. He didn't hesitate in nudging her back behind him, either. "Who's the trainer here? If I didn't know any better, I'd say your Camerupt was the one in charge."

That was a good point. "Des... Stand aside."

"_No. I've never allowed your moral compass to swerve this completely before, and I won't now._"

"The Ariados?" I pointed out. He stayed silent and ducked his head guiltily. "Why is this revenge any different?"

"_Revenge is wrong! I tried to talk you down from that one, too, but you were hurting and I wanted you to be okay again. I-I thought it would help you_," he admitted.

I didn't know how to explain myself now that would make him see my side of this. He hadn't been there with Nick and Chase and I. He didn't know what the white thing had said to us, how it said it, how it had played so nice and compassionate before ripping them both away. He didn't know how Lola had been pulling strings the entire time. "We... I came here prepared to kill someone. Nick. So it's changed now, so what? She's a threat to Sinnoh, to us, to our friends. She's already hurt us. We can't let her get away with this."

"_You have prisons. Humans have ways to punish the wicked. This isn't about punishment, this is about you wanting revenge again. Can't you see that's what she wants? She wants you to fall._"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and heard Hanna finally return Molly behind us. I had to make him see sense. My sense. This wasn't rocket science, this wasn't about me _just_ wanting revenge. Not entirely. Or so I comforted myself. "Lola... Why did you do all of this?" Maybe if he could see a bit more of how much of a monster she was, he would come around. I could only hope. I would not be swayed in this, not in another important decision. Nor was I going to let it get taken out of my hands.

I had made up my mind, and so help me, I was going to follow through.

"...I'm tired," she said, and she sounded like her old self. Voice flat and empty and hollow. "I'm so tired."

I didn't know what to say to that. I knew it wasn't as superficial as it could've sounded; that was her honest answer to my question. Des stayed quiet, too. Hanna came up beside us with tear tracks down her face and a steely glare for Lola and I.

"Abigail was sort of my Nick," Lola continued in a monotone, closing her eyes. She sighed softly. "We were best friends. We had known each other for years, went through our entire journey together. You two... You're too young to really remember the Galactic problems. I'm not. We started training in the midst of it, and we saw what humans were capable of doing.

"Humanity is rotten. They use and abuse Pokémon, they use and abuse each other. I almost had Samael stolen from me once by a Galactic grunt. Abby got him back for me by breaking the guy's leg with a baseball bat. That's just how it was back then. We were tougher, more cynical, darker."

"A _bat_?" Hanna whispered, although whether she was shocked or dismayed, I couldn't tell. We hadn't ever gone through anything like that.

Lola chuckled humorlessly. "I'm not sure if she meant to or not, if that lets you sleep better at night. Don't think you wouldn't go to the same lengths for your Pokémon or your friends, though. The fact that you're standing here now is... Well, all the answer you need for that."

"You're right," I told her simply. No use in denying it.

"But Team Galactic fell, after an attempted bloody revolution. Which, apparently, our own cops used children in as bait. Just further proof that there is no _good_ or _bad_ guys. Look at yourselves. Look at me. Look at anyone. Look at Vaikuntha—that _saint_ you were all so damn proud of. You saw how he acted tonight. All it needs is the proper trigger, and all you have is a scorned monster with a team of super-powered animals at their bidding. Humans won't think twice about using that power, either. You know who _actually_ defeated the head of Team Galactic? A kid. A trainer, a teenager. Some no name kid from the boondocks. Not the police, not the Elite Four, not the Gym leaders. A _trainer_. We've always had the power in this region. And it makes us rotten."

She was going to extremes, but it was based on fact. We were testament to that—hell, my entire training life seemed to be building up to that grand revelation. Nick, The Tournament, and finally, Lola. Hanna, in her own way, betrayed me, too. Vaikuntha had shown a temper, and Alicia had defaulted to wherever Tessa had been. Humans couldn't be trusted.

Not that there wasn't good in us, either. I didn't hesitate in telling her so. "You're acting as if this is all so one-sided. Yeah, there are bad people out there. But there are good people, too. Good trainers, caring, loving, great trainers. You're telling me you don't love your Pokémon?"

"Even yours?" she asked with a wane smile. I pressed my lips together and didn't reply. "Yes. I love them dearly. They're the only true friends I have left. But that's not the point here. Trainers, with Pokémon, are only a dormant danger. It's the human factor that's the kicker. We're the unstable bunch. We're the ones with war, and ruining the ecosystem, and poaching, and stealing, and hatred. I'm just... tired of it all. I hate them all."

"Just because Abigail died?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. She was my crutch. She proved to me that even bad people could be great friends. She was no saint, but she was loyal, and warm, and smart," Lola told me.

Lola was working against herself. She was humanizing herself once more. No matter how extreme, I could get a sense of her perspective on the issue, could see where she had come from. She based her views on solid fact, just ran away with them. She was working against herself and against my desire for bloody closure. Hanna and Des stood in my way, and now my stupid emotions wouldn't let me do what I wanted. Again.

It wasn't fair.

"...Whatever. You and your rottenness? You can go rot in prison," I said in a low voice. I was done. I was tired, like her. I couldn't stand here and listen to her any longer, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get away with murder tonight. Not when my anger had been siphoned away, not with these barriers, not with the sorrow moving back in.

Lola's eyes snapped open and she sat up, apparently just having figured out what she had been doing. "No! That's not—that wasn't my point! Blame me!"

"For what?" I asked dully. I turned to Hanna and gave her a nod. She smiled wearily and looked over across the bridge, at the quiet that still held. Ike and Carlita—well, we _all_ probably had to get to a hospital, and Lola needed to be handed over to the police. Before I could do anything myself. If only. The fact that I had been up all night was just hitting me, and my injuries were once again reminding me of their constant presence.

There would have to be so many funerals. I wasn't sure I could take it without a bulletproof vest and possibly some alcohol. It had worked so well for Archie...

She was indirectly the cause of his death, too. And Dylan's and Stephen's and their Pokémon. If she was behind Mr. V, I could attribute all of that pain and death to her. She could have ripped Tessa away from Alicia. She stabbed Vai. It sounded as if she had egged Hanna on. She had put Nick in the white thing's interest and in the spotlight. She had enabled me to help Nick and waffle over my feelings and friendship the entire time. So many indirect relationships, but they were there. Even if she didn't have a hand in them herself, her mark had been there. She was a manipulator.

Just as I was beginning to change my mind again, and see if my temporary change of heart would work as a distraction for Des and Hanna, Lola upset everything.

And permanently swung me back on the wrong side of murderous.

"Didn't you ever wonder why Matthew Sayre was up near Snowpoint? He didn't have enough badges to be challenging Candice yet."

Hanna and I froze in our tracks. So slowly, I turned around to face her.

Lola broke out into a wide smile. "He wanted to get his big brother a Sneasel for his birthday. Isn't that sweet? I even offered to be his guide."

"You... what," I said numbly.

"I was _there_. I saw him die. If it makes you feel any better, that Abomasnow put in a good hit before I could properly get away, but of course, little Matthew was an easier target. Smaller. Weaker. Crying for his brother, for his parents. It had been so easy to suggest him going up there, and he didn't have an inkling of how cruel and harsh the world can be to innocents..."

That wasn't indirect. That was the cause of _everything_.

I lunged at her, but Hanna and Des both caught me. Des by the back of the shirt, Hanna by an arm. "You—You _bitch_!" I screamed, scrambling for better things to call her to properly articulate the rage that had reared its ugly head once more. She had killed Matthew, walked him to his death with the promise of making his brother happy. She had done it on purpose, just to get Nick to fall, just to make him fail as our second test. I fought against them both, struggling to get my hands on her—I didn't care. If I had to kill her with my bare hands, I would.

"She's only trying to get you mad again!" Hanna shouted, trying to reign me back.

"_No—don't you see? If Nick was the second, the—Arceus has set its sights on you, Trainer_!" Des called desperately, voice muffled by my shirt. "_She is trying to tempt you to fall like she did him! She is trying to ruin another test! She wants to damn us all_!"

"Let me at her!" I howled, slowly inching towards my goal. I elbowed Hanna in the chest, loosening her grip just enough for me to get away from her. I was halfway out of my shirt before Des bit down on my hair and threw me to the ground. I rolled over before he could pin me with a foot, and finally got an uninterrupted lunge at the gothic trainer.

"_You are not going to become the dark monster! You are not going to go down this path!_" Des roared and stomped the ground, tossing all of us into the air. I landed heavily on Lola's legs and clutched at my ribcage, trying to draw breath again. Des ripped me away from her by the hair again, dragging me away from her. "_I am going to fight this every step of the way, because you are better than that, Trainer! Don't sink to her level!_"

I caught sight of the Skarmory feather and managed to hook it with my foot, dragging it up to my hand with a screech. I cut through the mouthful of hair he had and leapt at Lola. Des shot a Flamethrower at both of us, _just_ over our heads, but not even that scared me off this time.

He used another Earthquake, this time a stronger and more desperate one. I was fairly certain I heard something crack as I fell heavily on my injured side. Rocks fell all around us, splashing into the lava. He dragged me away again before I could recover, this time by the back of the shirt. He wrenched the blade away from me and breathed flames onto it, ensuring I wouldn't be touching it for awhile.

"Des, let go of me," I said, voice deceptively calm. The pain had cleared my mind. Lola was responsible for everything. She had warped Nick and killed his little brother. She could have killed Vai. She could have Archie or Keith or Challenger under her belt. She was responsible for so much death, so much hurt in this region. I wasn't going to let her get away with it.

"_I will not_," he huffed, sending a warning blast of hot air down my back. "_Do not make me hurt you any further, please. I don't want to._"

"Why are you so against this?" I asked him.

"_I like you now. I wouldn't like you as a monster, and I definitely wouldn't like you if you managed to make Arceus mad and wipe out humanity. I rather like most of humanity_," he said soothingly, sensing that I wasn't in a mad dash to kill her. Not that he was going to let go of me any time soon. He did, however, nuzzle into the back of my head. "_...I saw how Chase took it. I don't want to have to be in that position. I'm not sure I could still support you like he did._"

"He did it until the end," I mumbled, thinking of their dead bodies over there. "...You wouldn't support me if I became a half-sane mass murderer?"

"_Not in the least_," he huffed.

I smiled and shut my eyes. "The rest of the team is probably the same."

"_Definitely_," he agreed.

"...I'm so sorry." I reopened my eyes and looked up at the white thing. We locked gazes. "Kill her."

Des reacted faster than I could have imagined. He dropped me at once and shot a Flamethrower up at the legendary, trying to cut off the attack. I heard Hanna gasp and swear and could feel her glare, but it was too late. The white thing inclined its head and said, "_This is your judgment, my child._"

The white light arced up over us, the Flamethrower doing nothing to impede it. I didn't look at Lola. I had a feeling she'd be smirking. If she was tired, then she could sleep. Forever.

It struck her, and immediately Hanna shouted, "How _could_ you?"

Des backed away from me as I stood up. I rubbed the back of my head, wincing at the bump that would undoubtedly form later, and avoided both of their gazes. "I wasn't going to let her go after that, not even to the police. I'm sorry I'm not as perfect or saintly as you'd like to believe otherwise. I... I make my own decisions. They're not for you to make for me. If that makes me a horrible person, so be it, but I'm _tired_ of letting other people influence my path in life. I'm just... sorry."

I didn't bother waiting to hear their answers; I wasn't sure I could take it. Lola and Nick were dead. This was over, one way or another. There would have to be a massive clean-up of the rest of the followers, and maybe even more people would die because of it, but I could only save so many. I had to pick and choose, too.

I wasn't expecting either of them to chase after me. They didn't surprise me.

The white thing, on the other hand, continued to float after me. I walked out of the volcano, seeing the sky properly for the first time in hours. It was overcast, and the barest amount of light was visible on the horizon. No pretty stars or moon to comfort me out here. I stopped walking when I couldn't feel the heat on my back anymore, just the cool pre-dawn air. It felt good.

I turned to regard the white thing. "...Was Des right? Was I your third pick?" I had to know. The consequences of my actions would change greatly based on its answer.

"_Yes. A quick decision, but not an entirely uninformed one._"

I turned back out to the night. I had just doomed us all, but I couldn't feel anything but the tears prickling my eyes. It had been _my_ decision, and if I had messed up again... Well, that was nothing new. At least I had done what I had needed to do. I tried to laugh, but it came out as a dry sob instead. I was used to bloodshed, not shedding tears, but I couldn't stop.

So humanity was probably damned. My team hated me—Des for killing her, Konstantin for saying such things to him, Carlita and Ike for letting them get so hurt, Alice for losing control. Zarek and the chicks for getting wrapped up with such a terrible trainer, probably. Hanna hated me for doing what she couldn't. Nick probably died hating me for renouncing our friendship. Lola probably would've died laughing at me if she had enough time.

I had messed up again. It was just what I did. I still couldn't feel guilty or anything but sadness over it, however. I didn't want to die like this. Hanna had tried to stop me; she shouldn't have to die for my mistake. No one should. Not Cossette or Nathan or Vai or Sela or Benjamin or Alicia.

"I... messed up," I announced in a choked voice. "I'm sorry I did. I didn't want to, but I did." I turned around, fully facing the white thing before me. Legendary, creator, destroyer. "Please, though. Don't hurt the others. They tried to stop me. I took it out of their hands."

"_I understand that this was your decision alone_," it acknowledged. Relief flooded me. "_My child, I am not angry with you for what you did._"

I knew full well it didn't have to be angry to kill, though. I said nothing and concentrated on blinking back more tears.

"_You acted out of a desire to protect others._"

I stared up at it, uncomprehending. It bowed its head.

"_Humanity is... complex. It has capacity for great love, and great hatred. Many humans have both in their heart, I know. Humans also tend to make mistakes. Revenge is a cold mistake to make._"

"I didn't—"

"_You stood up to your friends and your teammates because you were hurt, because you cared. Any creature would lash out if one of its loved ones was torn away._" It at least had the decency to sound responsible. I finally stopped crying, but not out of hope or relief. I was simply done crying for the dead. "_I believe you acted out of out of hurt and betrayal. These are not unjustified emotions._"

"...No, don't try to rationalize this for me," I said brokenly, voice hoarse. I cleared my throat and tried again, "Don't try to protect me."

"_You were not wrong in what you did. You sought to protect those you still had, and prevent more loss in the future. You still seek to protect others by sacrificing yourself_," it said plainly.

"Don't—_don't_ forgive me for this," I cried, stepping towards it.

"_I can forgive any action, my child. Calm your heart. I am not going to punish humanity for one action of a brokenhearted human._"

"Don't tell me that... Just tell me I was wrong. Don't excuse me for this," I pleaded. I had just killed another person. I had taken another life. Des and Hanna told me I was wrong, and I knew I was—so why wasn't this white thing in front of me doing the same? I didn't _want_ to be forgiven or excused.

Nick hadn't been.

Why should I be allowed to get away with the crimes that damned him?

It wasn't fair. That had been my mantra for the night, and it still held true.

"_I am not here to judge right or wrong,_" it said cryptically, "_only the amount of negative versus the positive._"

"Murder is negative! Killing is negative, and so is hurting your friends! I betrayed my starter in there!" I yelled, gesturing wildly towards the mouth of the tunnel, making the burns on my shoulders flare up in pain. I dropped my arms to my sides again, defeated, when its expression didn't change.

"_You are judging yourself harshly enough; you do not need me for that_," it told me lightly. "_Take the gift of your life, your freedom, your choices. I am not saying you are perfect, my child, far from it. You are flawed. Your flaws may lead you into trouble, but you learn from the resulting mistakes, and you are better for it. Humans evolve, just as Pokémon do. Just not as visibly. I hope you grow a great deal from this night._"

"_Don't_ let me get away with this!" I called, reaching up for it. It shook its head and floated higher, bathed in the golden glow from the rising sun.

"_Forgive yourself. You saved who you could._"

With that, it faded into the morning light. I was left alone.

I wasn't sure at what point Des lumbered out to see me, only that the sun had risen far enough to be covered by the cloudy sky. I heard a rumble; at first, I thought it was him, but then I realized it was distant thunder. He didn't look happy, or angry, or sad—just tired. He came up beside me and let me put my arm around his neck.

"_...I'm sorry_," he said after a long pause.

"I am, too. For everything," I replied. I tilted my head back to look at the gray of the storm clouds. Before I knew it, a fat raindrop fell onto my cheek, running down like a tear. It developed into a light drizzle, not enough to send Des back inside. Or maybe he just wanted to stay with me. "...I'll tell Lucian, but he won't blame me for it, either."

"_No, he won't_," Des said neutrally.

"Sela will rejoice. _Sinnoh_ will rejoice. Nick Sayre is dead, and the puppeteer in the shadows is dead, too. Her two strongest allies are either dead or arrested. Maybe we'll see peace soon."

"_I hope so. I hope we can justify this night with peace_."

"Are you still mad at me?" I asked in a small voice. His silence gave me my answer. "...I'm going to take Carlita and Ike to the hospital. We all should go, really, but I w-won't hold it against you if you want to... p-part ways after this."

Des was nuzzling into my stomach before I could blink. I could feel hot tears through my shirt. "_Don't be stupid, Trainer. I won't leave you. Who else will keep an eye on you? I can't let go of my disappointment, but you avoided killing yourself—I was just afraid of losing you. Time will heal these wounds for us, but through that, I want to stay with you._"

I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face into his thick fur.

He continued, wryly, "_...You are not the only one to place things upon a pedestal. Despite all of your mistakes, I always thought you were... greater. Greater than falling to basic human emotions like rage and sorrow and letting them cloud your judgment._"

I laughed weakly. "I know how that is, but you know what I've learned? No one stays up there for long."


	159. I Am Dying, Sinnoh, Dying

"...And you've managed to break two ribs, cracking another two. You won't be moving for awhile," the doctor told me with a sharp glare. I took his advice—and made a note to ignore it. I had Pokémon and people to check up on. Plus, I had a high pain tolerance. The fact that I could still roll out of bed and stand on my own two feet was enough proof. "Your face is still healing, and those burns will be painful for awhile, but you should be able to retain a full range of movement in your arms." I hadn't even thought of that possibility.

I had come out fairly unscathed—in the long run—out of dangerous situations before. The fact that there could be permanent damage was fairly new.

But it was something I rapidly got used to.

"What about Carlita? My Breloom?" I asked hesitantly.

"...Oh. Well, she is recovering from the blood loss and minor injuries fairly quickly. No permanent damage aside from the loss of her tail. With your standing, I'm sure you'll be able to get the best prosthetic available."

"So she can get another tail?" I asked, relief evident in my voice.

"Yes." The doctor looked me over, frowning thoughtfully. "...But I warn you, don't get your hopes up. While prosthetics these days are quite advanced, the fact that it was a fighter's tail... It will take a lot of time and a lot of hard work for her to be able to adapt to it. Weight will not be an issue, but flexibility will be. She will never have the same agility she once had."

"Wait... Can she walk?"

"Oh yes. That sort of speed would not be a problem for her to use it as a balance."

"Could she run?"

"...With time and practice, yes. But she wouldn't be able to make sudden turns without toppling over."

"...Can she dance?" I asked at last, terrified of the answer I knew was coming.

"...A slow waltz, perhaps," the doctor said gently.

-.-.-

"You're lucky you have a shell," I told Zarek with a wobbly smile. He burbled and scuttled up until he was siting next to me. Since he'd evolved, he couldn't sit in my lap anymore, but he could be next to me. I wasn't going to deny him that. He was still pretty much the baby of the team, after all. I patted him awkwardly on the head. "If you hadn't... I'm glad you had one."

"_And a strong one_," he bubbled complacently.

"Yes. Such a strong shell you have," I chuckled, letting him have his compliment. "You did well the other night. I'm proud of you. You protected your mom and the rest of the team so well."

"_You don't have to baby me_," Zarek said snippily. "_I know I didn't do that much..._"

"That's not true. You helped Alice take down Chase. She couldn't have done it on her own, and you protected Des and Carlita. That's really important, Zarek." He shifted, placing his smaller claw on my stomach, and blew out a bubble. I took it as a happy sign. "I still wish we could have avoided it all... But I'm glad you're okay."

"_I evolved, so of course I would be okay_."

"Well, that only might have been part of it. Don't get all high and mighty, mister. You're still the youngest of the team, and the most inexperienced."

"_But I'm still growing! And mama is teaching me how to fly soon._" Oh great. He was buying into that too? I groaned and resisted the urge to bury my face in my hands. One day... One day, I'd have to speak to them about that before it got too much farther out of hand. "_I'll catch up soon enough_," he announced resolutely.

"I'm sure you will."

"_And then I'll be the strongest_," he added, smugly. He could already take down Des and Alice, and his ice attacks would keep Carlita at bay...

"You are too spoiled!" I laughed, nuzzling into the side of his shell. "I hope you realize that the others aren't going to take it easy on you anymore."

"_I can defeat them anyway_!" he cried, astonished at the very thought of such a thing. "_I will become strong! I'll protect mama and you and the rest of the team, but if they bug me, I'm going to have to battle them._"

"Yeah, because you were _such_ an angelic child."

"_Mama says I was._"

Of course she would. Even after he'd knocked her out to evolve, she was quick to forgive. I just hoped she could forgive me as well.

-.-.-

"The good news is that we were able to save your Luxray's eyes."

I covered my mouth, trying not to make something embarrassing like a sob in relief. I was just glad he'd be okay. Like Carlita, he had lots of smaller injuries, but they were already healing. I had been worried about his face and eyes.

"There will be extensive scarring, but his fur will likely cover much of it once it grows back in," the doctor continued, checking over his clipboard.

"S-So he'll be able to see again?" I asked with a shaky smile.

The doctor looked at me. "What? ...No. I'm sorry—that was unclear of me. He will keep his eyes, but... he won't be able to see again." I must have looked like he'd gut-punched me, because he quickly added, "That's not to say he couldn't undergo surgery later on, once the rest of his body had healed. It's... highly unlikely, but it's possible that he could regain some sight in the eye that wasn't as damaged."

I hadn't thought of the fact that eyes and sight were different things. I looked down at my lap, struggling to wrap my head around this news. I had known that Carlita would be permanently changed in that battle. I had been hoping Ike would recover. "...Oh," I choked out. What else could I say?

"It's lucky he has such sharp hearing and smell. This will not be as much of a handicap as compared to other types of Pokémon. Felines and canines are generally the ones who deal best with losing sight," the doctor said, trying to be reassuring. And it probably was a good thing. But it didn't penetrate the thought cloud focusing on the fact that Ike was now _blind_.

After the doctor left me alone, I took the opportunity to sneak out.

-.-.-

"Hi, Vai." I stood at his bedside, chest complaining, eyes dry for the first time in an hour. He cracked open an eye and offered me a smile.

"Hello, brother," he replied, voice steady but weak. He sat up with a wince, pressing his hand against his shirt. "I am glad to see that you are up and about. I have heard that you sustained serious injuries as well."

"Oh, nah. I'm fine." I shrugged, and immediately regretted it as both ribcage and shoulders complained even more noticeably. "...Mostly fine. Nothing that time won't take care of for me. How're you doing?"

"I am fine. I will survive, although I will have an interesting scar to show for it," he said brightly. "I am lucky she missed my heart, and that Koel's feather was so smooth. It only punctured a lung and missed everything else."

"Only..." Vai chuckled self-consciously. I sat down on the edge of the bed near his feet. "How did your Pokémon make out?"

"They will all recover fully, not many serious injuries among them. I am grateful for that." He tilted his head to one side, hair falling into his eyes, when he noticed my expression. "I have... only gotten a brief, and I am sure edited, summary of what happened after we left. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Or, I will be." I tried to sound strong and reassuring. I wasn't sure how well it looked, but judging by his look, he didn't buy it either way. "I just... There are scars that won't heal. My team paid a high price for me. M-My Breloom and my Luxray... They aren't going to be fine."

"They will live, though, right?" he asked at once.

"Yeah... Oonu won't. Or didn't," I said, eyes downcast. From what the doctors told me, he had been dead on arrival, and as best as they could estimate, he was probably dead back in the volcano. Which meant my Pidgeotto had likely died in my arms. My eyes still remained dry, though.

"Oh... I am so sorry." He reached over and took my hand in his. He knew what it was like to lose a bird, sure, but this was completely different from Sarika. It still hurt, though. We sat like that until the nurse came in and caught me, and he chased me out.

-.-.-

"Are you okay?" I asked Alice. She fluffed up and nodded sharply. "How's your neck?"

"_It will heal. But it will supposedly scar_..." she said, clearly miffed. "_As if I would let that happen!_"

"I don't think that's how scars work," I told her, but she shook her head. "...Well, if it does happen to scar anyway, despite your best efforts, I'll buy you a scarf to cover it, okay? A pretty blue one."

"_I want a white one_," Alice said happily.

"Okay, a white one. You can pick it out. How are the rest of your injuries?"

"_Oh, they were minor. Comparatively speaking. Scratches and burns, nothing new_." She stood up and waddled over to me, sitting in my lap like an overgrown chick. She was heavy, and large, but she just barely fit. Or rather, she _made_ herself fit. "_How are you doing?_"

"I'll heal, and with less scarring than what I'm used to." I patted her fluff, surprised at its softness.

"_What about blood loss? That is what they said was the problem with me. I think I was just tired._" She craned her bandaged neck around, looking me over.

"Actually, I didn't bleed as much as you'd think, considering it's me," I said with no small amount of amusement. "The ribs were the main problem. But I'm gonna be fine."

"_...Not like Carlita or Ike_," Alice said softly, resting her head on my shoulder. I shook my head. "_...I'll help them, don't worry. The feline will hate me for it, but I will help him adjust._"

"I know you will. You're too motherly not to."

"_I only want to protect my chicks and allies_," she tweeted.

"...You don't have to be in charge all the time. I can handle responsibility, too, you know," I told her, a bit more seriously. Alice only whistled and gave me a light peck on the cheek.

-.-.-

The first was easy. He had been easy the first time around, and really, the Electivire was the only problem. I pulled my shirt up over my nose and mouth, and by the time Des was done with it, I had only gotten a sniffle and some watery eyes.

He grinned at me, saying nothing, and waved me through.

-.-.-

Leaving Stark Mountain was actually much harder than it had been going in. It ended up being a bit of a game of phone tag. I used Hanna's phone to call _my_ phone, which had been left at the Gym. Cossette answered, and after a lot of panicked, angry French, I managed to get her to tell me Sela's phone number. I didn't have any of them memorized, and of course Hanna didn't have them in her phone...

Cossette to Sela, Sela to Lucian. It took an awkward half-hour waiting in the rain, but he appeared with his Alakazam, once again to our rescue.

He took one look at us and I felt his Alakazam probing about in my mind. I knew he would probably resort to that, but it was still a major invasion of privacy. He could've at least warned me. His Alakazam left me alone and looked up at its trainer, relaying the major happenings. The _true_ major happenings.

"...Well then, come on. Clean up time," he sighed. And that was it. No accusations, no excuses. Just acceptance of what had happened.

Hanna was still mad at me when I went back into the volcano. When she saw who I was with, though, her mood lightened. A bit. She rolled her ultra ball back and forth between her hands and mumbled, "Two dead human bodies, and I haven't gone over to count the Pokémon yet. What are you going to do with their surviving Pokémon?"

"It's... difficult to judge Pokémon on the basis of what their trainers have done with them. It'll be a mess of unwanted media attention and red tape. Unofficially... I know that not all Pokémon can be held responsible for what their trainers did. But I also know that there are definitely willing cases. That would make them, by human law and at the very least, accessories," Lucian said heavily, unbuttoning his jacket in the sweltering heat. I had almost forgotten how hot it had been inside there.

I left him with Hanna and Lola's body and wandered back across the bridge. Des followed me. I could grant Nick's team one last mercy, as well as clear up some potential problems down the road. I doubted the public didn't know _all_ of his team, probably only his more noticeable ones, especially since _I_ hadn't even known them all.

I ignored the growls that met me, and instead knelt down by Harlan and Ike. She was still pressed up against his side protectively. "...Guys, he's dead. It's over. I'm not going to let my team fight any of you any more, and... I'm not going to say what you can and can't do. I know this environment isn't ideal, but... run, if you want. I won't stop you."

Vasudeva gave me a hiss, but then a look that seemed to be accepting. He dove into the lava below. Fargo whined and barked after him, and then turned back to me. "Ar..."

"I'm sorry, Fargo. I—I don't want to return you all. I think Lucian will handle that. You'll probably be handed over to the state or something, I don't know. It's not like this happens all the time..." I said sadly, running my hands softly over Ike's ears. He curled his lip, baring his teeth at me, but didn't make a sound. I returned him.

Harlan whined at me, eyes on his ultra ball. "...Smear," she said. I couldn't understand her. I stood up, turning over to Carlita and Zarek. She had destroyed her pokeball...

Harlan trotted at my heels, much to my surprise. I returned Zarek, after making sure he knew that it was actually _over_, and looked at Carlita. She smiled weakly up at me, and my heart seized. I'd have to carry her out of here. I could easily hold her weight, but... I was worried about hurting her further.

I approached Alice after showing her that Zarek was already safely tucked away. "_Are you okay?_" she asked quietly. I nodded. She wilted with a sleepy sigh. "_Oh, thank goodness... I was so worried, Trainer. Don't do that to me._" I couldn't help but smile at her concern, and I returned her, too. Three returned safely, still alive.

Konstantin shied away from me, keeping his distance. I remembered what I had said to him, and I couldn't meet his eye. "Kostya... I'm sorry." He didn't say anything.

Harlan continued following me, sometimes close enough that she just about tripped me. She even tugged, lightly, on my pants and shirt a couple times. I could understand that she was attached to Ike, but I didn't know what _I_ was supposed to do. Her trainer was dead. She had been on the team to challenge Cynthia. Lucian—and the Sinnoh public—would be all too aware of what Nick's team had been at that time, and even if he was dead, they were going to want punishment for the rest.

I eventually returned Konstantin, still not speaking to me, from a distance and after I was sure he wouldn't run from me if I tried. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. He was okay, that was the important part, I told myself.

I turned to Des, last. He perked up his ears and flat-out asked, "_What are you going to do with them?_"

"I... don't know. They're not my responsibility."

"_She says she wants to come with us_," Des translated, nodding towards Harlan. I looked down at her, surprised. She wrung her tail nervously, but bobbed her head.

I didn't know what to say to that.

I was all but floored when, after a bark from Fargo, Des added, "_So does the Arcanine._"

"_What_?" Harlan was one thing. She had helped us in the battle and had been by Ike's side for most of it. Fargo, on the other hand, had not been so generous. The Arcanine, sitting by Nick and Chase, whined again. I had no idea Arcanine could still use the kicked Growlithe look effectively, but I was surprised in that respect, too. "Fargo... No. You..."

"Ar, arcanine," he said softly, lowering his body submissively.

"_He says you smell like him_," Des said.

Fargo had been Nick's second Pokémon, I recalled. And just by a hair. I remembered how friendly he had always been, fiercely loyal but acting like a puppy. He had carried me through half of Route 217 when I had been terrified of the Abomasnow. He _was_ a good Pokémon. Could I really judge him for following orders, defending his trainer?

After that night, no, I couldn't. Not to say I was going to welcome any of Nick's Pokémon with open arms—I _distinctly_ remembered who had done the most damage to my team—but they weren't really to blame. Not like Lola.

"...I'm busy right now. I can't decide that for myself." Not that it stopped them from following me. The Rhydon gave them a critical look and said something, but Harlan retorted at once and threatened it with her tail. "Lucian... It's his call, mostly. I'm just giving you a chance to get out of here now, early."

"S-Smeargle-smear," Harlan mumbled.

"_...What are you going to do, Trainer?_" Des asked as I walked up to him. He was the last one to be returned.

"I don't know."

-.-.-

"You sure get hurt a lot," Alicia remarked dryly, leaning on the railing to my bed. It was one of the few times I was actually in my own hospital room.

"It comes with the territory, I guess," I replied.

"We should start a game of bingo with you. Like, all of the squares are injuries. And when you get one, we get to fill it in! And then when someone gets a bingo... I don't know. Some sort of cool prize for the winner."

"It sounds like I'd be the loser by default of that."

"You're gonna get hurt again, anyway. You can't seem to stay away from it, not for any length of time," Alicia said with false cheer. I gave her a flat look. "Let's see now, _just_ from the time I've known you... Nearly electrocuted, a couple bloody noses, an infected, stabbed leg, poisoned, a black eye, maybe a dislocated jaw—"

"Your _girlfriend_ didn't manage that much," I pointed out.

"—Okay, then a huge bruise and a cut on your cheek, and most recently, broken and cracked ribs. Not to mention _how many_ small bruises and cuts and scrapes." Alicia leaned in further, giving me a sharp look. "And she's _not_ my girlfriend. ...We still have a lot to work out before we approach that topic again."

"What's going to happen to her?"

"Prison for a few years. Accomplice to quite a few things, but she never actually killed anyone herself, so... I'm glad," she confessed softly, leaning back out of my personal space. Not that I liked Tessa anymore after learning she didn't bloody her hands herself, but at least she had someone on her side. The parallels between our friendships (romantic relationship aside) were too much to ignore. "I'm gonna visit her all the time. Already, it's kind of funny. In the sad way, you know. She looks so different without her piercings and sunglasses—they of course don't allow that in jail, which I guess she didn't realize. I'm not sure she would've turned herself in if she had known that little fact. I'm just glad to be able to see her again."

"Just don't get your heart broken over her," I advised.

"Give me _some_ credit. I'm a little more guarded than that," she said, laughing guiltily. Alicia leaned over and, for a brief moment, I thought she was going to kiss my hair. Instead, she patted me on the head. I couldn't pretend I wasn't a _little_ disappointed. "Hey, next time I visit you guys, should I dress up like a nurse? Sonya thinks I should. Hell, Sonya thinks _she_ should."

"Please, don't be any meaner than you have to be."

"I could nurse you back to health! I think Vai would appreciate it." Alicia beamed.

"Remind me to sneak out again whenever you drop by," I complained, crossing my arms.

"Hey, don't be such a sourpuss. It doesn't suit you. I'm only _kidding_, anyway. Because what you really need right now is more awkwardness, right?" Her face fell, but she recovered quickly. "A-Anyway, I'm gonna go see Vai now. I'll send along your love."

"I've already seen him today."

"I'll still send it!" she declared. I chuckled and watched her leave.

-.-.-

"Kostya, I'm sorry," I said right away. He nodded, eye downcast, half-turned away from me. He still didn't speak to me. "I'm so sorry. I-I know these are just stupid words, but I am... I was so angry then, and I wasn't thinking straight." It sounded like such an excuse, now.

He remained mute.

I bit my lip and blinked back the stinging in my eyes. "I'm... I'm just sorry. For what I did, for what I said. I'm sorry I hurt you. I wish I could take it back—if I could, I would in a heartbeat. You know I don't think about you that way, right...?" I looked up at him, wishing it was easier to apologize. My words just seemed so... useless. And when it was words that hurt him in the first place, the irony was not lost on me.

Konstantin looked at me, but he still didn't reply. Instead, he held out a hand to me. I took it, not knowing what it meant, but he pulled me into a hug. My ribs protested, and he was holding me a little too tightly (still not used to his new strength, probably), but I didn't dare say anything or pull away. Instead, I wrapped my arms back around him, mildly surprised to find that I couldn't reach all the way around him.

"I... did not want to speak again. It is shameful for a trained Pokémon to speak this way," he said at last, a quiet, near-whisper.

"No—" I started at once, but he cut me off.

"These are my own feelings. Your words did not influence that." I still doubted that, but I kept my mouth shut. "I am proud to be your Pokémon, and I was proud to be able to defend you with this new power. I am only sorry that it has... come to this."

"Hey, it's okay. I kinda already knew, remember? And I bet Ike would be talking like you if he had to follow the same rules."

"...This is true," he allowed. He paused, and then said seriously, "There is one thing I regret, however."

"What? What is it?"

"I don't like having legs."

I stared at him, and true enough, he was actually _serious_ about that. Then again, pokémon evolution was a major thing, a huge change for them. I remembered when Des reveled in his new-found tail, and Carlita couldn't stop waving her arms around. The other three had mostly just gotten bigger with their evolution, but Konstantin's had been pretty major. "...I don't think Dusknoir have legs," I said after a heavy pause.

He looked up at me, surprised and then delighted. "You would permit me to evolve again?"

"Why wouldn't I? You were the one holding yourself back the first time." I let go of him and tried to laugh off how seriously he was taking this. It didn't really work. "Of course I'd let you. I have to admit, I kind of miss the floating bit, too. ...And your mask. I'll see if I can't track down that item you need when they actually let me out of the hospital."

Konstantin seized me and picked me up, practically shaking me. "Oh, thank you!" I wasn't used to his new size, still, and I'd probably end up missing the little Duskull. But he had evolved to protect me. That was all I could have ever asked of him.

-.-.-

The second was only slightly trickier. I once again relied on Des heavily, but Alice came out for a couple of the battles, too. We were still in great shape. I had to admit, I was scared of relying on Carlita or Ike so soon afterward, but I was sure they would be able to pull their weight when we got into the tougher challenges.

I headed into the third room.

-.-.-

I stood over Oonu's grave, bulletproof vest incredibly constricting and too hot. But I couldn't face another funeral without it. I hated myself for it.

Only a couple people came to the ceremony itself. I was glad for that small mercy. Vai had even snuck out of the hospital with me for it. The two remaining Pidgey chicks sat on each of my shoulders, little claws lightly resting against my burns, and silently cried. I had started out with four, and ended up with just two.

His was the first funeral. I wasn't sure if his would be easier or harder, though. I didn't cry myself until after he was buried. Hanna, Jude in tow, appeared just after the ceremony ended. He only offered a small apology to me, but I didn't expect much else out of him. I was amazed he had even come. Hanna said a couple words and gave me a tight, painful hug, but I didn't mind. Physical affection was all I could ask for, and if that meant she and I were on the path to forgiveness ourselves, then even better.

Voonu and Vi and I were the last ones there. I sat down beside the small headstone and they hopped to the ground with small chirps. "...Your brother is there. And he's gone. It's just you two now," I said quietly.

Vi hopped over and nestled herself into my lap. Voonu followed her lead with another whistle. Just two chicks left.

-.-.-

"What are you doing?" Lucian asked incredulously as I walked past. I was giving Carlita a piggyback ride, but I don't think that was what he was referring to. It was probably the Smeargle and Arcanine following me.

"I'm taking my Breloom out of here. She tossed her pokeball into the lava, and w-without her tail, she can hardly walk. She's not that heavy," I told him, purposefully ignoring what he was really getting at.

"You know what I'm referring to."

"...They want to come with me."

Hanna gave me a look, but I ignored her, too. She could judge all she liked. I was going to make my _own_ decisions from here on out, and I wasn't going to let anyone unduly influence them ever again. Lucian sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you really going to try this?"

"Are you going to stop me?" I asked dangerously.

"...No," he ground out. "Just... be responsible for your choices."

"We already went over that one," I replied flippantly, and continued my march out of the volcano.

-.-.-

Hanna laid beside me on the bed. It seemed as if her and Alicia were abnormally talented at catching me when I was actually in my room. She rolled her ultra ball back and forth on her stomach, although I knew it was empty. "...Molly is going to be okay. I'm going to keep her, too."

I didn't dare ask if she was going to become a trainer. Instead, I asked, "Are you going to get any other Pokémon?"

"No. Not for a long while. I'm happy with just her, and truth be told, she's a bit of a handful, anyway. I'll be fine just with her," Hanna said and exhaled. She set the ultra ball on the table beside the bed, and then rolled over onto her side to look at me. "...I got out of there with two bruises and an almost sprained ankle. You got out of there with your ribcage torn in half."

"It's _not_ that bad," I deadpanned, staring up at the ceiling.

"...She could have been lying, you know."

"I know."

"We had gone up that way without looking for the badge. Stupidly, but we still did. He could have been up there for an ice type of his own, or she could have never been there to begin with."

"I know." I was fully aware of the fact that Lola could have been lying about the worst thing she could think of, just to get that final rise out of me. It made sense, considering her personality and tactics. We'd probably never know, now. She and Matthew were both dead. I told myself it didn't really matter either way.

Even if it did.

"...What are you going to do now?" Hanna asked and turned back over onto her back beside me.

"I don't know. Everything else kind of... pales in comparison, y'know? I've been going crazy over Nick for the past couple years, and now it's... all over. All of it. I don't know what to think, or what I'm going to do..."

"Just because Nick is dead, it doesn't mean everything is pecha-keen again. There will be a lot of clean up and stuff. Smoothing over things for the public, weeding out the last pockets of followers, trials, sentences, Pokémon to deal with..."

"Not just that. Lola was right," I told her. I could feel her curious, and sharp, look. "Trainers have the power. I mean, the system itself—kids _routinely_ beat some of the strongest trainers in the region? Gym leaders aren't supposed to be the police, but the police aren't strong or organized enough, non-trainers need to learn to trust trainers again, and a whole lot of stuff like that. Political stuff, I guess."

Hanna wiggled closer and laced our fingers together. "Are you going to help out?"

I closed my eyes. I was so tired. "Yeah, I guess. I'm going to have to. Doesn't seem like anyone else can these days."

-.-.-

"What are you doing?" Arianna asked. She leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, and gave me a _look_. I shook my head and didn't get up from my spot on the floor. "...Fine, ignore me. Will you at least tell me when the Gym is going to be reopened?"

"Probably within the week, but I'm not sure. It's not up to me," I mumbled.

"Since when?"

"Since I quit." I finally stood up and after a pause to steel myself, faced her. Her look of shock was priceless, but the following scornful glare was enough to want me to send me running for the hills. "This is Alicia's Gym now. She's a strong, capable trainer, and she'll be able to keep an eye on things here. Including Tessa."

"Who's Tessa?"

"Nevermind." I set my backpack on the bed, and looked over at the nightstand. It wasn't as if I had much to pack, anyway. But I had never gotten that picture from Who back... I had no idea where it would even be. Either lost with Nick's stuff or destroyed. As far as I know, it had been the only surviving copy of that photo, too. Now, just gone. Just like him.

"...Is this some sort of attempt to dodge that interview and photo shoot?" Arianna joked, weakly.

"No, I'm—I'm sorry, Arianna. I don't want you to feel like I'm just ditching you all again. I'm not. I'm sorry this Gym has been such a headache for you."

"Don't worry about it. It was... exciting, that's for sure. Fun, even. At times when our lives weren't in danger. I'm glad to have met such trainers," she said with a warm smile. She crossed the room and put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me onto the bed. "I just hope you aren't running away from anything else."

"I'm not. I'm tackling it head-on, trust me." I couldn't hide the bitterness in my own smile, and she noticed. She gave my shoulders a squeeze; they protested, but I didn't mention it.

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh, keep training. Adjust to this new life I've been handed. Help Carlita and Ike adjust, too," I told her. She nodded for me to continue. I had mostly wanted to leave this life in Sunyshore behind; friendship hurt, and I knew I wouldn't be able to visit often. "...Just go out. Travel. Visit a couple people."

"And _then_ what?" she prompted.

"I'm going to change things," I told her.

Arianna inclined her head, and her smile became a little more wry. "Well, no matter what, I'll be here for you. Probably staying in Sunyshore, but I'll still be here. You have my number, and while I may not be a trainer, remember—we're not that different from you guys."

"Hanna has a Tyranitar now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Her name is Molly."

She laughed and let her arm drop off my shoulders. "Wow, that is _so _her." I didn't bother correcting her. "Well, I'll swing by over there and meet this Molly at some point. But first." She stood up and dragged me up to my feet, too. She held my head still with one hand and threaded her fingers through my hair with her other, sighing dramatically. "I'm still going to pretend to be your personal stylist. Hanna has shown me how fun it is to mess with you, but still. Your hair? It's... kinda terrible."

"I kinda cut it due to circumstances," I said awkwardly, wishing I could duck out of this. Appearances were hardly my main concern anymore.

"I'm taking you to get it cut. Professionally and properly. We'll even them out and give you a shorter, cleaner look, too..." She fretted with my hair, a thoughtful frown on her face. I decided it would probably be wiser to let her get her way. And to be fair, it _was_ terribly uneven and terribly shaggy.

"...Thanks," I said as she led me out the door. Arianna only grinned.

-.-.-

I gave Ike a wide berth but sat down, crossing my legs, in front of him. He flicked an ear, the only indication that he heard me arrive. I exhaled loudly and wished he'd speak up first. But I knew he wouldn't. "...How are you doing? Okay?"

"_It will be a slow adjustment. It has only been a matter of days, Master Trainer_." There wasn't as much venom as usual in his title for me. I considered it a good sign. He was also taking this more realistically than I was, although he sounded so _tired_. Resigned. "_Are you alright?_"

"Me? Yeah, I'll be fine." I was very surprised he asked. I couldn't help but remember all of the time he'd been so worried about me leading up to the Nick fiasco. I figured now that he had to have known something about the tests or psychic view on things, but I still couldn't wrap my head around why he had bothered caring in the first place. A world without humans seemed like it would be right up his alley.

So I had to ask.

"Ike... You were worried about me. Don't bother denying it," I said quickly as he opened his mouth to speak, "but I know you were. When Who took that picture, when Keith was killed, you seemed to know what was going on. Even more than Kostya."

"_I have a sharper sense of smell than anyone else on this 'team'. It was not hard for me to deduce what was going on after picking that up and mentally adding a couple of things_," he snorted. He still hadn't raised his head from where it was resting on his paws, or opened his eyes. Then again, who was I to say whether or not he should _look _at me? He was _blind_. Half of his face was still either bandaged or the fur hadn't begun to grow back in.

"You mentioned the blood. It wasn't until afterward that you freaked out over it," I recalled.

"_As I stated, mental addition_."

"_What_ did you know?"

"_I am, whether you would like to believe it or not, the most intelligent one on this team. I have keen senses and a fair amount of common sense. It was not hard to see what was going on_," Ike said.

"Ike, please. I don't want to argue with you."

I thought he would argue _just_ to argue after that, or lash out at me. Instead, he sighed and swished his tail around to the other side. "_...Fine. I knew the bloodless specters and the mind-haunting psychics were in on it. I had been to the ghosts' land with you, Master Trainer, and I knew they had ties to Giratina. It was not a far leap to hazard a guess that other Legendaries had been involved._"

"You _knew_ about _that_?" I gasped.

"_I guessed about that_," he corrected at once, wrinkling his bandaged nose. "_I surmised that you were important in some grand scheme of the gods, and if that damned hollow-boned, hollow-brained Xatu was trying so hard to push you over the edge, it would be wiser to prevent that, if possible. ...I see now that it was not._"

"...Are you mad at me for killing her?" I asked him, although there were dozens of questions floating around in my head. All of them were in the past, though, I quickly realized. We still had a future to contend with. I shook my head before Ike could reply and said, "No, it... doesn't matter. If you are, then I can't help it. I can only apologize and that's made up of stupid words. Instead, you and I are going to face the future, together. Ike, I will help you through this as best I can."

"_Help me through what?_" he asked politely.

"Your... loss of sight."

"_As I have said before, I have keen senses. I will not need your human assistance in watching me hobble around and be pathetic for your amusement._"

"No! I want to help. I know you're trying to be brave and aloof as always, but this is _big_. There's nothing wrong with needing help with the big things."

"_Then why were you so intent on keeping us in the ignorant dark for as long as possible? Would you have rather hung yourself with your intestines and let us go on our merry way?_"

"I don't get that phrasing, but no, I didn't want to fail on my own. I just didn't want you guys to get hurt."

"_It seems as if it is too late for that noble pursuit_," Ike said flatly. Guilt settled heavily in my stomach. I had feared that he would blame me for this, but I had been too scared to ask him directly. Looks like I got my answer regardless. "_Do not fret. I am strong, far stronger than you ought to worry about._" He stood up and stretched languidly, even going so far as to fake a yawn for my benefit. "_I will adapt. I have adapted to becoming a disgustingly tame pet, have I not? This will be an easy feat compared to that deep shame._"

"I can and will put a pink collar on you if you keep insisting you're a pet."

Ike sat back and curled his tail primly around his front paws. He inclined his head towards me and told me in a no-nonsense tone, "_Harlan will not allow you._"

-.-.-

The third room was where we tripped up for the first time. She was a tougher opponent, more skilled and more experienced by decades. Zarek carried his weight, but he had to take out three Pokémon more or less on his own. He did get knocked out, and Alice was sent out—and met with a similar fate—while I revived him.

What really worried me was that I had to rely on Carlita for two of the Pokémon. Zarek couldn't handle them since they were part water-type. For one, at least she could stay in one place and throw Seed Bombs. The last one was much more difficult, even if it was slow-moving. She won through sheer dumb luck; she tripped due to balance issues just under a Mud Shot, and that gave her enough time shuffle forward on her belly, latch onto its leg, and defeat it with a Mega Drain.

That battle had tired us. I spent almost half an hour in that room, chatting idly while I healed up my Pokémon with what meager items I had left.

-.-.-

Lucian crossed his arms, tapped his foot, and undoubtedly, glared at me from behind his sunglasses. I shrugged and continued braiding Cossette's hair. It soothed me. "...The small Pidgey, I could forgive. They acted more like mascots or pets and were not trained. But this... When I let you have them, I had assumed they would go to storage, the Professor, or maybe your family. You can _only _have _six_ Pokémon with you!"

"Well, you said you've excused the Pidgey chicks," I said calmly, running my fingers along the long, blonde hair. He nodded curtly. "And really, they are more like pets. I'm terrified of training either of them now, and I doubt I'll ever get over that." I had no idea how I could talk about this subject so calmly. Usually whenever Oonu was brought up I was reduced to tears.

But now, it was a little different. Lucian had a cool, calm personality, if he was usually stressed out about babysitting us. Cossette was dozing and her hair was soft, so it was easy to concentrate on. I think the safety and familiarity of being in the Gym again helped, too.

"But those two," Lucian ground out.

I glanced at the Arcanine beside me. Harlan had long since run off with Ike, but I knew she was still in the building. I wasn't stupid; I was keeping them both inside and the Gym doors shut to prevent anyone else from getting in or out. I wasn't going to go parading around two of Nick's Pokémon for everyone to see.

"They're not mine," I replied, probably the most traitorous I've ever gotten. I just didn't feel like caring. "They're still registered to Nicholas Sayre and have the original pokeballs to prove it. I'm just watching a friend's Pokémon."

"Don't play dumb. I don't need this right now," Lucian all but begged.

I looked up at him with a silent snarl. "And _I_ do?" I shot back.

"...No," he conceded, expression softening. "And I know this has been difficult for you. Potentially more difficult than I have accounted for."

"Probably." I resumed my braiding—until Cossette finally fell asleep enough to fall over onto my chest, jolting her awake.

"Eh? Oh." She blinked a couple times, adjusting to Lucian's presence. She settled back in, guardedly, but didn't say anything to either of us.

"I can't allow you to break the rules," Lucian said.

"I'm not. I only _own_ six Pokémon, how can I have more than a full team with that?" I replied.

"Pokemon that follow you are still unofficially yours, by standard trainer rules."

"The Pidgey chicks haven't followed me anywhere. Well, one place. You know, since baby birds were my only cavalry up in the volcano," I hissed. Lucian adjusted his glasses but his expression didn't change.

"I was _aussi_," Cossette said quietly, tilting her head back to look at me.

"Yes, yes you were," I said, voice just as soft, and patted her on the bangs. "But no matter how brave you were, we've been over this."

"...Yes," she mumbled and let it drop again, turning from me.

"I've _told_ you _and_ the others, we were dealing with our own problems at the time—" Lucian began, but I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"You're the _Elite Four_. You're supposed to be able to wipe the floor with any trainer, right?"

Lucian's mouth disappeared into an impossibly thin line. "You know as well as I do that while we hold much power, we are _not_ at the top of the food chain. We don't have a magic wand to solve all of our problems, let alone yours or the region's. We are doing the best we can. A little help would be _appreciated_."

I rebelliously glared at the back of Cossette's head. "...I'm not giving up Fargo or Harlan. The rest of them have already been taken care of, right? Or—the ones you could catch. How many of them did you kill outright, huh?"

"They put up a fight and refused to come willingly—"

"Don't blame them," I muttered under my breath. Cossette nodded firmly, messing up my braid. I restarted that section with a cooling temper. "I'm not going to tell you how to run the region. I guess I helped. Nick and Lola and Joey are dead, and Tessa is in prison. I know clean-up is gonna suck and it'll get messy, but I'm already lapsing into guilt at not taking more of Nick's Pokémon with me. They _weren't_ monsters. Most of them. They just cared about him and they wanted him to stop hurting."

"...If you are intent on keeping them, do know that we're not going to protect you."

"It's not like I'll be using them for battles. Think of them as... semi-wild pets. Like the chicks."

"A fully grown Arcanine and a Smeargle with a legendary's move-set are _hardly _pets." Fargo barked at him—not the angry or protective bark of a guard dog, but the perfectly innocent and friendly bark of a puppy. I buried my laugh in Cossette's hair. Lucian groaned and rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "You are not going to be loved for this move."

"If I wanted to be loved, I wouldn't have done _any_ of this," I assured him.

"...I'm not going to permit you to use them in any Gym challenges."

I looked up at him with a flat look. "I quit."

Cossette started and whirled around to face me, and Lucian delicately arched on eyebrow. "Excuse me?" he asked, voice icy, cutting across Cossette's screech.

"Give it to Alicia. She'll take it—she can keep an eye on Tessa this way. She's more than qualified. But yeah, I quit."

"_Mais pourquoi?_" Cossette demanded.

"Is this another one of your acts of rebellion?"

"No, this is me being me. I only took this job because I thought I'd be able to stop or help Nick with it. I couldn't. I did that under my own power, so I'm going to return to that." I pushed Cossette gently away from me and forced her back down into her original position. "Cossette, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. We'll talk about it later, okay?"

She gave me one last glare that could peel paint, but instead of responding or returning to hair braiding time, she got up and marched off.

"Well, now the only girl who's consistently liked me throughout this debacle is mad at me, just great." I stood up too, wincing as my ribs hurt. "Anyway, you can't stop me from quitting. I'll simply leave."

Lucian pinched the bridge of his nose and looked as if he would dearly like to punch me. "...Bruce Yorke is still in critical condition, and they believe that the damage his brain received will never fully heal—that is, he will never be able to function properly again. If he ever wakes. Benjamin is lucky not to end up in the hospital himself. He still hasn't recovered from killing a man."

"Death isn't a decision to take lightly," I agreed.

Lucian gave me a withering look that I didn't shy from. "Even if Benjamin recovers to the point where he can maintain his Gym again, we need a replacement for Bruce, and Alicia is naturally at the top of the list."

"Okay, she can go to his. Get someone else for this one," I told him. "I'm _not_ staying. Do you want me to have a breakdown like Benjamin did? I can tell you this—I am _not_ okay with what happened in Stark Mountain. I'm not sure I ever will be. But if I can act normal in public and get away with it, I will. That's the only difference between us right now."

"I am not trying to guilt you into staying, just... pleading. Don't make this more difficult. We could use your help. You're a valuable ally and can handle this Gym."

"So can others."

-.-.-

"Well damn. If you're leaving, then I don't have much reason to stay here anymore," Nathan said, blowing out a cloud of smoke. I coughed and waved it away. He smiled apologetically. "Being a Gym trainer was fun. Entertaining, at least. But I guess if you're ditching, I will, too."

"Alicia could really use your help," I said desperately. "Please, Nathan. I want someone in there with her I can trust."

"I hardly know the girl. Sonya's still sticking around, right? She's a pretty good trainer, I guess."

"She can't wield a gun."

He gave me a long look, cigarette hanging from his lip. "...I thought you didn't like guns."

"I don't! ...But they are remarkably effective at dealing with problems without having to endanger our Pokémon," I admitted in a small voice. If I had had a gun in Stark Mountain, things might've gone differently. I wasn't sure I could work up the courage to shoot someone myself, but it would've been nice not to have to rely on my team for all of my power.

"That's too bad," Nathan said and blew out another cloud. "But I'm out of there either way. I've re-joined the force. Figure I may as well do this city some good again."

"The police?"

"No, the air force. _Yes_, the police. I'll keep an eye on your girl that way, if you like, but I'm staying out of the Gyms for awhile. They can get a little crazy at times."

Well, that was the understatement of the day.

-.-.-

"Are you sneaking out of your room _again_?" the nurse cried. I leapt back into bed, doing my best to ignore the complaints of my ribcage, and gave her my best innocent look. "You have a visitor. It'd be nice if you actually stayed in here long enough to receive her."

The nurse stepped aside to reveal Cossette, Florette, and Jacques. Cossette had a bouquet of pretty flowers in her arm, and Florette toddled along behind her with a single flower in her tiny arms.

"_Bon matin_!" Cossette cried cheerfully and perched herself on the foot of my bed. She helped Florette up as well, and then they both proffered the flowers. I took them with a smile and set them on the stand next to me. I had never gotten flowers before, really, aside from the ones Carlita would give me. And all it took was an extended trip to the hospital to get some.

"Good morning, Cossette. How are you guys doing?"

"We are fine. But we are not the ones who got hurt!" she said sternly, leaning in.

"W-Well, what about Jacques? He had to Teleport you guys around, and he's not fully recovered himself," I said nervously, leaning back against the pillow.

"He only passed out once, and that was last night. He has woken up to be fresh and healthy!" The Gallade in question looked severely pained to be reminded of that, but Cossette didn't seem to mind sharing. "My Pokémon are strong, so do not worry about us, yes?"

"Sure." Although with the baby Kangaskhan on the bed, I would beg to differ. I was glad they were okay, though. With my team in ruins, the last thing I needed was for Cossette's to be, too. Again.

"The nurse said you were sneaking out. _Pourquoi_? Why is this?"

"I was going to go visit Vai."

"He is here?"

"...Yes. He was hurt, too." It struck me that neither Cossette nor Hanna may have known what happened to the other Gym trainers, only that they were gone by the time they arrived.

"When will you be able to leave the hospital?"

I didn't mention that I had (illicitly) a couple times already. "Um, not too much longer. I'm mostly staying here to be close to my team. And the doctors want to keep an eye on me."

"_Ben_, when you get out, we will go out together. On a date, for food, and our teams can be together!" she decided happily.

"Okay, sure." It was so much easier to agree than disagree with her. And plus, who knew? It could turn out to be fun instead of a catastrophe. "But... That may be a little while. Carlita and Ike got hurt pretty badly."

"Once you all get out. There does not need to be a time or day. Just... I will be happy whenever you return." Cheeks pink, she poked and prodded my hand until I allowed her to hold it. She was getting a little more direct in her advances, I noted. Or maybe she was just more aware of them herself.

I still hoped this wasn't a crush, and instead some sort of weird hero worship. That would be so much safer.

Even if I was probably the worst 'hero' to ever grace Sinnoh.

-.-.-

"_Hi Trainer_!" Carlita said at once, vibrating in her bed. Evidently she had found out the bed's features. She excitedly flailed until I came over and sat with her, and I had to admit, it was a little amusing. I was slightly surprised to see her in such high spirits, though.

"Hi, Carlita. How are you doing?"

"_Well my tail isn't bleeding and they told me I can get a new one!_"

"Well... A fake one. One made of... I don't know, metal and plastic and stuff. You know that, right?" I asked gently.

She nodded, still beaming. "_Yep! Of course! But they told me once I get used to it they can cover it with stuff so it'll match the rest of me! Then it won't be so bad!_"

I couldn't decide whether or not she was forcing herself to be cheerful. "...That's good," I said lamely. "Um... Has Bentley been in to see you yet?"

"_Nope! I don't know where he is. Didn't something happen to his trainer?_"

"Well, yeah... But I don't think he's in the hospital for it. Not this hospital, anyway." I had been hoping that Benjamin would recover fairly quickly. He was a tough little kid, that was for sure. "If I see him, I'll tell them to drop by, though. Okay?"

"_Okay!_" She leaned against me with a contented sigh. In doing so, however, she accidentally pressed the 'off' button, and with a squawk, she hastily turned her massaging bed back on. Or I assumed that was what it was for. Leave it to Carlita to turn it into a toy.

"...Have the doctors, um... Have they told you anything about your new tail?" I asked reluctantly. I didn't want to be the one to tell her that she couldn't dance again. But I wasn't going to lie to her.

"_Not really. They said that it'd be an adjustment, and I'd have to practice lots._"

"Yes. Lots and lots."

"_Just like with dancing_!"

"...Yes." I felt my throat close up. She didn't know yet. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close again. "Carlita... We have to talk."

"_About?_"

"That new tail you'll be getting."

"_I know it'll be a lot of hard work, but I can do it! I'll try, I promise I will!_" she said at once, something like desperation in her tone. It caught me off guard. I tightened my hug.

"I know you will! And you'll master it in no time. But... It will be... It'll just be hard, okay? Very hard."

"_I know. Everyone keeps telling me that._"

"But it'll be a good thing," I persevered, trying to beat the tears. "You'll be able to walk again, almost right away. That'll be good, right? You can get up and get around again, and exercise, and we can go for walks out in the sunshine and the flowers."

"_Yes_!" she gasped in delight.

"A-And, after some time and some practice, you can run again. Maybe even skip. You can fight again, and kick and punch to your heart's content. You might be a little... slower, though. The doctors told me you won't be able to turn as fast as you used to. So... You'll have to get used to that, okay?"

"_...Oh._" My heart leapt up into my throat. But Carlita rested her head on my chest again and said, "_Okay then. Fighting is about adapting. So is dancing. I'll just be quicker with my punches! And I can use my grass moves too, I guess._"

She was taking this gracefully, but she was coming down from her hyper discovery of the amusement of the bed. She could tell this was serious. It was only making this harder. I patted her hat-thing comfortingly, and finally got out, "Carlita, you won't be able to dance again."

She was perfectly silent.

"You may be able to do slower things, like waltzes or... I don't know many dances. Slow things that don't require quick turns or quick changes in balance. But... No more swinging. No more random twirls. I'm so sorry."

"_I... I'll just overcome that_!" she cried at once, looking up at me desperately.

"I don't think you can. It's not about practice. I-It's just... The tail can't move as fast as your old one."

"_But... I like dancing_," she told me as if it would change everything. But it didn't.

-.-.-

The fourth room was as sweltering as the volcano. I hated it right away. It was a quicker battle than the third room, but only by the virtue of the fact that everyone's attacks hit harder. I also used more of the team than I had in the last couple rooms. Zarek proved again to be invaluable, and Des got to use the room's heat to his advantage against the Steelix, Alice came back out, and it was the first time I had used Konstantin. I had been saving him, mostly, so he was still fresh and strong.

Then came the normal-type and I had to decide whether or not I would use Carlita as a fighter instead of as a grass Pokémon.

I used Des and an Earthquake.

-.-.-

"Fargo, Harlan, come over here." They weren't reassured by my tone, but obeyed regardless. They had been incredibly well-behaved since they had come with me, polite and helpful and offering to do just about anything for me or my healing team. Well, Harlan mostly helped Ike, but that was definitely helpful in its own right. (Better yet, I could tell he was slowly warming up to her.)

"...S-Smear?" Harlan squeaked.

"You're going to stay Nick's Pokémon. I'm not going to capture you myself or formally release you or anything. Is that alright with you?" Both nodded, relieved and grateful. "Okay... Easy part down. Now for the hard part—people are going to hate you if they realize who you are. And a lot of people will."

Fargo whined and leaned down, and Harlan clung to him with a similar whine.

"I know. I'm sorry. But... I can't help who Nick was or what he did. I sure tried, though." I mentally steered myself back on track; there was no use whatsoever going back down that road. Again. "We can only face the future at this point, though. Prepare and stuff. I'm going to quit being a Gym leader, and I'm going to change a couple other things, but you two are still free to follow me as long as you'd like. I'm going to be traveling for a little while, and hopefully some of the hubbub will die down in that time."

Fargo nodded, but he kept his submissive, somewhat frightened look.

I reached down and scratched his mane. He jumped at the contact. "...I'm not going to try to replace Nick. I'm not going to use you in battles, or get translators for you, and I won't force you into anything." He nodded. "If you want to help with battles, sure. Wild ones, mostly. Lucian's already mad at me for this, and I don't want to actually break any laws with the battling number of Pokémon on my team."

"Smear," Harlan said with an understanding nod.

"I'm... going to be dropping by Nick's—Oreburgh in a couple days. If you want, I can leave you with his parents."

To my surprise, both of them shook their heads. Harlan I could understand, especially with the way she just shot a look in Ike's direction, but I had thought Fargo would wish to return to more familiar people. Not that he wouldn't have similar problems there, but at least it would be Nick's house and his smell would be there, too.

"...Well, you can make your decision whenever, or change your minds, I guess. It's up to you."

-.-.-

"Heard you quit."

I jumped a foot in the air at the voice. It turned out to belong to Sela, but why she was silently waiting down the hall from my hospital room was beyond me. Or maybe she had come from Vai's room.

"Y-Yeah." I looked around nervously for any nurses or doctors to catch me sneaking out again.

"Heard a lot of things," Sela said in the same nonchalant tone.

I knew immediately what she was referring to. "...Maybe."

"I'm not one to judge whether or not you actually killed her. It was probably a great thing you did. Just like Benjamin took out the other one—that many less things to worry about at night. I only wish we could've gotten the complete set."

"Alicia would've gone on a rampage."

Sela bobbed her head but her gaze remained locked on me. "...Walk with me, hero."

I sighed and requested, "Please don't call me that."

She guided me out of the hospital and onto the dark streets of Sunyshore. The cool air was refreshing and relaxing, and for a moment, I didn't worry.

"No one's going to blame you for anything, which I bet is going to eat away at your insides," Sela said casually. I nodded, refreshment gone and worries back. "But you're just going to become a tangle of neuroses at that rate."

"Yeah, probably."

"...Not gonna lie, you're a pretty bad Gym leader," she said with a smirk.

"Why?"

"You're worried about _all_ of the problems. Gym leaders have to stay localized, for the most part, but you just want to go and stick your finger in all of the problem pies. You got lucky with all of that drama in Sunyshore, but I have a feeling you would've gone crazy if that had happened in Oreburgh or something." Much to my chagrin, she had a bit of a point. She knew it, too. "Not that you weren't bizarrely effective, but leading a Gym just isn't your thing. I think Alicia will be able to handle it, but who knows? She didn't make it the first time around for a reason."

"Only because you were favorites and Lola fixed it so I got a spot," I grumbled.

"Beside the point," she said with a dismissive wave.

"Then what is the point?"

"I'm wondering what you're going to do now. A crippled team, two of Sayre's Pokemon—don't think I didn't notice—and with Lucian breathing down your back."

"He's laid off, mostly."

"Only because his main problems are dead. Now cleaning up and smoothing out ruffled feathers are his main worry, in addition to replenishing the Gym leader circuit. _Again_." Sela ran a hand through her hair and looked up at the night sky, hardly any stars visible with the light of the city. "...We've been kinda tough on them, I suppose. Hopefully it quiets down soon."

"It probably will. Followers don't have any more numbers to devote to any sieges, or any organization." At least, I hoped so. The last thing we needed was some sort of last-ditch effort to overthrow the government or something.

"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked suddenly.

"Um, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Not your ribs or whatever. I meant... _you_. Are _you_ going to be okay."

"...I think so. I just have to sort out a couple things... And make some changes."

-.-.-

Des greeted me with a lick from the bottom of my jaw up to my hair. I chuckled and scratched him behind the ears. "How are you doing?"

"_Well. How is your body?_"

"It'll all heal up, with time. I'm doing better than you guys."

"_Good_," he said emphatically. He nudged me with his snout until I put an arm around his neck and scratched him again. "_How are the rest?_"

"Alice and Zarek will heal right up. Most of Kostya's wounds were healed when he evolved, so he made it out pretty much unscathed. Ike... He won't see again. The doctors say he should be able to adapt fine, giving his hearing and sense of smell, but... that's going to be hard."

"_...And Carlita?_" he prompted lightly.

"She'll be able to walk again pretty soon. Run, with time. Dance... no one's hopeful," I whispered.

Des didn't say anything and instead nibbled on the hem of my shirt. I let him and instead thought of how we were going to get out of this one. I was incredibly grateful that four members of my team would be okay. Even the Pidgey chicks would heal of their wounds.

But Oonu was dead, Ike was blinded, and Carlita wouldn't dance again. These were permanent, horrible tragedies. I still couldn't process them at a 'this is _forever_' level.

"...Are you still mad at me?"

"_No. I don't think so. I'm mostly mad at myself for being so harsh on you—I'm sorry. I should not have—_"

"Des, it's okay. You were kinda right in trying to prevent me from murdering anyone."

"_She was horrible and caused so much pain. Some deaths are justified_."

"...We're not going to sit here and argue that the other one's right _now_," I sighed. "I'm sorry for hurting you and not listening and disillusioning you."

"_And I am sorry for putting so much pressure on you. And for forcing you to cut your hair._"

"Nah, it's fine. Arianna already took me out to even it out, see? Shorter now."

"_I noticed_," Des said with amusement. He licked me again, forcing my hair to stand on end from the force of it. "_It has not been this short in some time._"

"Yeah, well, may as well look like a boy again. Don't want to have to switch places with Sonya _ever_ again."

"_But you make a good female. You are the motherly type_."

"Hey," I said warningly, but he only smiled. "...Well, remember, Cossette's Numel thought you were her mother. And you act like _my_ mom sometimes. So you can be the team mom with me."

"_...Carlita can act like a child at times_," Des admitted.

I was surprised that he was even playing along with it. Unable to help my grin, I added, "And Kostya certainly acts like a clingy kid, too. Not to mention Zarek."

"_What of Alice?_"

"She is like... our kid, but Zarek's mom. Or maybe she's the big sister that pretends to be the mom for everyone because the real parents fail at it."

"_That means us._"

"Well, are you saying we're good parents?"

Des looked away guiltily, all the admittance I needed. I finally laughed and nuzzled into the fur behind his ears, not so much minding the weird team dynamic so much now. Not that I ever _really_ minded it, except maybe when they were being massively embarrassing, but now it just seemed... more awesome than normal.

I was simply glad that Des and I were on good terms again. I had made a mistake. I think. But it turned out okay in the long run, because no one else had to die, and no one else had to get hurt. I had saved who I could.

"So, Des... I think I have a plan."

"_A plan?_" he asked, although I couldn't tell if he was curious or appalled.

"Yeah, for what we're gonna do next." He still seemed a little wary, but as I leaned in and whispered it in his ear, he perked up and seemed to favor it.

"_It won't be easy._"

"Nothing ever is."

"_I meant, before and after. There is responsibility there, and are you sure you can handle that?_"

"No. But, who else is going to? I'm fairly grounded and have seen the best and worst of trainers. I'm at least informed on that front. I... I think I can help. Everyone."

Des leaned up and licked me again. I spat out the taste of Camerupt spit—my mouth had been _open_, eww—and he chuckled. "_I will help you. As always, and for forever._"

-.-.-

The last room.

He looked ready to chuck his book at my head. (I was fairly surprised he didn't.)

"Well, considering... recent events, I can't say I didn't have an inkling of this coming."

"Good."

It was the toughest of all of the battles, of course, but it was meant to be. But he was never as tough as her. I had saved Konstantin almost exclusively for him, and he definitely had a lot more power as a Dusclops. Des helped me with the Bronzong, although the previous battles had worn on him and he collapsed from too much fire spent afterward. Alice helped with two others, although the Girafarig knocked her out. Konstantin couldn't be used against it, and Carlita had a weakness.

Ike came out for his only battle. He sat in front of me, ears rotating madly. By the time the hesitant Girafarig took a single step forward, he threw a Thunderbolt at it that finally knocked it out, perfectly aimed.

The last Pokémon was an Espeon, small but much quicker and lighter. Ike remained still, ears swiveling.

His first Thunderbolt missed, and he took a Psychic for it, but his second one struck. It seemed as if he had narrowed it down to a thin, supercharged strike, and while it got its leg and caused it to have a limp, it didn't really slow it.

But as the smell of charred fur filled the arena, I knew what he had done.

It was easy for him to keep up with it after that, between his hearing and smell. Both of them were long-range attackers, at least in this battle—or were to begin with. The Espeon, after every traded round of attacks, was slowly circling closer. Until it was finally close enough to leap at him, and sunk its teeth into his flank.

He yowled, but to our great surprise, didn't shock it off.

He really must have been one of my smarter Pokémon. He knew it would be a long battle if neither of them got closer to one another, and while the Espeon must've been counting on being faster than Ike could react while relying on hearing and smell alone, he only needed one hit.

A Crunch, and the Espeon fainted.

-.-.-

"I would have killed her," Vaikuntha announced in the middle of our card game. I looked up at him, alarmed and surprised. He met my eyes without fear or shame. "I am not perfect, brother. She hurt my friends, she lied to us, and she would go on to hurt others."

"Yeah..." I said awkwardly. We had been peacefully playing some sort of obscure card game I was trying to learn, and out of nowhere, he said something like that.

"...I do not know why others seem to have this image of me, but I do have flaws. I am reluctant to admit this, but you have seen firsthand—I can be violent. I do not like fighting, but it does not mean I do not know how to," he said simply, looking back at his hand. He played a six, and I struggled to remember what I could play off of it.

"I know. But... You're still better than the rest of us."

"I am not," he stressed, though he smiled when I played an eight. "You... did not see me after Sarika died. You met me a long time after that. I was not a nice person after I lost her."

"Still... Grief does that to people. It doesn't mean you're a bad person."

"Exactly! You were grief-stricken, brother. You lost your old friend, and she declared herself to be the cause of it." I couldn't help but notice that he hadn't _said_ she was the cause of it. Just that she had called herself that. "More than that... She was the mastermind behind many deaths across Sinnoh. She betrayed our trust. I would have killed her in your place as well."

That, on the other hand, was actually really reassuring. Hanna had been ready to kill Nick, and Vai said he would've killed Lola in my place. I felt vindicated. "...Thanks."

"It is not a problem, brother. I just... wished for you to know that you are not alone. I will always be here for you, wherever you are and wherever I return to."

"Staying in Oreburgh?"

"I would like to, yes. ...You are serious about leaving?"

"It's all official now, so yeah. Alicia's taking over, though, and it's not like I'm dropping off the face of the planet. I'll drop in to say hi and stuff."

"I hope so," he replied with a pleased smile. He played a nine on the ten I just put down. I was starting to get the feeling that I didn't understand this game at all.

"I'll miss you, Vai."

"I will miss you too, but you are not leaving yet. Our game is not over!" he declared, grabbing my arm to make sure I wasn't going to randomly run out of the room.

"Yeah, not yet. Though... I still don't get this."

"You will learn, in time."

"That's kinda philosophical."

"Perhaps it is!" Vai said eagerly. "I can advise you on all of your journeys from now on with my newfound philosophy!"

I laughed and played an ace. His smile grew wider and he took the pile, although I didn't know why. "Sure, Vai. I can become a traveling swordsman following your philosophies."

"I would not teach you my sword technique. That is Sarika's."

"I've sort of learned I fail at using weapons, anyway."

Vai smiled and looked down at his hand. "That is a good thing. I hope you never have to learn."

-.-.-

It was my first funeral in what felt like forever without a bulletproof vest under my shirt. It was also the first one that I was dressed so casually for. Still, how could I go to his funeral in anything but a black hoodie?

I stayed on the fringes of the small crowd, avoiding smalltalk and other people. Fargo and Harlan stood apart from me, both of them shedding tears, watching the coffin as it was lowered into the ground. I saw Jules flitting around Nick's parents, and I could have sworn I saw an Arbok in the crowd earlier. I was just glad a couple others had got away as well. It really wasn't their fault.

Chase was buried next to Nick, and Nick was buried next to Matthew. I puttered around Oreburgh until everyone else left the cemetery, and it was only then that I went back in to pay my respects.

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't find the words. I couldn't find _anything_. No apologies, no rationalizations, no angry outbursts. Nothing came out. I bit my lip and swallowed past the lump, not bothering to fight the tears, but I still didn't know what I could say. He was dead, yes, and not even talking to a grave would change that. But... I still had to say _something_.

Harlan came up behind me and painted an arc over the top of the headstone. As an afterthought, she made a matching one on Matthew's. She mumbled something, too quiet to hear, and looked back at Fargo. The Arcanine wasn't going to get any closer, I could tell.

I jumped as Jules seemingly appeared out of nowhere, alighting on my hair. The Mothim squeaked.

"Smeargle," Harlan replied matter-of-factly.

I looked back down at the headstone. "...Nick, I'll take care of them." Finally, I could speak. I cleared my throat and sniffed, scrubbing at my eyes. "I-I'm going to change this region, I'm going to fix what was broken and everyone but you ignored. I'll make things better for trainers. Safer. I won't let another Matthew or you or Lola happen."

It was only as I was telling him this that the idea cemented itself in my mind. Before, it had been an idle thought, a suggestion, a maybe. Now, I knew I was going to try for it. I had to.

Fargo came up beside me and pressed his side against my waist. Jules fluttered off. I picked up Harlan and set her on Fargo, glancing around one last time for any unwanted stragglers. No one in sight, just us.

I looked down at the headstone one last time. "You were my friend, Nick." I told him. "I'll never forget you."

-.-.-

Lucian adjusted his sunglasses and looked down at me. "Are you sure you want to do this? ...Will you be able to handle it, with responsibility and grace and a firm hand?"

"Yeah," I replied, although doubt was fluttering in my heart again. Or maybe it was anxiety. It was really, _really_ hard to tell.

"Then, by the power that was thrust upon me rather unwillingly, I hereby step down from my position and reclaim my position in the Elite Four." Lucian waved me over to the machine. It looked a lot like the standard healing machine, only much fancier. "This machine will record your team's names, species, abilities, and so on, so forth. A complete record of your official team."

"Oh. Cool." I had no idea how I was being so casual with this all. My mind probably hadn't processed it fully yet. Or maybe this was a dream and my body knew I was about to wake up.

Lucian reached over and flicked the machine on. Much to my surprise, the screen lit up with—us. Lucian caught my look and wryly explained, "This records us as well, yes. A video that will later go on television for the announcement."

"Great."

"Would you rather a press conference?"

"_No_."

"Exactly. Now smile, put on a brave face, however you'd like Sinnoh to see you now." I looked up at where I guessed the camera was, and... faltered. I didn't know how I wanted Sinnoh to see me. I tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. I tried to look stern, but I simply looked scared. I was fairly certain I heard Lucian stifle a laugh. "...Done yet?"

"...Whatever. They've seen me a hundred different ways already," I mumbled, a little embarrassed. As always, this wasn't how I was expecting things to go.

Then again, when I had last _really_ thought about this moment, I had thought it would be just me with one really super strong Pokémon. Now, I had a full team of them that I was insanely proud of, even if only half of them were still conscious.

Lucian looked up at the camera and just as I managed to genuinely smile, announced, "Sinnoh, this is your new Champion. Be nice this time around, you've been rather hard on them in the past. Anyway—now and officially announcing the new reigning Champion, Zachary Jones."

-.-.-

Quick Note: Still an epilogue to come, peeps!


	160. Epilogue

_**Years Later...**_

-.-.-

"...You should see them. I wish you could. They're growing like weeds," I said, leaning back on my arms. I grinned and glanced over at where Des was keeping an eye on a bickering Budew and Smeargle. "Lucian probably hates me on principle right now, but I've smoothed over some feathers by applying for a breeding license. ...Not where I expected my life to take me, but at least I can carry non-battling Pokémon with me in larger amounts."

I had traditions now. Not a lot of them, but enough to keep me going throughout the year. Every Christmas, no matter what, I made it home to see my parents. I visited Hanna and Cossette on their birthdays.

But more than that, I visited graves.

Once a year, on the day they died, I would visit my friends' graves. I would talk to them, update them on things in my life and in Sinnoh overall, and with a couple of them, the tradition expanded into something else. For Archie, some sort of alcohol (I tended to default to wine, since it was one of the few alcoholic beverages I could stomach). For Zoe, I'd wear the necklace she made me.

For Nick, I had a red snow cone.

The remains of this year's had long since melted; I got caught up talking. The past year had been busy, if only because of the fact that everyone seemed to be in a particularly _romantic_ mood.

And by that I meant I suddenly had baby Pokémon running everywhere.

It was great to see little things, watching avidly as personalities changed and developed, and just to be reminded of _life_ again. They were messy, loud, whiny, and I had collected a new amount of scars and injuries from them, but they were darling nonetheless.

"If they ever stop running around, I'll bring them over and show you," I said, looking around for any of them. Celia ran past, giggling madly, and I snagged her before she could waddle away. "This! This is—" The Budew immediately began crying. From somewhere I couldn't see, Estelle started crying, too. They did everything together, but this was ridiculous. I set her down and she starting laughing maniacally again, running for it. "...That was Celia. She and Estelle are Carlita and Bentley's, and it looks as if they've got all of the craziness and none of the calmness."

Fargo yelped and ran past, nearly tripping over a gravestone. Jocee chased after him, mewling and sparking. I still had many, _many_ problems with why a fully grown Arcanine was terrified of a tiny Shinx kitten, but he never failed to run from her.

"...Well, our Pokémon have been getting along, that's for sure!" I said with a weak chuckle. I felt like I somehow had to explain that I hadn't kidnapped Harlan or something. I didn't even know _why_ that feeling or mental image immediately come to mind, either. "...As far as I can tell, she's the only one who Ike actually likes, and she's been very helpful with him. He's moving just like he did before, now. Not quite as aggressive or immediately violent, but I'm not sure who or what to attribute that to. Still... They're both happy together. A-And they had babies!"

I almost felt like I was waiting for some sort of incredulous reaction.

I dumped out the red snow cone liquid and sighed. "Two Smeargle and a Shinx. Ike's a protective dad, but you should see Harlan. She's the warmest mother ever. She... insisted on naming one of them after you, the only boy, the little Smeargle with the gold paint. So... I have another Nick in my life. He's got his mothers shyness, though, so he's naturally nothing like you. Jocee is the little Shinx, and for some reason, Fargo is absolutely _terrified_ of her. I have no clue why. I don't suppose you could give me some beyond the grave advice for why your Arcanine is a scaredy-Skitty?" No response. "Thought not. The other Smeargle is a little girl with pink paint, and that's Amaranth. I'm pretty sure she's the only one Ike named."

Fargo yelped again, this time actually tripping over one. He went tumbling, only stopping when he slid into Des. He gave him a look, and then picked up Estelle and set the Shroomish on the Arcanine's mane. "_Watch something you're not afraid of_," he said dryly, and then picked up Jocee as the Shinx skittered over. He set her on a napping Ike, much to his annoyance.

"...This is the most disrespectful grave visiting ever," I deadpanned, looking at the chaos.

"_Only maybe!_" Carlita squealed, chasing after Celia.

-.-.-

I was regulated to carrying two squirming infants out of the cemetery. I must've drawn the short straw, because I got the two Smeargle, and ended up pink and gold by the time we were out the gates. Konstantin offered to take them off me, but I figured I could handle them. They were just... colorful.

We made it to the park and turned them loose again. Carlita acted just like a kid again, and I could tell Zarek was enjoying running around with them, too. I washed my face off as best I could in a water fountain, and took off my shirt to rinse it, too. At least Smeargle paint came off with water. At that age, anyway.

I sat down in the grass next to Ike and Alice. It was still pretty nice out here, and the sun was warm, even if the breeze was a little cool. Especially while my shirt was off and drying. Ike's ears followed Nick as he chased a Butterfree. "_...I must admit to my surprise_," he said after a pause.

"Huh?"

"_I would have thought the one with the so-called 'motherly' instincts would have had a child of her own, but I suppose such a bloodthirsty harpy would have difficulties attracting a mate that could stand to impregnate her_," he said coolly.

I lunged at Alice before she could do more than screech, drawing the attention of most of the children. Zarek reigned his mother back in as well, giving Ike a snip on the tail that made him jump. "Ike, stop antagonizing! Go kittensit your children!" I shouted at him. He slunk off with a laugh. He may have cooled down on the violence, but at times, I thought it had only transformed into verbal barbs.

"_The insolence of that cat_," Alice spat, fluffed up to the point of looking ridiculous. I tried very hard not to laugh. "_How dare he insinuate..._"

"Shh, I know, I know. He's a jerk. But he always has been, right? Don't worry, Alice—you're pretty, and any guy would be lucky to have you. Plus, you have Zarek!" I soothed, gesturing to the Kingler beside her. She nodded sharply and fluttered into the air and landed on him, much to his embarrassment.

"_Mama... Don't..._"

"_Shush! I am going to incubate you again._" It was better than trying to teach him how to fly, although that subject had never been fully dropped. I even caught them on my parents' roof last Christmas, presumably for a lesson.

Sometimes, I wondered how much of the 'motherhood' thing Alice actually had down.

But she was good at it, regardless. I knew she helped out with the other small Pokémon underfoot, and she was the one Harlan and Carlita turned to with questions.

"Are you good now?"

"_Yes_," she said with a click of her beak.

I let out a relieved sigh and laid down in the grass. It was cool, but out of the slight wind. Zarek, Alice still on him, sat down next to me. All things considered, being the Champion was pretty easy.

Then again, after Lucian had his back turned, I had bolted.

I told myself—and others, when they managed to track me down—that I was taking a proactive approach to dealing with Sinnoh. A Champion stuck at the League and only drawn out by disasters wasn't a very effective one. This way, I could stay abreast of what the public was actually doing and saying, and avoid too much red tape and political hassles. I wasn't a politician. I was a trainer.

Of course, I acted like one when it suited me. New laws were passed, and old ones were edited. Surprisingly, I very quickly gathered a very vocal support group within the region, and even more surprisingly, one of the main things they had wished for me to do was change the training age. I didn't, since I had started at eleven and turned out just fine. While ten was dangerous, I figured they could handle it. Sinnoh was getting safe again, and it wasn't as if this was Hoenn or Unova, anyway. Not that I wasn't going to protect newbie trainers in other ways, though.

With Nathan's help and insight, I pretty much remodeled the police force. All training members had to have at least six years of experience and at least three Pokémon, and I expanded the training schools with more funding so they could train cops-to-be from the ground up. I especially strengthened the forces in the cities without Gyms, since that had turned out disastrously for Jubilife in the past. I also gave the Gym leaders more power, including superseding the police forces in certain cases. I figured they would probably handle the power a little better. Not to mention I trusted them personally.

Of course, I did things myself, too. The most immediate change I had to the region was instituting a proper method and system for taking care of dangerous, rogue Pokémon. They would not be tolerated, but I tried to be fair, especially after Des got on my case about it. Even the white thing had mentioned a second side to the Abomasnow thing.

I tried to make a level-based system, and I was extremely thankful I had only had to use it twice since then. If a wild Pokémon attacked—and _attacked_ attacked, not the regular sort—but no Pokémon or humans were killed, that was a warning and either a Gym leader, Gym trainer, or one of the trainers on a special volunteer force would go track it down and see what the case was. Usually it involved some translated discussion and tagging the Pokémon. After a Pokémon or human was killed, then the offending creature had to be captured and taken in, and if that wasn't viable, put down. I wasn't going to wait around for several deaths to occur. Of the two times it had gotten that drastic, both times I had been there to help.

Just with those changes alone, I could already tell that Sinnoh was gradually becoming safer. Lucian had taken care of a great deal of the more obvious pockets of followers before I had usurped him, but he had helped me in finding the rest. No major occurrences dealing with them had happened since, for which I was _extremely_ thankful. The last thing I needed was more reminders of what Nick had broken.

Beside me, Zarek stirred—the only warning before I was rudely cut off from the sun by a shadow. I cracked open an eye to discover an irate Hanna glaring down at me.

Oh no.

"_Where_ do you think _you've_ been?" she demanded, making a grab for me as I tried to dart away. My Pokémon were no help whatsoever, those traitors, and instead chose to watch as she got her claws in me and pinned me down to the grass. She even had the nerve to sit on me.

"Hi, Hanna," I wheezed.

"I haven't seen you for months! _Months_! You're not allowed to go and disappear on the world, remember? Least of all me and your other friends!" I didn't have to wonder how she had found me for long; I spotted Vaikuntha standing near Des, smiling brightly in my direction. I should have known better than to think Oreburgh was safe.

"I saw you at Cossette's birthday party!"

"That was _three and a half months_ ago, you idiot!" She smacked me on the head for good measure. I could've thrown her off, but I probably deserved this. And I didn't want to make her any madder. "You can't just disappear again! It's not healthy for you, _and_ you're sorta in charge of the region right now."

"I'm doing things to help it," I told her defensively.

"Fine then, it's not healthy for you. At all."

It probably wasn't. I laid there like a Slugma. It was my only defense.

"You _need_ to come be nice and social and friendly again. You'll die alone, mauled by some wild Pokémon, and no one will had any idea for months because they're used to not seeing you!"

"If a wild Pokémon was rampaging again, we would have already—"

"You know what I mean!"

I gave up. I couldn't win against her. I looked over at Vai, eyes as big and pleading and pathetic as I could stand to make them. I could see his heart twist, and he trotted over. Oh so delicately, he pried Hanna off and extended a hand down to help me up. I latched onto him gratefully. At least someone was still reliably sane.

"She only worries," he murmured. I nodded, guilty again, but really, what else was I expected to do?

"It's... I can't do society anymore."

"Why not?" Hanna demanded, prying us apart forcibly.

"It's mean," I said childishly. I turned my back on them, but I could feel her glare and his sternness. I ignored it to the best of my abilities and instead eyed my traitorous team. "...After everything, I'm not cut out for being another Cynthia, or another Lucian. I'm just going to be me. I'm doing good... aren't I? I'm trying to. I just can't do it while sitting in that big, empty room all day, thinking of how much blood had been spilled."

"Is that why you never live in your villa?" Hanna asked, voice hard but slowly wearing down. She couldn't pretend that this was easy, even now.

"I don't like that northern island. If I wanted to live in a house again, I'd pick one in Jubilife or Sunyshore," I said with a dry chuckle. I turned to face them again, dropping my arms to my sides. I tried to smile, and partially succeeded. I think.

"But you do not have to exile yourself," Vai said softly.

"I'm not. I'm just making sure I don't lose my connection. Like Cynthia did."

"You can't hold yourself up against her, or Lucian. You're not them. You've already done a lot of good for the trainers of the region," Hanna broke in—but her specificity only made me feel a little worse. I had done good for the trainers. Granted, I _was_ the head of the trainers now, but they weren't the only people or Pokémon living in the region. But they also didn't have as many problems... Maybe. I didn't know.

"I know that look," Vaikuntha said suddenly, jarring me out of my train of thought. He gave me a look and the strongest frown he could muster (which wasn't very, but the fact that he wasn't smiling at me any more was enough to drive his point home). "You are over thinking this."

"Yes."

"Why do you do this to yourself?" Hanna groaned.

"I just... I want to take care of everyone I still have left. I don't want them to have to suffer anymore or fall or go down any dark paths that can be avoided. I'm just trying to make things better." I looked up at the clear sky, a bright, serene blue. "...I want to save who I can." The words, after all these years, still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"You don't have to do that alone," she told me, immediately. Just like before—just like always. "That's why we're here. To save _you_, you idiot. ...Stay out in the wilds if you like. Just don't run from _us_, okay?"

Celia ran past, being chased by Amaranth, who waved her pink tail like a sword. We all watched them mutely. A moment later, Harlan sprinted past us with an alarmed squeal. Across the park and with a panicked howl, Jocee found Fargo again and sent him up a tree. Konstantin collapsed into a breathless giggle fit.

"At least he is not alone," Vai pointed out. Hanna buried her face in her hands.

-.-.-

"_You're getting bigger. Are you always going to use me as your Ponyta?_" Des asked, ears perking up in faux annoyance.

"You're pretty big yourself," I shot back, leaning back against his second volcano. I folded my arms behind my head, pretending not to have a care in the world. "I think you'll manage."

Des pretended to stumble and wheeze at the weight of carrying me. I dug my heels into his side, although he probably couldn't even feel it through his fur. My legs were at an awkward enough angle just sitting on him.

"_Why are we heading this way?_" Alice asked, languidly swooping down from the clouds above, scarf fluttering.

"_Because our dear Master Trainer wishes for us to, and we are but humble, spineless and gutless servants_," Ike spat. He was only grumpy because he had to carry two sleeping Smeargle on his back, and they were getting bigger. If anything, he was probably the exhausted mount.

"If you'd prefer, I would be more than happy to carry you," Konstantin suggested with amusement, floating over. Ike hissed at him, facing forward and not bothering to turn at him. My ghost snickered and floated back over beside me. "I could carry you as well, comrade."

"No thanks, I've learned my lesson," I said quickly.

"I—! I apologized!" he whined at once, floating away and covering his face with his hands. It was a habit that had formed over too many years of being a Duskull, and even as a Dusknoir, it still stuck.

"Kostya, it's okay. I would just rather stay on solid ground. Or solid Pokémon."

"_I am not_."

"_You are pretty solid_," Carlita said snidely.

Ike's ears suddenly rotated backwards, picking up a sound that hadn't reached us; he had mostly become my radar for such things. I twisted around just in time to see a teenage girl in a traveling cloak step onto the path. My only warning before I was blasted off Des with a jet of freezing cold water and he staggered, nearly falling himself.

The bird arced around and flapped down, alighting gracefully on the ground next to the girl. "You! I challenge you to a battle!" And you could hardly hear her accent anymore. I almost missed it.

"I could have you arrested for assault," I muttered, shaking wet bangs out of my eyes. I held up a hand, preventing Ike from zapping the bird. "That one's new."

"His name is Cadel. I got him from the region of Unova," Cossette said, placing a hand on the bird's head. She turned to me and narrowed her eyes, tugging off her hood with her other hand. I wasn't happy that she finally got a water Pokémon to stomp me into the ground with, but I couldn't help the smile on my face at seeing her again.

Besides, it totally hadn't been _completely_ my fault I hadn't seen her in months. When I was guilted into trying to find her by Hanna, my search turned up with nothing. She had disappeared just as much as I had.

But these challenges were nothing new. The new thing was that I wasn't holding back anymore. This wasn't our first battle, and it wouldn't be our last, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time I trounced her. Even if she did have a water Pokémon now. She had only ensured that it would be an easy target for Ike.

"It's nice to see you," I volunteered happily. She scowled at me and pulled off another pokeball off her belt. She released her Aggron, Rory, who immediately roared and charged. Des whirled around (or as quickly as he could whirl) and blasted him with fire, keeping him at bay. I danced around pokémon as they got ready for battle and as the little ones were taken out of the action. Ike shook off the Smeargle and Fargo gently nudged them away as they were rudely woken up. Harlan kept Jocee away and took Celia, although Estelle naturally ran right for the battle until I managed to snag her.

I called Carlita back out of the battle and handed her the Shroomish. Cossette only had five Pokémon, so I wasn't going to put half an army on her. "_No fair_," Carlita grumbled, sitting down and sulking with her child in her lap.

"You can be in the next battle. Watch her and the others, okay? The last thing we need are children underfoot." I strode calmly over to the fray, not at all perturbed by the flames and water jets and lightning bolts flying every which way. Cossette was struggling to control all of her Pokémon at once, not as used to letting them run wild as I was. "Cossette, I—"

She took one look at me and vanished as Jacques came near. She reappeared on the other side of the battle with a cry of, "Rory, keep the Luxray away! Cadel, knock out his Camerupt!"

"Hey, don't ignore me!" I shouted, annoyed by her blunt way of brushing me off. Konstantin took a moment to Shadow Sneak me over to her, although he appeared right in front of one of Florette's punches, which sent him flying. Jacques wasn't close enough to get her out of there this time. She simply walked away from me, cloak rustling around her ankles, and called back her Ninetales to put in between us. I think her name was Adele, or something. Either way, the fire pokémon growled at me, tails fluffed out and teeth bared.

She was knocked easily out of the way by a Magnitude, which also sent Cossette and I to the ground. Des reared back, ordering, "_Ike, jump!_" just as he slammed his front feet back down. The Luxray barely had time to jump, and actually knocked into Alice, while the rest of us were tossed about by the Earthquake. When I managed to stand again, two of her Pokémon were down.

As I watched, Ike finally struck down the Swanna, and she was left with Jacques and Florette. Cossette stood behind them, head held high, and ordered, "Keep battling!"

I sighed. Konstantin quickly took care of Jacques, but to Cossette's credit, he was beaten back by Florette not moments later. The Kangaskhan stared down my five Pokémon fearlessly, chest heaving and ears laid back. I felt bad, but I knew she wasn't going to give up. "Des, Flamethrower."

Cossette sulked, of course. She always sulked. But after awhile of morosely following me around, she'd talk to me and we'd manage a decent conversation. It was a shaky routine we had set up, outside the eyes of society and its judgment. Just two trainers facing off.

As I predicted, within the hour, she was playing with Jocee and announced, "I have all eight badges now."

"Oh? Congrats." I had a feeling half the circuit went easy on her, but oh well. I couldn't very well take them from her now. "Are you going to challenge the Elite Four...?"

"No," she mumbled with a fierce pout. The Shinx in her arms happily purred, at odds with her expression.

"...I have some items, do you want—?"

"No! I have my own items," she hissed at me, offended by my offer. When she had set out to be independent and become a fully-fledged trainer (basically running away in the process; that hadn't been fun to smooth over with her parents), she had gotten it in her head that I was her rival. Or something. Maybe just an obstacle to overcome.

But as she rose through the ranks, she had changed. Or maybe the way we treated each other changed. I wasn't holding back anymore, and she didn't smile at me anymore. Cossette had become serious and focused. I was missing her prior affections, if I was being honest with myself. She had always cheered me up, and she had grown into a cute trainer, that was for sure.

I cleared my throat and watched her as she moodily healed her team. She ignored me, even as I tried again.

"_You are so subtle_," Alice chided. I glared at her. She gave me her equivalent of a shrug and went back to preening.

"Cossette... Why aren't you going to challenge the League?"

"I do not wish to. There's nothing to gain by doing it," she said shortly.

Probably a good idea. She was still a growing trainer, and I didn't fancy her getting stomped by them, either. "...Are you going to get six Pokémon?"

"_Je ne sais pas_," she mumbled. She looked up at me, but I couldn't read the look. "...Training is hard. I had not expected it, but I'm glad it is. It's fun. But why can't I get as strong as you?"

"Six Pokémon would help," I said again. I was honestly trying to be helpful, but I really didn't know _how_ I could help her. Or if she even wanted it. She was still stubborn, but now just more independent. It made an aggravating combination at times.

She finished healing her team with nothing more than a grunt offered to me. I tried to act casual and got up and stretched, ignoring Alice's tweet of disapproval. I gestured and she flapped up into the air, rousing the others. Konstantin picked an escaped Jocee and Nick up and Fargo gently picked up a sleeping Amaranth in his mouth, then set her on Ike's back, much to his annoyance. Carlita happily gathered her two up, though she needed Des to corral them for her.

"Where are you going?" Cossette asked suspiciously.

"Canalave."

"_Why_?" she asked with surprise visible in her eyes.

I couldn't help but smile a bit. "Gotta drop off the children with their daddy. Some of them, anyway, but it'll be some peace and quiet nonetheless."

"_Are you not glad to the very marrow of your bones that I have raised such well-behaved kits?_" Ike asked with a smug smirk in Carlita's direction. She waved her prosthetic tail dismissively and pointedly ignored the jab.

I wasn't going to get dragged into an argument, either. "Carlita, do you wanna stay with us or stay with them?" It was strange. Benjamin was the one I visited most often, and true, it was due to our Pokémon, but his company wasn't too horrible. He had recovered well after Stark Mountain, and that was a relief. Carlita and Bentley would trade off taking care of their girls, and while Bentley could never bear to leave Benjamin, sometimes Carlita stayed with them for a couple days.

Then again, I couldn't bear to be without my Carlita for long, either. I could tell the others missed her, too—well, varying degrees of missing. Alice didn't like being the only girl left (she didn't count Harlan or either of her two, apparently) and Des and Carlita had been together so long, I could hardly keep his mind off her while she was gone.

"Are you coming?" I turned and asked Cossette. She narrowed her eyes and pressed her mouth into a thin line, but I could tell she was still thinking it over. Finally, she gave me a curt nod. I quickly turned back ahead to hide my grin.

I finally understood why the old Gym leaders got such a kick out of tormenting us younger trainers. We took ourselves and our career choice far too seriously. But it was sorta fun to have a human traveling companion again. Truthfully, Cossette was the only one who could even fill that role anymore. So many of my friends were bolted down in cities across the region, tending to other responsibilities. I had tried about a month with Hanna early on, but that hadn't worked out; she had been too worried about Molly and her healing injuries. She couldn't seem to decide whether she wanted her to stay a battling Pokémon or turn into some sort of massively powerful pet.

As far as I knew, she still hadn't decided. Not that she didn't send her Tyranitar after my team and I if we didn't visit her for awhile, but you didn't put pink bows on a battling Pokémon. Or at least, I wouldn't.

After a wild Starly dove at Cossette and spooked her, she released her Pokémon again. I reminded my own to behave, especially Ike and Alice, but it bizarrely turned out to be _Des_ that I had to worry about.

I had been talking with Konstantin—coincidentally about the blonde girl following us—when we felt a flash of heat and turned to see her Ninetales bathing Des' head in flames. "Adele!" Cossette shouted, just as surprised as I was. The Ninetales stalked away from Des, tails lashing irately behind her. "Adele, why did you do that?"

"_It's okay_," Des said, shaking his head to clear it of soot and ash. He didn't appear to be too worse for wear, though his eyes were watering. "_I started it._"

I couldn't remember a time when my Camerupt had started _anything_. I sidled up to him and, wrapping an arm around his neck tightly enough he couldn't shake me off, asked, "Des, is there something you'd like to _share_?"

"_No_," he said blithely, pulling me ahead with him as he resumed walking. I growled and scrambled up his side, perching on his back so he couldn't get rid of me. Easily, at any rate. I glanced back at Cossette, who was admonishing and questioning Adele.

"What did you say?"

"_Nothing_."

"Des, _what_ did you say to her."

"_He told her that he admired her coat. I believe he called it shiny_," Ike said finally, growling with impatience. Des' foot came down particularly hard on that step, shaking the ground and sending him to his knees. Ike hissed at him, which turned into a full snarl when Amaranth slipped off his back and awoke with a start. The Smeargle began crying at once, earning him venomous looks from Harlan and Fargo.

Des rolled his eyes, though his defensiveness was puzzling. He complimented the rest of the team all the time. Well, Carlita and Alice and Zarek, when he wasn't soaking him with water. He was a fairly agreeable, friendly Pokémon. I watched, faintly amused, as Ike curled around Amaranth and licked her cheek and ear to calm her down again. The moments were rare, but he did try to be a good father. Though she was awake, she eagerly climbed back onto his back, demanding a ride.

And he said _I_ was the one who embarrassed him. I tried my hardest not to laugh as he shuffled past, ears so flat against his skull they were practically lost in his mane.

"_Her fur seemed soft_," Des mumbled, drawing my attention once more. "_It was shiny. Reminded me of Isabella's_."

"Oh." Suddenly, his compliment didn't seem so normal or platonic. I hadn't seen him try to be anything but friendly in _years_; I had to pause for a moment to let that sink in. Alice fluttered over and landed on the volcano in front of me, lowering her head until she was staring me in the eye.

"_It is about time he acted on it,_" she said snippily. "_And about time you realized how he looks at the Ninetales._"

"What, am I supposed to be able to read minds?" I hissed. "He says nice things about everyone. He calls your clouds soft and shiny and fluffy."

She fluffed up even further, though she only proved my point. "_That is because my wings are the softest, whitest, cleanest, fluffiest wings in all the land_," Alice told me, as if I was a fool for not realizing it sooner. I set my elbow on the rim of the volcano and put my chin in my hand, smiling indulgently and nodded.

"Of course they are. They're yours, after all."

"_Of course!_" She calmed down once more, however, and resumed her sharp look. "_But that is not the point here. The point is that there is romance in the air, and matchmaking to be made._"

Oh dear. I hadn't seen her in this mood since Zarek had looked at a challenger's Corphish a little too long. That had ended disastrously; I wasn't looking forward to round two. "Alice, I'm sure Des can handle this. I mean—if he wants to. Don't push him into anything, and it looks like Adele might be..."

"_She is only embarrassed! I know the look of a flattered female_," she said brusquely, poking me with a wing. "_Des is a good friend of mine, and he has been nothing but loyal and protective of this team for all the time I have known him. But while the rest of us had had our flings, he has not. He deserves love!_"

"_I deserve the realization that you are on me and I can hear everything you are saying!_" Des burst out, and in an uncharacteristic move, clumsily bucked us both off. I fell heavily onto my side, while Alice fell forward with a squawk—onto Ike. He took only the barest of moments to yank Amaranth out of the way before letting loose a disproportionate amount of electricity. Alice snarled and shrieked, and soon there were flames and even more bolts of electricity let loose.

Harlan ran up and with a slash of her tail, the two were separated with a Barrier. I hadn't thought it possible for the mild-mannered Smeargle to look even more mad than she had earlier, but she definitely managed it. Ike couldn't have seen her expression, but he laid down his ears and pouted regardless. Alice took it a little less gracefully, hissing at her before taking to the skies where she was safer.

"_Trainer, I think I'll stay with Bentley for awhile. He's less crazy_," Carlita told me.

-.-.-

"I'm a little busy to be babysitting—Ben, get _back_ here!" Benjamin howled after his traitorous Roserade happily carted off the Shroomish and Budew. Carlita giggled and ran after them. I watched the movement, sadness stirring in my heart. She had worked hard, and she had mastered running. The doctors had all been impressed at her agility and adaptation when making sharp turns, but even for all that work, she hadn't been able to regain many of her dancing skills.

Benjamin's challenger, a stunned young girl, only watched as he tore after his starter with a red face. I waved to her with a smile that was only partially forced, getting my mind off of dancing. The poor girl gave Benjamin a run for his money and blushed up to the roots of her hair. My hand dropped.

"It is not every day someone gets to see our renegade Champion, and certainly not in such casual wear," Cossette said airily, behind me. I had forgotten that I had an actual title. Out in the wilds, it was incredibly easy to forget. I jammed my hands in my jeans pockets and turned on my heel, marching quickly away from the challenger. Cossette made an annoyed sound and trotted after me. "Where are you going now?"

"I'm going to say goodbye to Carlita and the children before they get too deep into the maze," I tossed after me. I jumped back in surprise as Bentley raced past, Estelle in his arms, with Carlita and Celia on his tail. I reached out and managed to snag my Breloom, calling after, "Ben, get back here! Lemme say goodbye to them!"

Obediently, he came back and offered me up the Shroomish. I patted him on the head and kissed Estelle goodbye, though she wiggled and squealed in embarrassment. "Shroo! Shroo!"

"Dew," Celia added with a cackle, leaping out of her mother's arms. Expecting such a move, I caught her in mid-air and pressed my mouth against her forehead as well. She whacked me in the face. "Budew!"

"Ouch, damn. Fine, go be a little hellion." I released her and she ran off. Bentley gave me a betrayed look before chasing after her. I turned to Carlita and bent down, asking, "You sure you wanna stay here?"

"_Yeah! I wanna go through the maze again. And I haven't seen Bentley in awhile!_" she said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me to the floor in front of her. She laughed, only partially apologetically, and helped me back up. "_When are you gonna be back, Trainer?_"

"Um, how about a week?"

"_Longer?_"

I gave her a kicked Growlithe look. "But you're my Carlita. I can't go on without my Carlita."

"_Trainer, you are so silly!_" she said, affectionately smacking me on the shoulder. Then again, affection from a fighter was usually a fairly painful experience. I rubbed my shoulder with a small wince. "_A week, okay? You be okay! You don't die without me, okay? Or get into too many battles!_"

"You could always battle Benjamin's challengers for him."

"Hey!" A panting Benjamin finally caught up with us, looking none too pleased. "You... Just leave her... And get out of my Gym."

I stood up after giving Carlita another tight hug. I tousled his straw blond hair, only serving to further annoy him. "Just make sure you do a good job of running _your_ Gym, otherwise it will cease to be such. And keep an eye on her, okay? The kids have been wound up lately and I think it's making her antsy," I said, watching as she ran off after the others, tail waving behind her.

"Oh, great, dump her energy on me," he grumbled and crossed his arms.

"You'll survive. You can always send them through the maze a couple times, scare all the challengers out."

"Speaking of which, move. I still have one waiting for me." He pushed past me without another word or a goodbye. That was another reason I enjoyed visiting him; he treated me no differently now than when we had first met. Even if it was rough and outright mean at times.

Cossette trotted along at my heels as we walked out, ignoring further gasps and double-takes. "Why do you call them children?"

"Huh?"

She gestured vaguely back to the Gym. "The little ones. They are not children—they are not human."

"Oh, well... I guess it's easier?" I wondered, rubbing the back of my head. "It's sort of a habit. They act just like human children, that's for sure, so I guess that's it? I dunno where it came from, it just did."

We approached where I had left my pokémon. Well, part of them; Fargo and Harlan, babies between them, and Alice and Zarek. I had let Zarek stay out so he could Surf around in the harbor, since we weren't always near a source of water and I knew he liked it when he could get it. Alice, naturally, had to keep an eye on things. If nothing else, she _was_ responsible.

But then again, they were my Pokémon, and that meant things couldn't ever go smoothly. Alice wheeled down from the sky, having spotted us, and said breathlessly, "_Zarek is battling without permission!_"

"Wild?"

"_No—a trainer._"

"Is he winning?" I asked, a little surprised.

"_Well, yes, but—that's not the point here!_" With an irate huff, she flapped back into the sky and soared over where I could see a flurry of splashes spring up. As the water rained down, I spotted my Kingler grappling with a Crawdaunt. Alice called to him, but he ignored her.

There was an eruption underneath the water that sent both of them flying. I had no idea who had caused it. Harlan and Cossette ran beside me, though Fargo kept a bit more distance. The Crawdaunt's trainer was shouting orders frantically, though his double-take was pretty funny when he caught sight of me. "Is that—_your_ Kingler?"

"Uh, yeah. Zarek, get back here." I felt more than a little proud when he actually obeyed for once. I could totally look powerful and in control in public. Who knew? He scuttled up to me, smaller claw pressing up against his frothing mouth rather Mareepishly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"_I wanted a battle_," he mumbled, staring down at the ground.

"So you—"

"_Why did you have to instigate that battle? That was not a wise move!_" Alice screeched, swooping down and landing on Fargo's head. He snorted out a plume of smoke in irritation, but she didn't notice. If possible, Zarek looked even more glum.

Fargo barked something, rolling his eyes, which must have caught Alice by surprise. "Smeargle," Harlan added matter-of-factly.

"_I never... Zarek!_" she squawked, turning on her child once more. "_Is this true?_"

He actually ran away from her, bubbling and clearly embarrassed. Alice didn't bother filling me in on the details as she swooped after him. Cossette and the other trainer looked at me, clueless and expectant. I sighed, running a hand through my dark hair. "...Yeah. That tends to happen around me. Sorry about my Kingler, hope he didn't hurt your Crawdaunt too much."

"Oh, uh, n-nah. It wasn't a bad battle," he stammered, looking anywhere but at me.

"Are you going to give chase to your teammates?" Cossette asked. I nodded and awkwardly fled the scene. No doubt accounts of my unruly Pokémon would be in the news later, but it wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. I really didn't care anymore.

I caught up with them again just outside Canalave. Zarek was seated in a puddle, all sadness and embarrassment and quiet. Alice seemed to be doing most of the talking. It was nearing sunset, so I figured we were far enough outside city limits (read: about thirty yards) to make camp. After getting off of the main trail, of course. To my surprise, Cossette continued following me, even having her Ninetales light a fire on a couple branches Jacques hacked down.

I looked at her, her blue eyes scarlet in the firelight, but my team had to come first. I wandered back to where Alice was—whatever she was doing. Comforting or reproving, I wasn't sure. Without saying a word, I seated myself in the half-dried mud next to them. Alice looked up at me, significantly calmer than when she'd left me, and said, "_Zarek would like to apologize for running off and getting into a trainer battle._"

"_Sorry_," he mumbled, hardly audible.

"Hey, it's okay. You weren't the first," I said with a pointed look up at his mother. She fluffed up a little. "Either of you mind telling me what the big fuss is about? From earlier?"

After a pregnant pause, Alice sighed wearily and answered for him. "_He is feeling lonely._"

"_You don't have any other water Pokémon, and everyone else is just so—Carlita found that Roserade, and Ike has Harlan, and you have two fire Pokémon,_" Zarek whined.

"I only have one ghost," I said. "And ever since the chicks evolved, you know they haven't been around as much. It's like I only have one bird again."

"_Mama had that thing with the Skarmory_." She gave him a sharp peck on the head, shutting him up. I raised an eyebrow, but she glowered at me. I would have to ask about that later. "_I never get to have water battles anymore_," Zarek added with a fierce pout. I had never thought it possible for a creature with a shell to be so expressive—especially in the pouting department—but Zarek had long ago proven me wrong.

"Well... Cossette has that water bird, so we could battle her again later? I'm sorry, I didn't know you missed them that much. How about we head towards Sunyshore and spend some time at the beach there?" He nodded, but still looked down. I turned to Alice again.

"_Fargo seems to think he has a thing for Crawdaunt_." It was the third he had tracked down in the last two months. "_Or Corphish._"

"_I do not_!" he complained. "_I just... like their shells._"

"Oh my god if you and Des bring about a _second_ wave of babies I'm going to have to hit one of you. I can hardly handle the batch right now." Both of them stared at me, though Zarek was significantly more mortified than Alice. I flailed, not settling on any one gesture. "I'm serious! Zarek, I love you, but you were a brat growing up. I don't want another thing with pincers around for awhile..."

"_But—I could have grandchildren!_" Alice realized suddenly.

I groaned and fled while I still could.

If Zarek was suddenly feeling romantic, or grown-up, or whatever he was—it was difficult to get _his_ side of the story without Alice's spin—good for him. He had been quiet lately, I realized in hindsight. Probably due to the fact that we hadn't been near water for awhile, but that would soon be rectified. But I didn't need any more drama. Not that I thought he would start some, but again, with that Altaria of a mother...

"_Get things settled_?" Des inquired curiously, shoving his nose into my shoulder and nibbling on my sleeve. "_I heard Zarek has been bratty again._"

"No, he's just... lonely, I guess? We're gonna head back to Sunyshore for a couple days, chill on the beach. Vacation."

"_Carlita will miss the beach_..." he mumbled, hanging his head.

"...We'll go back with her. Let her have her time with Bentley, okay? You cheer up and laze around in the sun all you want, okay?" I grabbed his ears and tugged him back up to face me, scratching him to cheer him up. A mopey Camerupt was not a fun Camerupt to have.

"Smeargle?" Harlan asked, looking up at me from painting Nick's snout.

"_She asks if Zarek has a thing for Crawdaunt_."

I shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe? He says he likes their shells or something. I thought it was something like you admiring another fire Pokemon's flames or the way Kostya likes to follow Ike around for his scraps." The two in question growled at me and denied any such thing, of course. "Why is everyone so interested in him? Zarek can take care of himself, he's a big boy. Not the baby of the team anymore, that's for sure."

"S-Smeargle," Harlan mumbled.

"_She was confused_," Des translated patiently. "_Evidently, it was a male Crawdaunt._"

"...And you know what? It's still his business," I said after an awkward pause. "Let Alice sort him out. For him. I'm sure she'll keep us updated on things, at any rate. She's gotten it into her head to have grandchildren. Or crustaceans."

"_Not if he fancies males_," Des said dryly.

"_And are you going to be the one to remind the harpy of that little biological detail?_" Ike snorted, pausing in his bath of Jocee. Des shook his head hastily and Konstantin giggled nervously.

"...So anyway. Sunyshore. Beaches. Vacation."

"Are we departing tonight or may I continue setting up camp?" Cossette asked behind me, making me jump. I had forgotten she was there. Judging by her look, she realized I had forgotten about her and gave me a fierce scowl. "Or am I not invited along?"

"Y-You can come! Of course you can come, Cossette. Why would I boot you out?"

"You make plans without me, so why not go on without me?"

"Oh, come on. I was just... talking out loud. You can come along—I'd like it if you came along. Really."

"I would not wish to get in your way."

"Cossette, come _on_. I didn't mean it like that!" I swore under my breath and looked around for the nearest tree to bang my head against. And Hanna wondered why I was so antisocial. I had given up all social skills, and it seemed like everyone else around me was hell bent on being frustrating.

She got even more frustrating when she started returning her team and called Jacques over. I stomped over to her and she gave me a scathing look for it. "I will get out of your hair and return to my training. _Peut-être, un jour, nous nous rencontrerons—_"

"No, don't you French at me! I was just—Zarek wanted to go back to the beach, so I was just—"

Cossette whirled around on me, and behind her, Jacques' eyes briefly flashed scarlet. It was still her I shied away from, however. "_Non!_ _Ma puce_, do not worry about me. I'll be _fine_."

"I'm not worried about you like that—I just don't want you to go. I don't want you to think I've chased you off, or not invited you along, or anything," I cried, seizing her by the shoulders.

She pushed me off and grabbed one of Jacques' arms. "We are _not_ companions, and we are _not_ traveling together. I already regret giving you that impression."

I made a grab for her again, desperate not to have her leave me on such sour terms. "Wait, Cossette, don't—" The world all around me changed at once. The first thing I consciously noted was the _quiet_, though. No crackling fire, no muted rumblings of Des' volcanoes, no tiny Pokémon squealing and running about, no oppressive _silence_ that was Konstantin.

I didn't have my team with me.

I hardly noticed as Cossette ripped my hands off of her and stalked off, leaving me alone in the dark forest where we reappeared. It was silent all around me; the only sound was her and Jacques' steps on the damp leaves underfoot. The silence was deafening and overpowering.

"Send me back!" My voice rang in the still night. She turned to me, well, half-turned, all disinterest and no comprehension that _she took me from my team_ and I wasn't okay with that little detail. I seized her, but after the snarl Jacques gave me, I let her go and grabbed him instead. "Fine! Run away—send me back to them! _Now_!"

"Calm down—"

"Send me_ back_!" Cossette stared at me, taken aback and clearly concerned about my outburst. I fought the urge to hit either of them. "You—You're a trainer now, Cossette. You _know_ what your team is to you. So _send me back_ to mine."

"...Yes." She didn't sound as if she agreed, necessarily, and waved a hand at Jacques. He grabbed me roughly by the upper arm and next thing I knew, the sound and my team were back. He gave me a glare of distaste before Teleporting back to his trainer.

I let out a breath and let my body relax again. I had been gone all of what, a minute? If that? But I was back now. I was good now. It was all good now.

Only I had just acted insane in front of the one trainer who still stood me and now it was highly likely she had lapsed back into ignoring me for months on end. No more human company or communication. Heart rate returning to normal, I groaned and slumped to the ground—well, I meant to, but got caught by my Dusknoir instead. Then again, I wasn't going to turn down a hug right then.

"Are you alright?"

"Well, no."

"Why not?" he asked gently, red eye shifting back to glance at the rest of the team, still near the fire. I flailed in his arms, intending on reclaiming my dignity and returning to them, but he just held me tighter. "I am... worried about you, my comrade. You have been seeing less and less of your friends."

"Oh, come on... You guys are my friends, aren't you?"

He sighed and after a gesture I didn't see to Des, carried me off into the dark night. I fought him, trying to get my feet back on the ground, but he was still bigger than I was and much stronger. With a spiteful growl, I decided to just gnaw on his arm and try to make myself as heavy as possible. Just because I realized I shouldn't have done that in front of Cossette (and _definitely_ not in front of Jacques) didn't mean I _didn't_ want to run back to my team and sleep in a big pile with them all. If Ike would permit it.

"I am unlike the others," Konstantin said after a long pause.

I stopped chewing on him and set my chin on his arm. "Never would have guessed."

"I grew up with my own kind. I was old when I was assigned to follow you, and I have a great many years of memories with them. The others... The populations in their areas were much more diverse. Humans are like Duskull and Dusclops. You live in populations with many of your own kind and few of other kinds," he explained gently, and finally put me down. I slumped at last, against the tree behind me, and crossed my arms.

"I've had you guys for... forever, now. It's not as bad as you're saying. Most of the time, I prefer you to the rest of Sinnoh."

"And you think that is healthy?" he asked sharply. "For you? For your country?"

"...It's not _my_ country," I mumbled pathetically.

"Then whose is it?" I slid down the rough bark of the tree, guilt churning in my stomach and not making my view on the situation any better. I didn't even know what we were trying to discuss anymore. Konstantin floated down beside me and placed a large hand on my hair. "I do not mean to upset you, comrade," he said softly, sadly. I halfheartedly glared up at him through my bangs. "I—We are just worried about you. That is all."

"_Why_ are you worried about me?"

"You haven't been adjusting well—"

I pushed his hand off of me and rolled onto my knees, standing up with my back to him. "I'm sorry I haven't been adjusting well, Kostya. I am. I've been... adjusting as well as I've been left to. I—I'm not happy with where I am, just like you, I thought things would be... better. Kill the villain, get the girl, ride off on my Camerupt into the sunset."

"Which girl?" I turned to him, surprised and incredulous at the question. He tilted his head to one side. "You have never... aimed for anyone. Is that truly your idea of a happy ending?"

I paused and thought about that. "...I dunno." I had learned, hard and fast, that happy endings most certainly did _not_ work that way. They came about through blood, sweat, and tears, and even then, they were never a guarantee. By all rights, I should've been the hero. Villain vanquished, soothing Sinnoh, mending and healing the broken region. Young and skilled and whatever else they were calling me. (Hanna called me handsome, Vai called me cute, and unbidden, I remembered the time Arianna had called my eyes pretty. Overall, not the masculine, reassuringly strong adjectives I had been hoping for.)

Slowly, I realized that my happy ending had never included those things. Yes, they would be nice, and yes, one day I would probably strive to have a semi-functional romantic relationship and a marriage and kids and wait. No. I had enough kids underfoot. I shook my head, trying to put my train of thought back on track.

"...I just wanted Nick to be okay. My happy ending was... too many years ago, I think."

"That's not healthy," Konstantin murmured.

"No one's ever accused me of that one," I replied flippantly, unfazed until he placed his hands on either side of my face, forcing me towards him. His breath smelled like death, again and still, but I had long since gotten used to it.

"Please."

I waited for him to elaborate, but he stayed silent. I also tried to wriggle out of his grip, but that stayed, too. "...Kostya, I—"

"All I want is two things," he cut in. I nodded as best I could. "I want you to be _happy_, and I want you to be _healthy_. We have agreed that you shouldn't hide away so much anymore. There is nothing wrong with humankind, not anymore, and you can do more good for yourself and others if you stop running away into the wilderness. Go and be one of your Champions, properly."

"No." He started, clearly surprised at my response. I continued trying to pry him off my face to no avail. With a heavy sigh, I gave up on it and elaborated, "I'm not going to be a _proper_ Champion. That involves staying in that fancy building with no one around me in that... that _throne_ room. I can't stay in there, Kostya. I just can't."

"...But you will return to your humans?"

"...I guess I could go visit some people. Again."

"No. Don't you see?" he lamented, finally dropping his hands from my face. He swung away from me, glaring up at the half-hidden moon overhead. "You use these words—visit! It is just another way for you to escape. Another loophole for you to crawl out of later."

"I—It's not like I have a home anymore. I'm not gonna move back in with my parents, and I haven't _lived_ anywhere since the Gym—" I blabbered, alarmed at the prospect of... any of that. House hunting or living in a big, empty Gym, or with my overbearing parents—or maybe I was just panicking at being near so many people again. Maybe this had gotten out of hand. Even before, I had at least had stable traveling companions for most of my journeys.

I gave up with a weak chuckle. It's what I normally did, after all.

"...Fine. You guys win." They always did.

-.-.-

"H-Hey, Arianna," I said with my best attempt at a smile. Judging on Hanna's expression, it was better than usual, but still a failure overall.

Arianna nodded curtly towards me. "Hello. Haven't seen you around for... awhile. How have you been?"

Oh jeez. This was rapidly becoming awkward. I looked at everyone and everything but her, which was hardly subtle, but it was my only defense left. Hanna had obviously been my go-to girl for pushing my way back into the realms of human civilization, but that, predictably, led to me getting dragged all over town to meet up with anyone I had ever so much as looked at before.

And then it came to Arianna.

I knew she had been trying to save her until I was less skittish, but I had rather wanted to avoid her altogether. For at least a year, or two, or perhaps the next decade. But as Hanna had put it, it had been five months. Granted, five months of me hiding out in the wilds and Arianna's popularity in the fashion world growing like wildfire. Not that I kept current on her work or anything.

Just _thinking_ about any of this stuff was getting to be rather terrible. I could feel my face heat up—and then I realized she had asked me a question.

I turned on my heel and marched stiffly away. I was the Champion, goddamnit. I didn't have to deal with post-breakup drama and awkwardness. Hanna gave me an incoherent snarl, but I heard Arianna say something in that cool, unaffected tone she had when she was kinda disappointed but had seen it coming anyway. I had grown to recognize that tone very easily.

"And where do you think you're going?" Jude caught me by the collar half a block away. While our height difference had evaporated over the years, he still had no problem reeling me back with one arm. I supposed wrestling with unruly Pokémon all day would do wonders for building muscle. I gave him a wordless whine and tried to imitate Harlan (who I knew he had a soft spot for). He cringed and let go of me, but before I could bolt, he said, "You can't be running away again, can you?"

"...Huh? No. Of course not. What would give you that idea?"

He pointed back to where Hanna was angrily stomping after me, Arianna trailing after her reluctantly.

"Oh my god. Have a heart, Jude. Think of Zarek. Think of Harlan and her children!" I cried, gesturing to the Smeargle and Arcanine behind me. Wait—Fargo was sitting still, and there was one on his back, one near Harlan—where did Jocee go? I whirled around in a circle, scanning for the little Shinx kitten, worry momentarily overriding my panic.

Just long enough for the girls to catch up to me, anyway.

Hanna took a swipe at me. I ducked under it and bolted, but Jude caught me by the back of the shirt, physically dragging me back towards them. "Hanna your boyfriend is being mean to me. Make him stop manhandling me," I whined, scrabbling for purchase on the nearest building to try to break free.

"Jude, sweetie, let go of him." He let go of me just long enough for her to wrap her arms around me and pull her back towards herself. I could fight Jude, but I couldn't fight her. Not again, at any rate. Hanna smiled sweetly down at me. "And you, my dear pet, are going to go shopping with us. You look disgusting."

"Please don't make me do this. It's too soon," I whispered up at her, all but begging.

"Five months isn't soon."

"It is for _me_! I haven't dealt with this sort of thing before!"

Hanna dragged me around and deposited me in front of Arianna. Talk about tough love. To my surprise, however, I found my missing Shinx. Arianna held her in her arms, stroking her absently. "...I thought we were going to stay friends. But if this is the reception I'm always going to get, then..."

"I'm sorry. It's just—"

"City is making you antsy, _I'm_ making you antsy, and there's too many people around?" Arianna asked with a tight smile. I nodded. "Well, I believe in immersion to cure such things."

"Of course you do."

The only upside was that my body was used to such shopping trips. Stumble into a changing room, swap out shirts and pants and jackets for several hours, parade around. It left me time to think when the girls weren't attempting to get my opinion on clothes. Years and experience had done nothing for my fashion sense.

Unfortunately, I was relatively powerless. Jude had taken my Pokemon—and the semi-not-mine as well—for the day, so I was at the girls' mercy.

I usually lost myself in thought between snippets of conversation. Thinking about returning to _this_. To exes and friends and family and people all around me. Trainers and non-trainers alike. That was sort of the main kicker; I had spent all this time fixing things for trainers, it had made me even more awkward around those who weren't. It was a large part of why it didn't work out between Arianna and I.

Though once her sketchbook came back out, I distinctly remembered why it _had_ worked for those few short weeks.

"What're you drawing?" I asked, leaning over her shoulder. A couple of the rough sketches were clearly of Hanna in various outfits, most of them I assumed designed by Arianna herself; I didn't recognize them from the shopping trip.

"I'm just... doodling, I guess. I want to come out with a new batch of clothing, especially since I've gotten so popular lately," she murmured absently, erasing the bottom of one of the skirts and making it a little longer. She looked up at me and offered a grin, one of the first real ones I'd seen in quite some time. "I've hit it big over in Unova, you know. Hoenn can go suck it, but my line is in fashion here and in Unova right now. I've even gotten Elesa to model some of my things."

That name sounded familiar. I had a feeling I ought to know who it was. "That's great. Congrats."

"Mm, thanks." She turned back to her sketchbook, unsubtly covering one of the corners with her arm. I had already seen—it was one of me, half-leaning against a wall or something, shirt half unbuttoned and fiddling with the sleeves—but I pretended like I hadn't. "I was thinking..."

"Hm?" She trailed off, which was sorta unlike her. Though I couldn't place whether it was due to the fact that she was lost in thought or trying to take back the subject.

"Well. You remember—it was what, two years ago now? That line that I designed while working in the Gym. Based on your team? Well, after development hell and getting it out there, you had been the Champion for a little while, but it's still been my most popular collection. Not that I disliked any of the clothes, of course, but if it hadn't been for you, the set would've been a train wreck," Arianna sighed and flipped to a new page, glancing up as Hanna came out of the changing room.

"How do you like this one?" she asked, twirling for us. I nodded and Arianna beamed at her.

"I love it. That looks _awesome_ on you. Get it, okay?"

In between her flattered smiles and agreements, I saw her shoot the other girl a look. I couldn't quite understand it, but I knew it was one of those secret girl ones. Right when I had been lapsing into the comfort of routine again, too; I felt nervous again and took a step away from Arianna, backing way out of her personal bubble. The last thing I needed was for Hanna to get ideas about us. Again.

"You don't have to act so... you. I won't bite," Arianna grumbled, scribbling angrily over half the page. I had thought the poor doodle had been looking rather nice.

"It's just... I'm not used to this."

"To what?"

"To..." I didn't know how to end that. To her? To shopping? To everyone? To not having my team on me? Having reminded myself of that last one once more, I shuffled and glanced back at the door. I felt naked without them. And I probably wouldn't see Jude until dinner... "Why did he have to take my team?"

"Because you're becoming dependent on them," she supplied. I glared at her. "You're not secretive. The ghost told Jude—who flipped, by the way—and he told Hanna and she told me." It took me a moment for it to click that she was referring to the accident with Cossette. Just great.

"I am... not. I'm working on it. I don't need an intervention." I plopped down onto the ground beside her, crossing my legs.

"So you're going to stand up for yourself?" she asked with no small amount of amusement.

"_Yes._ I am," I hissed back.

"You sure seem like you're doing that." Arianna returned to her sketching, though by the constant peeks up at me, I could tell I was the subject again.

"I'm trying to be social, I'm trying to be independent of my team again, I'm trying to be a good Champion and whatever else is expected of me." I sighed and leaned back on my arms.

"You're still just playing a role."

"...Yeah, I guess. I am. I know that, I have since the get-go, and that's the truth. It's just a bigger role."

"And you're running away from even that."

"I'm _here_, aren't I?" I couldn't help but snap. She wasn't spiteful enough (most of the time) to be doing this just to jab at me. "I'm trying, Arianna. I'm sorry if I can't just win at everything right away."

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to get at that." She gave up on her designing and shut the book, setting it down on the chair beside her. She placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a comforting squeeze. "I'm simply trying to get that spine back. You're confronted with something you don't like, something that makes you nervous, and you're acting like you're a scared little kid again. I've never owned a Pokémon, and you know that, so you _can_ function in life without them. Contrary to your belief."

"Not that again. Arianna, it's different—" I was saved by a repeat of the only argument we ever had by my phone ringing. It startled us both, judging by the way she jumped, and I hastily fished it out of my pocket. Flipping it open, I said, "Hello?"

Sela's voice cut through static and more than a little background noise. "You asked to be notified. So I'm notifying you. Get your ass up to Snowpoint or I'm taking care of it myself." With a click, she hung up. Incredibly terse and not terribly specific, but I knew what she was talking about at once. I slid my phone shut and got to my feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hanna asked, peeking out of the changing room.

"I have to go now," I replied quietly, scrolling through my phone to get to Jude's number.

"So you're just going to walk out of here and go back to what, trees and avoiding life?" she demanded. She came out of the room, ignoring the fact that she was shirtless, and stood between me and the door.

"Hanna, I _have_ to go now—"

"You're not running away again!" She jabbed her finger into my chest, hard enough to make me wince, but I grabbed her hand and forced her back.

"My duties as a Champion supersede a shopping trip," I said as evenly as I could manage, dropping her arm. "I will return, okay? Probably—later tonight, tomorrow morning at the earliest. I promise. But right now, there is a problem in Snowpoint concerning a dangerous Pokémon, and I have to take care of it."

She fell silent, anger gone and replaced with a distant sort of understanding. She crossed her arms over her bra and watched as I marched past her. "Well, there's the spine," Arianna said, just before I was out of earshot. I'm sure that was on purpose. "Someone just has to go on a rampage for it to come out."

I ignored how true that was and pressed the phone against my ear. "Jude? It's me. I need my team back—no, this is _important_. I need to protect Sinnoh."

-.-.-

"So what's going on here?" I had only stopped in the Pokémon Center long enough to grab snow boots and a parka; Sela wasn't there, and I wanted to hear the situation from her mouth. Though the state of the Center put me off balance. They were too frantic, too sad. This wasn't good.

Sela, hood drawn up tight and one sleeve of her coat half-shredded, didn't look at me as she said, "Wild Medicham, or maybe it was trained at one point. It's _really_ strong."

"How many downed?"

"One trainer, three of her four, and two other trained Pokémon killed. We've been finding bits and pieces of wild ones around her for about a month, probably due to that thing, too. I lost count of how many others that were seriously injured, but at least half a dozen trainers who've tried to help. Half my Gym trainers are in the hospital," she said gruffly.

I looked around. The wind was blowing snow around us, but I didn't think it was actually snowing, and this weather wasn't terrible for Snowpoint, anyway. We stood at the city limits, not even into the trees. "...Why are we just standing here?"

She gave me a look that must have dropped the temperature another twenty degrees. I shivered and finally pulled up my hood. "...I'm not gonna blow my own horn here, but I've been around the block a couple times. I'm not a pushover. But. ...He was old, and he couldn't fly, I know." Her voice broke. I pretended not to notice, but her words gave me a chill that I couldn't attribute to the snow around us. "But that _thing_ killed Asher, and he was probably my strongest Pokémon. Or had been. This is a _dangerous_ one."

"...I'm sorry."

She turned from me. "Don't be. He was old, he had a good run. He went down fighting."

"You have a Honchkrow, don't you?" She bobbed her head. "I don't have any dark Pokémon, but I do have a ghost. If that thing is as strong as you say, then I'm not sure I want any of the rest of my team getting too close to it."

"I've been using Hark to keep it out of the city, but he's only one Pokémon, and this snow isn't doing wonders for him. Does that Smeargle of yours have anything that could help?"

I stiffened. "...I left Fargo and Harlan back at the Center. Harlan has kids now. I'm not sure I want her fighting, no matter what moves she knows," I said flatly. I couldn't ask her to go up against a fighter, especially a psychic one. Even if she had fought against Cynthia, even if she had been one of Nick's go-to Pokémon, I couldn't ask her to do this. "I'll use Kostya, and Des and Ike will be out for long-range support. How close can you get?"

"Not very. But it depends on how thick the trees are. Last I've seen it, it was more towards the southern part of the forest, getting out into the Route. I don't want that thing out in the open where there are trainers." Her Honchkrow flapped down out of the sky and landed in the thick snow beside her, murmuring something to her. "Hark knows where it's at. I have a Gym trainer who's been helping me with a Froslass, too, but we're gonna have to hike down there."

"Great." Worry about a rampaging psychic, freezing temperatures, and half my team all but useless against this foe and in this weather. And now a Medicham and a Froslass. Such memories were hardly as poisonous as they once were, but it still wasn't entirely pleasant to have to tramp through the snow with that oh so familiar ice ghost just behind me.

Hark led us from overhead, but Sela stopped us before we even saw it. The wind had picked up and it was definitely snowing by then, further reducing visibility, but there were few trees this far south. The ones that were there were little more than dark blotches against all of the white and gray. "Okay, it's about a hundred and fifty yards that way. Hark's seen it and it's probably seen him, so be on guard. Don't get too close to it."

"We can't even _see_ where it is," the female trainer with the Froslass griped. I nodded in firm agreement.

"Once it starts attacking, you'll sure see it. Release your Camerupt and Luxray, if you're gonna, but I'd keep their pokeballs handy. This thing is nasty," Sela remarked. I took note of it and fished out the pokeball and ultra ball with my mittens, rather clumsily. Konstantin floated out, following the Froslass, as Hark circled us overhead.

Just as I released Des and Ike, snow blew up in front of us, showering us with ice crystals and cold. The Honchkrow shrieked and dove and both ghosts flashed out of existence. Des, taken aback by all of the snow, momentarily wavered, whereas Ike simply started sending lightning with frightening accuracy in the Medicham's direction. I immediately felt a severe headache coming on, just as it floated close enough for us to finally see it. I was surprised—it actually _floated_, not even bothering to walk.

It physically beat back Hark, unable to touch him with its psychic powers, but threw snow and ice at him. It was effective enough to prevent him from doing major damage. Ike's first Thunderbolt missed, but his second hit it squarely in the chest, throwing it back into the white. Des' volcanoes roared, melting the snow all around us, both on the ground and in the air. Ike zapped it again as it recovered, climbing back into the air as if it were tangible.

It didn't fall this time, and with brightly glowing eyes, turned and found our little knot. Without any further warning, it picked Ike up with a Psychic. He sparked and flailed, ears rotating madly to try to orient himself as best he could. The Medicham threw up another wall of snow just as Des shot a Flamethrower at it, just thick enough to repel most of it and throw up mist and steam. We lost sight of it again.

Overhead, it twisted Ike in the air and snapped one of his legs. I heard the crack from where I was standing. He yowled in pain and I realized then, very horribly, that Sela had not been overestimating this monster. I returned him as fast as I could, breaking out into a cold sweat, and searched the blinding white around us for any sign of Konstantin. I couldn't see him. Des kept bathing that general area in flames, but as my headache spiked again, I turned on him with his pokeball. He gave me a hard glare and snorted, but that was all the argument he got.

I heard an inhuman shriek as the snow finally settled. No—it froze. The other trainer and I looked around, alarmed, at the snowflakes hanging motionless in the air. As our visibility returned, we found the Medicham holding the Honchkrow by the neck, fist coated in ice, with the Froslass floating just behind it, a gigantic Ice Shard hanging just over their heads, pointed at the Medicham's neck. They were at a stalemate.

That was, until Konstantin reached up and grabbed the floating psychic's ankles. It screeched as it was pulled down into its shadow, grip loosening just enough for Hark to break free as he beat it with his wings. For good measure, the Froslass hurled the Ice Shard at it just before it disappeared completely.

The two remaining Pokémon stared at the spot they vanished at. I waited for my Dusknoir to reappear, but he didn't. Ghosts were not like the dark Pokémon. They had an advantage over psychics, but they weren't immune to them. And after the ease it had wielded its psychic powers, I couldn't help but worry. Ike had hardly fazed it and it had picked him up and manipulated his body like he was a limp doll.

"How could a psychic like that just crop up all of a sudden?" I asked as the snow began to fall again and the wind picked back up.

"I think it was trained," the Gym trainer said with a look up at Sela. "Miss Sela doesn't, but that was a strong Pokémon. It had to have had some training at some point."

"Look," Sela snapped and planted her fists on her hips, "That Medicham, however strong, has never shown anything but moves it would have learned naturally. Strong ones, granted, but still all natural. Try to show me a trained Pokémon who hasn't learned some sort of special move, TM or otherwise, through its trainer."

The two argued, possibly to break the tension, but I couldn't ignore the fact that neither Konstantin nor the Medicham had resurfaced. Shadow Sneak was like a Teleport, for the most part, but I didn't think it'd be able to Teleport out of there. I also didn't know how Konstantin was holding it in between, either. He had grown so strong since he had allowed himself to evolve, but it wasn't like Shadow Force. There wasn't another world to stay in.

"It doesn't _matter_ where the hell it came from, what matters is stopping it!" Sela finally roared, shutting up her Gym trainer. The Froslass and Honchkrow, after no immediate return of the others, made their way cautiously back over to us. I rolled Ike's ultra ball between my mittens, nervous again. Konstantin and the Medicham were missing. Ike had just gotten hurt. I couldn't use any other Pokémon without the same problem.

The snow behind us erupted. Both psychic and ghost were thrown forward, skidding into the white, and both struggled to get back up. "Kostya! Are you—"

The Froslass created her giant Ice Shard again and lobbed it at the Medicham, catching it in the chest and pinning it to the icy ground with a spray of red. It struggled and beat at the ice, cracking it, until Hark swooped down and used his flying moves to beat it into submission.

I ran over to my Dusknoir, helping him back up into air. "Don't worry about me. It was just... tiring," he said preemptively, patting me on the head. His head was covered in something dark red, or perhaps even black, something I knew instinctively to be his blood. "But I crippled his psychic abilities." That would be why the other two were so easily keeping it pinned to the ground. The Froslass worked at freezing it down and Hark prevented it from getting up again. It looked as if we were going to win this now.

"Are you okay?" I asked, reaching up and gently touching his head. The almost-black stuff was liquid, so yup. Blood. He brushed me off, and I noticed that it was with the same hand that he patted me with. He wasn't using his other arm. I reached out to touch it, but he shied away from me, confirming the injury.

I looked back fearfully at the Medicham. Its struggles were weakening. Konstantin brushed past me when I wasn't looking and hovered over the fighter, eye narrowed. "You have been defeated."

It gave him a scathing look, clearly replying, "That's what you think."

And of course, being the stupid trainers we were, we hadn't consciously realized that we were just as vulnerable as our Pokémon. If anything, more vulnerable. The Medicham's eyes glowed again, and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye; I turned to see Sela collapse. "Miss Sela!" Her Gym trainer, running over to her, stumbled, before being lifted into the air. The Froslass screamed and dove for the Medicham, scratching its face with her tiny hands, but that only allowed her to get close enough to be tossed away as well, thrown into her trainer.

The Medicham turned its eyes on me, but Konstantin wasn't about to let that happen. He reached down and put his hand through its head. He phased it down through its bloody chest, then finally pulled his hand out only when its eyes rolled back in its head. My headache suddenly lessened significantly as the Medicham started to convulse, breaking the ice binding it to the ground.

I ran back to Sela, helping her up, not sure I wanted to watch it die in front of me.

_This is part of the job, part of the job _you_ created_, I reminded myself, half-glad when the sounds of the Medicham's thrashing finally died down. My Pokémon had bloodied his hands for me again, and he wasn't the first. I knew he wouldn't be the last. I had saved who I could, and I wasn't going to let any other Pokémon did what that Abomasnow did. There would be no more Nicks or Lolas.

Though I hadn't given the order to kill it. Konstantin had reacted when I was in danger. He had killed to defend me. I was sure that wouldn't be the last time, either, and that thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Do you want me to Shadow Sneak you back to the city?" he asked worriedly, floating around us. When he was the one covered in ghost blood with a hurt arm. Like trainer, like Pokémon.

"You're hurt. You're not Sneaking us anywhere," I replied and fished out his pokeball. He gave me a pout, but I returned him nonetheless.

"Plus, I have a Cloyster that knows Teleport. I am _not_ hiking back through that forest," the female trainer said with a growl for said forest. I rolled my eyes. A Teleporting Cloyster was just about as bad as a Teleporting Magmar. But at least it got the job done.

Back in the Center, Ike and Konstantin both had broken limbs to contend with, though the scrapes on my ghost's forehead weren't serious. Hark also had a nasty case of frostbite that needed to be treated. Sela didn't thank me for my help and I didn't expect her to. It was my job to help enforce the laws I helped put in place, after all.

"We match!" Konstantin exclaimed, holding up his cast. Ike gave him a curled lip _and_ a growl, fur crackling with static, but that wasn't enough these days to deter any of his teammates.

"So _why_ can a ghost's arm be set?" I asked for the umpteenth time, watching as Konstantin attempted to compare casts with a very sour Ike.

The doctor sighed. "Because. Ghosts have their own sort of skeletal structure, and we are setting it to ensure that that heals properly, just like bones in you or I or your Luxray." I had seen Konstantin pass through walls and people and me. I couldn't grasp that there was a skeleton in there to boot.

Though I was just glad they'd be okay. And the memories were sort of fun to revisit, too; Ike had had a cast before, and he'd gotten it just after we met Konstantin, in fact. The danger had passed and now I had two injured pokémon and an irritated Camerupt nipping at my ears.

"_I would have been fine. I'm heavier than the feline_," Des maintained.

"I wasn't going to risk it."

"_You need to learn to trust me._"

"Did you want a cast like those two? I could still ask the doctor to put one on you."

Now that the danger had passed, we slipped back into a less serious view of things. It wasn't so bad; it was definitely less stressful. I couldn't be worrying for their lives, or my life, or others' lives all the time, at least not on that level. Konstantin killing the Medicham didn't bother me as much as it should have, though. Death wasn't anything new to any of us. Neither was killing. It was just that he had done it without any direction from me...

"_Are you going to return to those females and their whims?_" Ike asked, limping over to me. He half bumped into my leg, but we both pretended he didn't, and he sat down beside me.

"...I guess. I sorta promised."

"_You could always disappear again. No one would ever find you if you didn't wish for it_," he purred. I knew him better than to think he was tempting me; he was actually forcing me back towards them. He knew that his words would only suggest what Nick had done. "_...If we must return, could you at least keep that empty-headed canine away from my daughter? I don't need him yapping and creating such a fuss whenever he sees her._"

"It is adorable when you refer to them as your own," I cooed. He slashed at me with his uninjured paw, ripping open denim and skin alike. I laughed through the pain; it was just a love scratch. "Harlan, can you bring Jocee over here? Her daddy wants to sit with her."

"_I will kill you in your sleep yet and drag your entrails up out of your slit throat,_" Ike hissed at me. Harlan pattered over, Jocee in her arms, and set the little Shinx next to him. He grumpily set about to bathing her, ignoring her sparking and mewling. Harlan gave me a stern look, no doubt blaming me for his injury, and set about to painting his cast.

"Blame me all you want, but could you take us back first? Then you can have the day back to yourself and your sourpuss."

-.-.-

The days passed. City life wasn't so bad, once I got used to it again. We eventually migrated towards Sunyshore, so Zarek could have his time at the beach, and so I could check in on Alicia and Nathan. I was also really curious about what she had done with the Gym. Every time I meant to visit her, it wound up that we met some place else or it had to be canceled; I hadn't seen it since I'd left it. Vaikuntha took a couple days off as well to come visit, and if nothing else, he cheered the atmosphere up.

The awkwardness left between Arianna and I, for the most part, and we lapsed back into the friendship we'd had for years. Hanna, too, was the same as ever, but that was a good thing since it meant I could go to the beach as often as I liked. I was sure her bikini got smaller and smaller with every passing year, though. I missed Carlita terribly, especially her exuberance (and okay, it'd be funny to see her reaction to the two casts suddenly on her teammates) and perpetual excitement.

It was almost like I was still living in Sunyshore. The paparazzi was still annoying, we spent our days near surf and in the sun, and my team continued to embarrass me in public. Konstantin figured out that he could phase out of his cast at any time, so I usually had to get after him to put it back on. At least Ike couldn't wiggle out of his.

Naturally, it quickly got out that the Champion had returned to civilization and was vacationing on the Sunyshore beaches, and that had its pros and cons. The fun part was getting more battles. (I missed Carlita during those, too.) The bad part was Lucian giving me the evil eye when he dropped in to make sure everything was okay after the Medicham incident. Another annoying problem was that Alicia was _still_ with Tessa, even through her prison sentence. Great that she had a solid relationship spanning several years, but she could have picked someone who hadn't beaten me with a shovel.

"_I made you_," Des said, sitting back and admiring his work. I looked at the blob of glass he had created out of the sand. It was a vaguely upright blob, but that was about all I could say for the similarities.

I returned to my glaring match with Tessa. "That's, uh, nice."

A yowl, a crack of thunder, and a howl. We both jumped and looked over; apparently, Fargo (running from Jocee again; I would have to have a talk with that Arcanine) had stepped on Ike's tail. Harlan was already separating them with a Barrier, Jocee in her arms and away from her teammate. Fargo beat a hasty retreat for Des' relative safety, and Harlan carried her Shinx over to—and to our group's great surprise—Arianna.

Pushing her sunglasses back onto her dark hair, she asked, "What?"

Alicia perked up between Tessa and I, doe eyes even larger than normal. "Woah, when did this happen?"

"Wait, what?"

"Is the little Shinx hers now? Are all of them up for adoption?"

"Wait, _what_? No—!" I looked back at Jocee, contentedly purring in Arianna's arms, though the girl herself still looked a little nonplussed by the offering. Harlan trotted back over to Ike and began soothing him, leaving us with the Shinx.

I hadn't thought about them growing up and leaving before. The two Pidgeot leaving had been hard enough on my heart and there had been many tears shed that day. Come to think of it, they hadn't stopped in in some time... But the little ground-bound ones? Leaving? I was still getting used to _having_ them around, and they could possibly be old enough to be leaving already.

Then again, did I really have any say in it? They were Harlan and Ike's, not mine in any sense of the word. And what about Carlita's twins? I _still_ wasn't used to having more than six Pokémon, damn it. Harlan and Fargo didn't count. They were independent of me. The Pidgey chicks—when they had been chicks—had been more like pets, even as they evolved and aged.

"Brother? Are you alright?" Vaikuntha asked, suddenly leaning into my view. I gave him a shaky smile.

"Y-Yeah, of course. Just... thinking."

He smiled in relief. "That is a useful pastime to have. Are you worrying about the future again?"

"Yeah, sorta. I guess."

He sat down beside me, tugging my towel over to make room. It was a little more difficult to glare at Tessa with two people in between us, but perhaps that was for the best. "Worrying about the future tends to make you forget the present, if I may be so blunt. Please, try not to worry so much!"

"Easier said than done..."

"Yeah, I know. But I can hope. You have already returned to your friends, your family, so one day, I hope your mindset will return to a healthier place as well."

I gave him a sidelong glance. "Why's everyone so worried about my mental health all of a sudden? It's not like this thing happened overnight. I was left alone out there for years and no one bothered to worry then."

"Are you kidding? We were worried sick about you!" Alicia scolded at once. "But you've never been open to help before. Now, we saw weakness. And we pounced! And dragged you back out into the light where you belong."

"I don't want you pouncing on him," Tessa deadpanned. I leaned forward so she could see me again and stuck my tongue out at her. So much for maturity.

"Oh, shush. You know what I mean," Alicia said, smacking her thigh. "Hanna, quit making out with your boyfriend and come talk some sense into your child!"

"I was _not_ making out with him!" Hanna called irately from the surf, splashing away from Jude. To be fair, I hadn't seen them kissing at all today. But to be just as fair to Alicia, there had been far too much giggling and splashing for that to be completely innocent. Which was why I was mostly entertaining myself with glaring at Tessa instead of getting diabetes from watching the couple do their couple things.

"If you're jealous, you should get a girlfriend!" Alicia said, catching my sour look.

"I've barked up that tree before."

"I don't count."

I jerked my thumb over to Arianna. She nodded lazily. Alicia groaned and rolled over onto her back, gesturing randomly in the air. "I mean—get a _new_ one! I bet you didn't even know you were in Sunyshore's list of most eligible bachelors. You're legal, and even if you've been out of sight, you haven't been completely out of mind. I think you were ranked fourth or something. List of twenty."

I felt the color drain out of my face, even as it earned laughs from the others. "...No, I had _not_ known that. Are you serious? That—They couldn't have done something like that without my permission!"

"You are a public persona," Vaikuntha reminded me unhelpfully. "You have been since becoming a Gym leader, remember?"

"...No."

"So get a girlfriend."

"How did we come back to that again?" Tessa asked her other, poking her in the stomach. "I don't see why you care for his romantic life so much when you were probably the one responsible for crippling it in the first place."

"Can we _please_ change the subject," I begged.

"I didn't _cripple_ him! I was just—it was awkward for both of us, okay! It's not my fault he fell for my totally hot bod." Actually, I had fallen for her pretty eyes and cute face—but that was entirely beside the point and getting me nowhere fast.

"That reminds me. No one else is allowed to see that hot bod, so cover up that excuse for a swimsuit." Tessa rolled off her towel and threw it over Alicia, making her giggle and squirm.

Speaking of avoiding noxiously cute couple things. "I think I've outgrown this area," Arianna announced, already on her feet. Vai and I quickly mimicked her, stashing our towels.

We turned around and met a very big surprise. Actually, several surprises, and I wasn't sure who was the biggest. Lucian, still in his suit, standing behind a swimsuit-sporting Benjamin and our shared pokémon between them. Carlita leapt at me happily, crying, "_We're on vacation!_"

"Carlita—what—what are you all doing here?"

"May I have a word with you about your Pokémon?" Lucian asked coolly. Vai handed me my shirt—wait, that was _his_ shirt—but Lucian was already walking away. I pulled it over my head, giving Benjamin a questioning look as I set Carlita down and passed him. He shook his head. That wasn't a good sign.

I pulled the shirt over my head and hastily grabbed the sandals Carlita brought to me. Of course, slipping on shoes while walking was a feat, nevermind the fact that my feet were covered in sand and rocks and I was trying to keep up with Lucian. The end result was that I managed to trip over my own feet, falling flat on my face.

When I sat up with a bloody nose, Alicia cried out, "Bingo!"

"...We are still playing that?" Vaikuntha asked after a pause.

"_We_?" I echoed, hands clamped over my face. I suppose it wasn't a vacation without blood spilled, but still. I thought I had been getting past the awkward kid stage. Unless I was just going to grow into an awkward adult. That would be in line with my luck, come to think of it.

Lucian pulled my hands away, leaning down to peer into my face. "It doesn't look broken, though it will probably swell. We can get you cleaned up while we talk."

"Fine."

As we walked through Sunyshore, silently, I must have looked a sight. Head tilted back and pinching my nose, trying to pick out bits of sand and gravel from my elbow with my free hand. The good thing was that I hadn't managed to get any blood on Vai's shirt. Lucian certainly didn't wait for me, though I had a sneaking suspicion that whenever we got where we were supposed to go, the blood would have not only stopped, but dried.

And I was proven correct.

He led me back to the Pokémon Center, but we didn't stop there; he simply picked up his Alakazam and we Teleported out of the city. I should have known. I recognized where we landed immediately: the Champion's room. It was a little dustier than I remembered it, but oh well. Wasn't my fault.

"So, would you like to tell me why you're giving the youngest Gym leader your bad habits?" Lucian seated himself on the step near the Champion's side of the arena and adjusted his sunglasses.

"Huh?" I jumped when I noticed we weren't alone; the rest of the Elite Four was here. And embarrassingly enough, it seemed as if Volkner had expected me to show up with some sort of bloody wound. He wordlessly held out a washcloth for me, and behind him, I saw Flint and Aaron exchange smirks.

"You left one of your main Pokémon with Benjamin, but not only that, you also left two unregistered pokémon with him as well. The _limit_ is _six_," Lucian said icily as I scrubbed the dried blood off. He was right; my nose was already beginning to swell.

I wrung the cloth in my hands and avoided all of the judgment. "Carlita is still registered to me, and she's visiting her, uh... lover. Boyfriend. Mate? I don't know—but you can't try to pretend like I'm the only one in the entire region doing that. Because I'm sure love between Pokémon _never_ happens between different teams."

"She is part of a Champion's team. What if you got a challenge while she was gone?" It actually wouldn't be the first time, but I wasn't stupid enough to let him know that. "What if she caused trouble for Benjamin?"

"Carlita's a little hyper sometimes, but she's a well-behaved Pokémon," I mumbled, glaring at the floor. Despite how much fun I had been having with my team and friends the past couple days, I suddenly remembered why I had gone off on my own in the first place. "It's fine. Benjamin agreed to it and she behaves for him. Bentley likes her there, and he likes to see his kids, and it's not like I'm taking him with me anywhere, so this is the only chance he gets."

"So you'll separate a Champion's Pokémon from her team but not a Gym leader's?" Volkner asked evenly.

"I can handle my own team. I can take on challengers with five—you all just have five. It's not that hard."

"If we get beat, we don't hand over the Championship to a newbie," Flint pointed out, not incorrectly. I grumpily crossed my arms and turned my back on all of them.

"We are simply worried about the state of this region. We can handle the international political affairs well enough, and you have been doing an admirable job policing what laws you have instated. We just don't want you to get a random challenge out in the middle of a route and have a crippled team, and then hand over Sinnoh to someone who's worse—" Lucian cut himself off abruptly.

"...Go ahead, say it. Someone who's worse than I am."

"It's not as if you're bad," Aaron volunteered.

"I'm just not Cynthia. Or Lucian. Or someone who will sit in this big, empty room all day and get what, one challenge a day? Two if we're lucky?" I turned back to them but maintained my hostile stance. "I battle challengers. With _only_ my six who are registered to do so, I may add. So I have a couple... stragglers following me around. I'm trying to comply with laws, and I'm trying to set a good example. I'm just doing it by going out and _training_, traveling, being a trainer."

"Except you haven't," Volkner drawled. "You've been hiding in the woods."

I rolled my eyes with a groan. "Not you too."

"Sorry to say," Lucian broke in, "But you're the Champion of a region. You're popular and well-liked, despite the criticisms for abandoning your post. You're still a hero. It's just that you have responsibilities now."

"I'm not going to stop Bentley from seeing his kids or Carlita," I growled back at him.

"This isn't about that!"

"Then what _is_ it about! What _exactly_ are you trying to tell me, stop me from doing, change about me?" I demanded.

"You need to stop acting like a kid!" Lucian snapped.

"...Aaron was seventeen when he joined the Elite Four. Cynthia was nineteen when she became Champion. She nearly lost it to Dawn after the Galactic stuff, and she was what, thirteen at the time? Guess what most of the training population _is_."

"Okay, cut it out. Both of you," Volkner interrupted with a glare for Lucian. "Let's just talk this out rationally."

"How?" Lucian and I both asked.

"Well..." That seemed to put him at a loss.

"Well, how about we outline the good things and the bad things?" Aaron suggested, stepping forward.

"And do what? Impeach me if if the cons outweigh the pros?"

"No, we have to have a Champion. That was what made Cynthia's leaving even more stressful," Lucian muttered, rubbing his temples. "He's not a _bad_ Champion, just an irresponsible one."

"Y'know. Cynthia had a villa in Unova, even while she was Champion. I remember more than one headache resulting from her taking an impromptu vacation out of the country." We all looked at Flint; I felt unexpectedly happy at the thought of one of them kinda defending me. It seemed that I had been doing nothing but avoiding and arguing with these people for far too long. "Volkner said he was gonna claim the Championship for himself if she left one more time. Remember that?"

"The sad part is that you all went along with it," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head a little Mareepishly. "But Flint is right. Cynthia wasn't perfect and she had her flaws as a leader. At least this one has stayed in-country."

"But he still needs to set a better example for the younger generations."

"I got a breeding license! I've never used Harlan or Fargo for anything but setting fires and Teleporting. Which, may I remind you, was _your_ idea that I should get something that knows the move," I reminded the psychic specialist with a sharp smile. He nodded wearily. "I—the kids are still young, but I guess... I'll adopt them out one day. Jude can help me with the legal issues, so don't worry, I'll follow all the nice little laws. I haven't seen my Pidgeot in months, so it's not like they're hanging around anymore, either..."

"And the law says that there's a divide between number of trained Pokémon and pets," Flint added. Not that Harlan or Fargo were pets, per se, but the point remained. "Look, I know we're all stressed out here. But the kid's getting better, aren't you? He's been in Sunyshore for about half a week now, and now he has the Breloom back. Just... He can visit up here every now and then for important occasions, but let the kid roam Sinnoh. It's good that he remains connected to the training population."

"Yes. Yes it is," I said primly.

"Then _stay_ where you're more visible. The media gets nervous when the Champion disappears for weeks on end."

"I already have half the Gym leaders down my throat for that. I'll stay back with humankind, sheesh." I put my hands up in surrender. That had sort of been the plan, so may as well use it to pacify Lucian. Our relationship was still as rocky as ever, and I doubted that would change, but I probably should be a little more available to the public. Especially so I could stop silly bachelor lists.

-.-.-

"We have not slept together since we were roommates!" Vai said excitedly.

"Yeah. So can you get out of my bed now?" I deadpanned, trying to pull the covers out from under him. I half-wished I could have gotten a room to myself, just so I could sleep with my Pokémon out, but it had sort of turned into some sort of impromptu mass sleepover. Boys got one hotel room, girls got the next door one. (I didn't know why we didn't just sleep at the Gym, but I had a feeling it was the universe preventing me from seeing it yet again.)

"...We should make a pillow fort," Benjamin said suddenly, catching our attention. It was unlike him to be so... silly. He immediately caught that and reddened, glaring out the window. "Don't you judge me. They're badass."

"No—pillow forts are cool. I just didn't think you had it in you to still act like a kid."

Vai was on board for pretty much anything, but it took some force to enlist Jude's help. Well, the threat of bringing Konstantin into it, at any rate. "The girls have your Pokémon," he reminded me with a scowl.

"Alicia would totally let me borrow Kostya for such a noble cause," I retorted. "Now toss me that pillow." It was predictably thrown at my face. My nose was still tender, but it didn't hurt that bad, at least.

"I still don't see why the mandate was to get our teams taken from us. And after getting our asses chewed by Lucian for the same thing?" Benjamin complained, trying to drape the blanket across the top without it collapsing. It wasn't working very well, but I couldn't help but agree with him. Hanna had started with my team, then Harlan and Fargo, and then the children. But that involved taking Bentley as well, since he was still clingy towards them.

And, in all honesty, I was a little unsure about Harlan and Fargo staying the night in the same room as Hanna. Not that she was that mean, or cruel, or vindictive, but... it probably wasn't a good idea.

"I know that look. Don't think so poorly of her," Jude told me.

"I-I'm just worried they'll be handful of them."

"Because they have _never _dealt with a Pokémon before."

"I don't want Tessa anywhere near any of them, either," I muttered darkly, but my consolation on that matter was that she was outnumbered, and Alicia pretty much had her whipped. "I just—why couldn't they have stayed in the room with us?"

"Because girls are mean and Vai is afraid of fire," Benjamin grunted as he finally fixed the roof of our fort.

"I-I am not! I have gotten better about that!" Vaikuntha pouted, popping up from behind it. "I do not mind the Pokémon themselves!"

"...Why are we acting like such kids," Jude said suddenly as I dove into the fort. It was crowded with Benjamin and Vai both in there, and the heat was already collecting in there, but we just grinned out at him regardless.

"Because I have yet to mature and I'm dragging you down to my level," I told him with a cackle. Vai and I reached out and dragged him in, though he flailed just enough to bring down the roof and a wall on top of us. And really, we _were_ too big for pillow forts. Literally.

Because acting responsible was overrated, anyway.

We were pushing three in the morning when I finally fell asleep; I was definitely not used to staying up that late. It felt like just minutes later when I was woken back up by a banging on the door. I found myself chilled and only half on the bed, to my surprise, but no one else seemed conscious enough to answer it. With a groan and a growl, I rolled out of bed.

Vai was curled up in the other bed and seemed to have ended up with most of the pillows, and I guessed that Benjamin was the foot sticking out of the blankets near the end of my bed. I didn't see Jude, though.

Puzzling over his absence, I opened the door to a tired and cranky French girl.

It took a couple moments for my sleepy mind to process what I was seeing. She seemed... disheveled. And I hadn't seen her in a couple days, and I hadn't left on the best of terms—oh. Yeah. I braced myself for some sort of physical abuse, but instead, she burst out, "I challenge you!"

"Huh?"

"I have just beaten the rest of that Elite Four, at last, and I am _challenging_ you!" she said breathlessly, hands on her hips.

What little of my mind had been conscious ground to a halt. I hadn't been aware she had been trying for the Elite Four, and if she had challenged them before—surely she didn't pull a me and beat them on her first run—those traitors hadn't said a word to me. Wait—she had _just_ told me she got eight badges. Granted, I hadn't seen her for months prior to that, but...

"When...?" I asked, struggling to make sense of... all of this. The timeline was messed up. Was it? Well, the Elite Four could probably be beaten in just two or three hours, depending on the battles themselves, and I guess it was sorta late in the morning. But—this came out of nowhere. She wasn't even acknowledging when I had shouted at her.

Then I got a mental image of Cossette as the Champion and my mind gave up entirely.

"No."

"No?" she echoed, taken aback.

"I. Am. ...Hungry," I decided. I retreated back into the room, leaving the door open as I pulled on whatever clothes I could find. I recognized my jeans from the rip in the knee, but I had a feeling I ended up with someone else's shirt. I still didn't see Jude anywhere. "Come with me to breakfast. I want pancakes."

"But—as a Champion, you _have_ to accept any challenges from anyone who has beaten the rest of the Elite Four!" she cried, pattering after me.

"Eh." She was too young to be a Champion. Lucian would hate her even more than he hated me—would he? Well, not as if he hated me, but surely he'd be even more frustrated with an even _younger_ Champion. Wait, she hadn't been born here. Had she? Could a non-native become Champion? ...Was she even a legal citizen of this region? I knew Jude wasn't—and stubbornly refused to give him citizenship—but I guess I had only seen her in Sinnoh, unlike him.

This was too much thinking for me right then.

I realized that Cossette was chattering along behind me. I slowed, belatedly realizing I only had socks on, and looked back at her. "...And I decided to follow your advice, so I have a full team of six now. But Jacques is still at the Center, because the stress of Teleporting here after the battles was hard on him, so I will only have five, still. But do not go easy on me!"

"...Six?"

"_Ouais_," she chirped proudly, puffing out her chest. "Her name is Celeste. I have only had her for two days, but she has been an excellent addition to my team."

She challenged the Elite Four with a Pokémon she had only been training for two days? She was either crazy or arrogant. Or possibly both. "What is Celeste?"

"A Dragonair."

I choked on my breath—she had gotten a _dragon_ and used it? She couldn't have caught it. "...Where did you get that Dragonair?"

"From Jude. I buy the Pokémon I do not catch from him." I would have to throttle him later. Why did he insist on giving away dangerously strong Pokémon to girls who probably couldn't handle them?

"_How_ is that thing even listening to you? Dragons aren't easy to please, Cossette. It takes a lot of time and effort to earn their trust."

She looked away, cheeks red, and nervously played with her hair. I stopped on the stairs, one step down from her, and crossed my arms expectantly. "She, ah... Is a bit of a handful, _oui_." I maintained my expectancy. "_D'accord_, she doesn't like to listen to me. But she fights if attacked, so she'll battle for me. She just, ah, does not like to follow orders."

"And you... _beat_ the Elite Four like that." Her pleased grin was all the answer I needed. But then I got distracted by the fact that that had been the first time she had smiled at me in recent memory. My heart did a weird little flutter that my mind wasn't awake enough to want to process, so I ignored it. "That was incredibly reckless of you, Cossette. And getting an evolved dragon? Even more reckless. They're proud and stubborn Pokémon and they don't take kindly to new trainers."

"She is not that bad." I turned and started walking again, padding down the stairs with the intent on going to the hotel's restaurant. My stomach was just now waking up and chimed in with a growl. "I know my team is not perfect, but we are working on that!"

Maybe I had rubbed off on her more than I had previously thought. "...I'm not battling you. Not with Jacques out of commission and an unruly dragon on your team. Feel free to try again when you have control of them."

"_You_ don't have control of your team," Cossette shot back. Very truthfully.

"..." Truthfully enough that I couldn't get a proper comeback. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, then, realizing that I must still have bedhead, used my fingers as a comb. Oh, I was just all sorts of presentable. "...I want pancakes still."

I got to kill two Spearow with one stone when I found Jude (with Hanna) in the hotel's restaurant. Breaking up what was probably a sweetly romantic breakfast, I slid into the booth next to Hanna and jabbed my finger at him. "You. You sold Cossette a Dragonair."

"To be fair, she's been hers since she was an egg," he replied, annoyed at our arrival but not at all bothered by my accusations. "She just paid to have me raise her for a couple years."

So it probably wasn't like they had just met the other day, but still. "She challenged the Elite Four with that Dragonair on her team, and it's still not listening to her."

Hanna and Jude looked at Cossette, seated primly beside Jude, with great surprise. She nodded smugly. "And I won."

"Wow, congrats!" Hanna said excitedly.

I turned to her, still annoyed with the situation in general. "And you—why're you up so early? I know I heard you girls up just as late as we were."

"Jude gave me his bad habit of enjoying the occasional date for breakfast," she replied. She caught my incredulous look and gave me a smile. "Yeah, trust me. I don't like being a morning person. It just has its perks."

If he had that much power over her, I was going to make sure he never became a citizen. "...Anyway." I turned back to the two across the table with all the disapproval I could muster with how little sleep I was running off of. "Cossette has a dragon. A dangerous, powerful, unruly Pokémon that she should not have at that age or in her situation. You have a habit of giving girls too-strong Pokémon, don't you—oof!" Hanna elbowed me, hard, in the side.

"I could handle Molly just _fine_ from the get-go, thank you!" she sniffed. "She has always behaved for me. Never _once_ has she been unruly or misbehaving."

"I am working with Celeste!" Cossette added before I could get my breath back to retort. "All Pokémon teams are a work in progress, you have said so yourself! I remember that Luxray of yours when he was small, and you cannot lie to us and say Celeste is any different."

"She has a point," Jude chimed in dryly, pointing his straw at me. "Ike was a terror. He's only slightly less of a terror now without his sight and with that cast on his leg."

"And even Des will disobey you on occasion," Hanna added with a dark look.

I bent over and set my chin on the table, closing my eyes. "I'm the Champion. I'm the most experienced trainer here. Why can't I get a _little_ respect now and then?"

"When you start giving solid advice, maybe you will."

"I'm trying to! I'm just worried about her. Yeah, Ike was a little beast, and I have the scars to prove it." I reached up and tugged my shirt collar down, revealing just a portion of the scars he'd given me over the years. "I don't want you to get in trouble like I did. That's sorta the purpose of advice, not me saying it never happened to me."

Hanna ruffled my hair affectionately. "See, now _that_ had some wisdom in it. That's how you can earn some respect."

"I don't see what you're making such a fuss about," Jude said as he slumped down in the booth. "All new pokémon have the potential to be a little wild at first, and at least she hasn't evolved yet. She's probably just not used to battling on a team. She'll calm down, Cossette will be fine, and at this rate, she'll be taking your throne from you."

Imagining Cossette sitting in that big, empty room at the League didn't make me feel all that great about the situation. The young girl in question leaned across the table, into my personal space. "So. You will allow me a challenge after your pancakes, _oui_?"

"No," I replied. Hanna elbowed me again. "Ow—hey! I don't even have my team _on_ me, remember? And Kostya and Ike still have casts on. And Zarek's been sort of a brat again lately, so I'm not sure I want him battling in another high-stakes battle." I cast about for more excuses, but not very many were feasible. At least the cast argument held up strong.

"I'm sure there's provisions for when the Champion's Pokémon are injured like this. Just put the battle on hold." I realized I was, yet again, stalling a battle with Cossette. It hadn't happened in years, but the irony wasn't lost on me. It seemed as if I had no problem battling her normally anymore, but for stakes... That was a different matter.

I suddenly realized that once her Dragonair evolved... Aggron, water bird, and a Dragonite. I sat bolt upright and exclaimed, "You _have_ been with me too long! You have a team half full of double weaknesses, too!"

Cossette turned a brilliant shade of red, though whether it was the accusation or the realization that caused it, I couldn't tell. Jude burst out laughing, gloved hands trying in vain to cover up the sound, and I heard a barely restrained (and very undignified) giggle from Hanna beside me. Cossette hit Jude and kicked at Hanna under the table—missing her but hitting my shin. "I will overcome these—these double weaknesses of yours, but do _not_ think for a moment that this was because of you! You are not that important!"

With that, she stood up and stomped off. I watched her go. I wasn't sure which stung more, my shin or that last remark. "Smooth," Hanna said casually, putting an arm around my shoulder comfortingly. "So... Are you going to chase after her?"

"Maybe. Once my leg stops hurting," I mumbled, stomach growling again. I still wanted pancakes. But I suppose they would have to wait in favor of smoothing ruffled feathers.

"...You know, you two look pretty good together," she said innocently.

"Not that again, Hanna. Please."

"I meant that in a platonic way! You totally have a mentor-student thing going on."

"Except we've seen each other for all of a total of a week the past couple months? If that?"

"You know, I do believe she has a point here," Jude said with another flick of his straw at me. "I seem to recall you acting the same excited way about another certain older trainer..." I flushed, but at Hanna's smug look, Jude added, "Both of you."

She blushed too and hastily said, "N-No! I wasn't... I mean, it was different..."

"Regardless of how it was, that's what little miss Beaumanoir is going through right now. She's been trotting along after you like a Lillipup for years now, and you've only set yourself up on a higher pedestal for her to strive for." It felt weird for other people to use that word around me. Especially in relation to _me_. And then I realized that he was effectively saying I was Cossette's Nick.

Even better.

"...Then I guess it's decided for me; I chase after her." I pushed myself out of the booth and stood by the table. One last thing. "As thanks for your _wonderful_ insight, Jude, and for helping Cossette out _so much_ with her team lately, I'll think about approving your citizenship one day."

"You're still applying for that?" Hanna asked, confused.

"Why of course! He can't marry a Sinnohan citizen without one," I replied with a smirk and a dismissive wave. It was hard to tell who went redder faster. Jude's Pokémon gossiped a bit too much, if you asked me, and even if the plans weren't all that immediate, I knew they were definite plans.

"M-Marry?" Hanna repeated dumbly.

"You prat!" Jude snarled, swinging at me. I laughed and retreated, jogging out of the restaurant. So what if I was spiteful. He teased me with Cossette, so I'd use Hanna against him in the same way.

It occurred to me that I didn't know where Cossette would have gone. I also didn't have shoes or any of my Pokémon with me, and that was slightly easier to rectify. Back in the room, Vaikuntha and Benjamin were finally awake. Or at least up. I found my boots and pulled them on, barely waiting to lace them, while Vai decided to fetch my team for me. Benjamin just grumbled crankily at me.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Vaikuntha asked, coming back with hands full of pokeballs and a sleepy Arcanine behind him. I shooed Fargo back into the girls' room; he and Harlan could sleep in with the children. He gave me a grateful yawn and retreated back out the door.

"I have to catch up to Cossette—wherever she is. She beat the Elite Four, and she challenged me, and then I think I may have said something stupid? I'm not entirely sure."

"Sounds reasonable." I took the pokeballs from him and jammed them in various pockets. His casual understanding of my random life had never been more welcome. I gave him a quick, one-armed hug before racing out the door. If I were Cossette, where would I have gone? ...That answer depressed me, because if I were her, I'd have a psychic that could Teleport me anywhere. And me being me, _I_ didn't have a psychic to track her down with.

Looks like it'd have to be the old-fashioned way. I released Ike in the lobby and asked, "Do you smell Cossette's scent anywhere around here?"

"_Yes._"

"...Do you mind following it for me?"

"_...If I must_," he said with a great sigh. He sniffed at the air with no small amount of boredom, ears swiveling casually to take in the area around him. "_She left the building, not long ago._"

I grabbed hold of his translator collar and help lead him out. Not that he couldn't maneuver just fine on his own between smell and hearing, but I always got nervous with him and big crowds. Especially since we hadn't been near so many people in awhile. All it took was one wrong step or a hard bump and there would be zapping.

"_I can handle this by myself_," he growled at me.

"I know." He sent a little jolt into my arm, a warning. "Ike, please."

"_Do not waste your concern on me. I can handle myself just fine, and I have been for these past years. Shouldn't you be worrying more about the girl you are pursuing so desperately_?" With that, he shook me off.

"...It's not desperately."

"_Then why am I ordered to follow her?_"

"I just want to talk to her. Could you _please_ cooperate?" He didn't reply but again sniffed the air, then turned and walked down the sidewalk. At least that meant she hadn't Teleported out right away. Wait—hadn't she said Jacques was in the Pokémon Center? So she couldn't Teleport out, but I knew where she was headed, then. Without warning him, I ran past Ike, making him jump in surprise.

"_What are you doing?_" he called after me, struggling to keep up. Not that I was faster, but he still didn't like running.

"I'm sorry!" I returned him. I wasn't going to make him run blind through Sunyshore City, and it'd be easier to confront Cossette without him making snide comments, anyway. Though he did raise a valid point—why was I so worried about this? I slowed to a jog as the Center's red roof came into sight. This wasn't the first time I'd gotten her upset with me. I was sure it wouldn't be the last.

I caught her just as she was exiting the Center, rolling a pokeball absently between her hands. She jumped as I trotted up, but at least her blush wasn't as pronounced now. "_Ce qui fait vous voulez avec moi maintenant_?" she asked sharply, stuffing the pokeball into a pocket on her jacket. I blinked at her and she grudgingly repeated, "What is it you want with me?"

"I wanted to..."

Talk. Apologize? (For what?) Give her more excuses why I couldn't battle her? Try to get images of Nick out of my mind. Ask her to go for a walk with me? Ask for a battle anyway? I wasn't entirely sure.

"Do you want to go out for pancakes with me?" I asked after a beat.

"Okay."

You know what? I was indecisive. I was prone to running from things. I tended to rely a little too heavily on close friends and my team for emotional support. I was flawed, but I was getting better. About all of that. I was evolving, too, just a little slower than my Pokémon.

And I would start by confronting my worry for her. I wouldn't criticize her reckless actions, I wouldn't stall (unduly) on our battle, and I would simply try to advise her from afar. She could grow into her own trainer, and I'd try to step back and let her do that. It wasn't what Nick had done, but I wasn't Nick. I had only been his friend.

"You know? You challenged the Elite Four younger than I did. Good job." I pulled her over towards me and pressed my lips against her hair. She giggled nervously and tried not to squirm. "I'm proud of you."

Pedestals weren't all bad. I could be a hero, but I just wanted to be a little more selective about it these days. And definitely more realistic. I couldn't be a saint, I couldn't be a designer, I couldn't even be a Gym leader. I was still trying to be a Champion. But I could try to play hero for a little while. Just to see where it led.

"So you'll battle me?" she asked hopefully, wiggling out of my grasp.

"After the casts come off and you age another couple years. I like having the title of youngest Champion," I replied evenly. She pouted at me. "Oh, come on. Give me something to work with here."

"I give you far too much already!" Cossette exclaimed and smacked my arm. "But... Just so long as I get to battle you. As an equal."

"Hey, you have to catch up to me to be an equal."

"I will catch up to you, and I will surpass you! I'm going to become the best trainer ever, and you won't stop me!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her determined face. This would take some work, but maybe I could play the mentor type with some work. And maybe more than a little late. But better late than never.

She ran ahead of me with a huff. I let her go and instead looked up the overcast sky. I thought I saw something white up there for a moment, but I hoped it was just my imagination. I suddenly felt a little colder. I zipped up my black hoodie and jammed my hands in my pockets, wrapping them around the comforting weight of my team's pokeballs, and followed her.

No, perhaps pedestals weren't all bad. At any rate, they were still damn hard to get rid of completely.

-.-.-

Last & Long Author's Note That Is The End Of The Story:

(Yes, that up there is the end of the story itself. If you don't want sap and thanks, leave your review while ignoring this. Thank you!)

Well... That's it. That's the end. This story saw me through the end of high school, graduation, my first job, two boyfriends, two new cats, one and a half original works, and the beginning of my third year in college. Hard to believe, huh? It's been a journey, both for me and the cast. So let me just start off all this sap with a thank you. To all of the readers, reviewers, fans, skittens, everyone. This story would not have been possible without you.

But really, literally, this story would not have been possible without my good friend, Nyaa-Neko. Granted, I haven't spoken to her in awhile, and I miss her terribly, but she was the one who started this crazy pact with me to celebrate us being second semester seeeeeniioooooors. We were nerds. I ain't even gonna lie. This is what friendship does, folks! It creates crazy stories.

I am going to miss this story terribly, but I'm glad I got to reach the ending with it. (As you can see from my atrocious record on this site, I don't often finish long stories.) Thank you, everyone, for reaching the ending with me.

This epilogue wasn't meant to be perfect, and it wasn't meant to detail every little thing and wrap up all of the issues neatly. That's no fun. It's just supposed to be one last, fun, crazy adventure with the characters we've grown so fond of over the past couple years. But if you have any questions, and since there's basically no more spoilers, I would be glad to answer any.

And now the exciting news! SEQUEL NEWS! That being, there will be no sequel. NamNar's (why yes I will still call him that, shush you) journey has come to an end, at least in story form. Nick's dead, Hanna's stable, and Sinnoh is healing again. And the character parallels come full circle.

However. HOWEVER. (Yes, this means you can be excited again.) My next Pokemon fanfiction project, _Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey_, will take place in the same universe, and as such, will contain references and small-ish cameos by some of the Pedestal cast. And hey, if you like my writing for some silly reason, there's more of it! And with pokemon, too!

Well, that's all folks. The end. Goodbye. _Adieu_. I love you, thank you, and again, thank you. Team Awesome, signing off.


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